Invented flies?

On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 18:04:28 +0100, "riverman"
wrote...:

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

Too much... but I have a lot of superfluous materials I'm trying to
justify. :-)

I like tying the standards, mostly because I feel like it removes one
variable from the game (like; will this actually catch fish?), but on the
other hand, its much more fun to just try things on my own. For example, the
other day I was making some Baetis Nymphs, and didn't have the right stuff
for the backs, so I used some brown chenille and trimmed it down with my
scissors. Eventually, I was doing all sorts of creative things, and SWMBO
looked over my shoulder and commented that they didn't look at all like the
pictures in the book...

I have no idea who SWMBO is. However, they don't think or eat like a
fish, so...

You do your thing... I bet it works better than sticking the book on a
hook and dunking it! Anyway... how many books can come up with a
definitive pattern? What? did I hear those 3 little words? BWO?


John
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow

On 18 Oct 2004 21:11:46 GMT, Stephen Welsh
wrote...:

"riverman" wrote in
:

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying
flies you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

More and more tinkering ... probably 80% now ... though usually
fiddling with a "standard". The last few seasons caddis have drawn most
interest: colour variations to the standard range LaFontaine Emergent
Pupa (LaFEP) and CDC & Elk (try one with 2 strands of pearl crystal flash
for a short tail). The latest being a flurry of hectivity around the
LaFEP tied with a Snowshoe Rabbit foot wing. Started fiddling with them
late last season we could finally get the foot downunder. Field testing
is fun and the flys work.

Invention? Naaah ... just variations on a theme.

Nail... hammer... head! Good fun though. Especially when it works well,
and a maggot drowner asks for pearls of wisdom... you can smile humbly
and say, "Just something I threw together." :-)


John
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow

On 18 Oct 2004 21:11:46 GMT, Stephen Welsh
wrote...:

"riverman" wrote in
:

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying
flies you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

More and more tinkering ... probably 80% now ... though usually
fiddling with a "standard". The last few seasons caddis have drawn most
interest: colour variations to the standard range LaFontaine Emergent
Pupa (LaFEP) and CDC & Elk (try one with 2 strands of pearl crystal flash
for a short tail). The latest being a flurry of hectivity around the
LaFEP tied with a Snowshoe Rabbit foot wing. Started fiddling with them
late last season we could finally get the foot downunder. Field testing
is fun and the flys work.

Invention? Naaah ... just variations on a theme.

Nail... hammer... head! Good fun though. Especially when it works well,
and a maggot drowner asks for pearls of wisdom... you can smile humbly
and say, "Just something I threw together." :-)


John
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow

On 18 Oct 2004 16:41:25 -0700, (Salmo
Bytes) wrote...:

"riverman" wrote in message ...
How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?



...for me, essentially 100% of the time inventing.
I'm too old too busy too lazy and too affluent

I can help you there... send me your excess money! ;-)

to spend any more time tying WoollyBuggers Royal Wulffs or bead head
nymphs. I only tie what I can't buy at the local store. For me, buying
standards is a great luxury: it means I can spend *all* my fly tying time
having fun.

I bet your creations work just as well as the "standards." Trout have
small brains... well rainbows at any rate! Once you know the triggers
for the conditions, you can DIY. I think I have about 15 variations of
the montana nymph in my box... None work any better or worse than the
original at the end of the season.


John
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow

On 18 Oct 2004 16:41:25 -0700, (Salmo
Bytes) wrote...:

"riverman" wrote in message ...
How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?



...for me, essentially 100% of the time inventing.
I'm too old too busy too lazy and too affluent

I can help you there... send me your excess money! ;-)

to spend any more time tying WoollyBuggers Royal Wulffs or bead head
nymphs. I only tie what I can't buy at the local store. For me, buying
standards is a great luxury: it means I can spend *all* my fly tying time
having fun.

I bet your creations work just as well as the "standards." Trout have
small brains... well rainbows at any rate! Once you know the triggers
for the conditions, you can DIY. I think I have about 15 variations of
the montana nymph in my box... None work any better or worse than the
original at the end of the season.


John
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow

The explosion in new materials and associated technology truly encourages
the design of new, novel bass flies.

This same explosion in new materials and associated technology also creates
tremendous frustration as I learn that:
"Strong" materials break.."Floating" materials sink, "Bright" colors fade in
water, "Hard" materials soften, and so on and on.

My first challenge is to get the new material to "attach" to my hook.
Second challenge is to get the new material to perform in water. Third
challenge is to get the new material to hold up when castled and fished. The
last and certainly most challenging challenge is to get the new material to
catch more or bigger fish!

When the above fails, as it frequently does for me, g I revert back to the
original pattern and original materials. LOL

Good luck!
John
--
Remove FLY to reply
"riverman" wrote in message
...
How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

I like tying the standards, mostly because I feel like it removes one
variable from the game (like; will this actually catch fish?), but on the
other hand, its much more fun to just try things on my own. For example,
the other day I was making some Baetis Nymphs, and didn't have the right
stuff for the backs, so I used some brown chenille and trimmed it down
with my scissors. Eventually, I was doing all sorts of creative things,
and SWMBO looked over my shoulder and commented that they didn't look at
all like the pictures in the book...

--riverman

The explosion in new materials and associated technology truly encourages
the design of new, novel bass flies.

This same explosion in new materials and associated technology also creates
tremendous frustration as I learn that:
"Strong" materials break.."Floating" materials sink, "Bright" colors fade in
water, "Hard" materials soften, and so on and on.

My first challenge is to get the new material to "attach" to my hook.
Second challenge is to get the new material to perform in water. Third
challenge is to get the new material to hold up when castled and fished. The
last and certainly most challenging challenge is to get the new material to
catch more or bigger fish!

When the above fails, as it frequently does for me, g I revert back to the
original pattern and original materials. LOL

Good luck!
John
--
Remove FLY to reply
"riverman" wrote in message
...
How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

I like tying the standards, mostly because I feel like it removes one
variable from the game (like; will this actually catch fish?), but on the
other hand, its much more fun to just try things on my own. For example,
the other day I was making some Baetis Nymphs, and didn't have the right
stuff for the backs, so I used some brown chenille and trimmed it down
with my scissors. Eventually, I was doing all sorts of creative things,
and SWMBO looked over my shoulder and commented that they didn't look at
all like the pictures in the book...

--riverman

"riverman" wrote in message

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

My whimsy pattern days are gone.

Now, I neither spent too much time inventing new, nor do I spend much time
tying "known patterns" (Sparkle duns are an exception, too easy, and work
too well, so I tie a bunch of em)

The last few years I've had the time to really go out, catch bugs, and
design
my own ties for each type. Very often "my" ties turn out very close to
standard patterns, and I make no claims of "creativity" or "new," but I now
mainly tie nice replicas of "my" patterns that have been proven to work. I
fish such flies, tied from a Natural model, with FAR more confidence and
satisfaction, than flies modeled on other people's flies.

Sometimes, when a fish doesn't like my offering and I feel I've presented it
well and it "should" imitate what he seems to be eating, I will dink around
with slight modifications over a period of days ( assuming the same hatch
keeps going)...; to come up with new 'proven to work" variations. I fish
mainly hard fished waters where the trout have seen it
all and sometimes "different" is important ....

.....matter of fact, a fishing tip, from a mediocre fisherman .... be
somewhat leery of the flies suggested by shops for such hard fished waters
..... usually they are very good ties, but they also tend to been seen by
every fish, every day ....

"riverman" wrote in message

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

My whimsy pattern days are gone.

Now, I neither spent too much time inventing new, nor do I spend much time
tying "known patterns" (Sparkle duns are an exception, too easy, and work
too well, so I tie a bunch of em)

The last few years I've had the time to really go out, catch bugs, and
design
my own ties for each type. Very often "my" ties turn out very close to
standard patterns, and I make no claims of "creativity" or "new," but I now
mainly tie nice replicas of "my" patterns that have been proven to work. I
fish such flies, tied from a Natural model, with FAR more confidence and
satisfaction, than flies modeled on other people's flies.

Sometimes, when a fish doesn't like my offering and I feel I've presented it
well and it "should" imitate what he seems to be eating, I will dink around
with slight modifications over a period of days ( assuming the same hatch
keeps going)...; to come up with new 'proven to work" variations. I fish
mainly hard fished waters where the trout have seen it
all and sometimes "different" is important ....

.....matter of fact, a fishing tip, from a mediocre fisherman .... be
somewhat leery of the flies suggested by shops for such hard fished waters
..... usually they are very good ties, but they also tend to been seen by
every fish, every day ....

"riverman" wrote in message

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

My whimsy pattern days are gone.

Now, I neither spent too much time inventing new, nor do I spend much time
tying "known patterns" (Sparkle duns are an exception, too easy, and work
too well, so I tie a bunch of em)

The last few years I've had the time to really go out, catch bugs, and
design
my own ties for each type. Very often "my" ties turn out very close to
standard patterns, and I make no claims of "creativity" or "new," but I now
mainly tie nice replicas of "my" patterns that have been proven to work. I
fish such flies, tied from a Natural model, with FAR more confidence and
satisfaction, than flies modeled on other people's flies.

Sometimes, when a fish doesn't like my offering and I feel I've presented it
well and it "should" imitate what he seems to be eating, I will dink around
with slight modifications over a period of days ( assuming the same hatch
keeps going)...; to come up with new 'proven to work" variations. I fish
mainly hard fished waters where the trout have seen it
all and sometimes "different" is important ....

.....matter of fact, a fishing tip, from a mediocre fisherman .... be
somewhat leery of the flies suggested by shops for such hard fished waters
..... usually they are very good ties, but they also tend to been seen by
every fish, every day ....