Newbie Question: How many fly sizes & colors to tie for next season?

Larry L wrote:

I believe that sizes, shapes and, lastly, colors are going to work best when
they suggest something the fish sees and eats regularly, even if that fish
has never had a selective second in his life.


Where do the big, garish, cartoony, improbable and successful foam flies
fit in with the above?

Willi

Larry L wrote:
"Larry L" wrote

... imho



Another thing that came to mind.

I don't think anything has improved my fly fishing as much as one simple
rule I came up with and try to follow.

"Don't open a fly box UNTIL you know what fly you are looking for."

In other words try to avoid posing for the classic fly fishing photo of the
guy looking at his box hoping some magic pattern will attract him.

Hey, you've been spying on me. ;-)

Russell

"Russell D." wrote

Hey, you've been spying on me. ;-)

Russell


Thinking about you too, Russell .... this year I made a special point one
day of fishing a Renegade ( fly you often pitch in threads similar to this
one ) to Firehole trout .... yep they ate it .... but don't tell Willi I
admitted it G

Larry L wrote:
"Russell D." wrote
Hey, you've been spying on me. ;-)

Russell


Thinking about you too, Russell .... this year I made a special point one
day of fishing a Renegade ( fly you often pitch in threads similar to this
one ) to Firehole trout .... yep they ate it .... but don't tell Willi I
admitted it G



Nothing wrong with fishing a Renegade. It's an oldie but a goody. About
the only time I use it now is if I make out during January through
March. It works well when about all that is happening is emerging midges.

Russell

David, if you are going to be serious about tying, you should purchase
Ted Leeson's and Jim Schollmeyer's book "The Fly Tier's Benchside
Reference". Anything you ever wanted to know about fly tying is in
this book. It's a wonderful reference manual with step by step
illustrations on hundreds of techniques and dressing styles.

When it first came out in 1998, many of us rushed to the book store to
buy it for $100. Today you can buy it on Amazon.com for $63. I saw
it in a fly shop recently for $60. Great buy.

Dave

On Oct 13, 11:48 am, Dave LaCourse wrote:
David, if you are going to be serious about tying, you should purchase
Ted Leeson's and Jim Schollmeyer's book "The Fly Tier's Benchside
Reference". Anything you ever wanted to know about fly tying is in
this book. It's a wonderful reference manual with step by step
illustrations on hundreds of techniques and dressing styles.

When it first came out in 1998, many of us rushed to the book store to
buy it for $100. Today you can buy it on Amazon.com for $63. I saw
it in a fly shop recently for $60. Great buy.

Dave

That is a good suggestion. Right now I have "Fly Tying For Beginners"
by Peter Gathercole and another book by him "The Fly-Tying Bible". I
also have six patterns that I was taught to tie by a local fly
fisherman. Those six patterns caught a lot of fish for me. He told
me that they were his favorite for around here. I'm not wanting to
tie a zillion more patterns for next season, but just expand a bit.
After thinking about this (and reading all of the good feedback here
in ROFF) I think I'm just going to add 6 or so patterns to the ones
that have already served me well, my first season of fishing. That's
all I need for now.

One "downer" for me is the fact that locally we have no trout. I do
fish for trout on vacation. But 98 percent of my fishing, by
necessity, is for warm water fish in Central Illinois. My trout flies
seem to catch plenty of panfish around here, and I have a lot of fun
doing this (my children have had a lot of fun too........I've taught
both of them to fly fish this year). But I also fish for
bass.........and they haven't been too good about taking the trout/
panfish flies. For them I've tied some other flies (large streamers,
terrestrials and wooly buggers have worked best for the bass). Also,
I fish a lot of different waters around here including small rivers,
ponds and lakes. I have one small lake that I fish over my lunch hour
(it's real close to where I work, and a co-worker and I pile into the
car and fish as often as we can).

Anyway, I'm rambling. Thanks for the help. I deeply appreciate
everyone on ROFF helping me through this first year.

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:16:51 -0000, mdk77
wrote:

But 98 percent of my fishing, by
necessity, is for warm water fish in Central Illinois.

Watch out, there. Lots of mean spirited people in Central Illinois.

d;o)

On Oct 13, 5:24 pm, Dave LaCourse wrote:
On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:16:51 -0000, mdk77
wrote:

But 98 percent of my fishing, by
necessity, is for warm water fish in Central Illinois.

Watch out, there. Lots of mean spirited people in Central Illinois.

d;o)

Hey, I have Ken F. to watch my back. He's just a hop, skip & a jump
East of Bloomington where I live :-)

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:57:32 -0000, mdk77
wrote:

Hey, I have Ken F. to watch my back. He's just a hop, skip & a jump
East of Bloomington where I live :-)

Oh no! You have gone over to the dark side! Beware, beware! Strange
things happen in that neck of the woods.

Dave

On Oct 13, 11:48 am, Dave LaCourse wrote:
David, if you are going to be serious about tying, you should purchase
Ted Leeson's and Jim Schollmeyer's book "The Fly Tier's Benchside
Reference". Anything you ever wanted to know about fly tying is in
this book. It's a wonderful reference manual with step by step
illustrations on hundreds of techniques and dressing styles.

When it first came out in 1998, many of us rushed to the book store to
buy it for $100. Today you can buy it on Amazon.com for $63. I saw
it in a fly shop recently for $60. Great buy.

Dave

Dave, I did pick up "The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference" by Leeson &
Schollmeyer. I also picked up "Trout Flies - The Tier's Reference" by
Dave Hughes. These two books, along with my two beginner books ("Fly
Tying for Beginners" and "The Fly-Tying Bible" both books by Peter
Gathercole) should serve me well for many years. I can't wait to dive
into the the two new books. I'm also going to ask the gentleman who
taught me how to tie, if he will spend some more time with me over the
Winter, and help me with some more advanced techniques/flies.

I really feel at peace when I tie flies. I'm a slow tier, but I savor
the peace and tranquility as I tie. Our world seems so hectic, fast
paced and stressful, but when I tie (and certainly when I fish) I can
feel at perfect peace.

- Dave K.