What Works for You Works...

My Dad and I have had a realization lately - in fly fishing (as in many other things) there's a program. And everyone's got a different program. Talk to Guide A and they tell you orange is the perfect color for River X. Yet you talk to Guide B and they would NEVER run orange, preferring to start with blue.

Lately I've been on the quest for a simplified stonefly. Turns out that virtually every tyer has their own patttern and all claim theirs slays everyone else's!

I've quickly discovered that finding a program that works for ME - for my skills, for my preference, for my equipment, for my location, etc. - is really what its all about. And finding this program is purely driven by getting out and trying things while paying attention to what does and doesn't work.

As an example, I tie up my steelhead rig below the fly line using primarily double surgeon's knots. Why? Because I can tie them consistently, even with cold hands. But on a recent float trip with a couple of buddies I noticed a lot of blow hook-ups - with failure right at that surgeon's knot. One companion (an experienced guide) on that trip suggested it was time for me to man up and learn to tie a solid blood knot. But the next day while fishing with another friend (also a guide) he dismissed the blood knot - preferring instead back-to-back Uni knots. Since then, I've had several others validate Uni's.

What's intriguing to me is that I started using the double surgeon for tying on tippet while trout fishing. Never had a failure at the knot yet. But consider the fighting and landing demands of trout versus steelhead and it probably makes sense.

Another example is egg fly selection on the Pere Marquette. Conventional local wisdom when the river is low and clear (as it's been this Winter) are pale orange, cheese, and pink. Near the end of a recent fishless day I came upon a productive hole and decided a change was in order. The Superman egg is one of my favorites, but not for low clear water and savvy fish (typical in the PM). But what did I have to lose? Tied on Superman and BANG -- first drift I hit a nice little skipper!

The moral in all of this? Guides and other experts can teach you a TON, but don't take their recommendations as gospel. Rather, take the time to learn WHY they recommend a color, pattern, style, etc. Then apply this newfound knowledge to your situation. I've been surprised by how much that approach accellerated my skill set!

-Sean-