Impressionism in fly design

Zak

Zak

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I like impressionistic flies, especially flies that could represent several different things that are tasty to fish. My eyes were opened to impressionistic flies by John Atherton's excellent book The Fly and the Fish.

This short article was interesting to me. I'll be going back to LaFountain's Caddisflies for a look at the seven attributes of successful flies!

currentseams.com

The requirements of a successful grass shrimp fly pattern are…well, they certainly don’t include realism

Edward Ringwood Hewitt was one of the leading innovators in American fly fishing and fly tying. The Skating Spider…Bivisisble…Neversink Stone…these are all Hewitt creations. Hewit…
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S

Smalma

Life of the Party
When it comes to suggesting a variety food items it is hard to beat a well stocked box of soft hackles.

A box of soft hackles in a variety of sizes and colors have been a staple in my stillwater fishing for 50 plus years. They also make a significant contribution to my sea-run cutthroat, bull trout, and salmon fly boxes..

Curt
 
mcswny

mcswny

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Smalma said:
When it comes to suggesting a variety food items it is hard to beat a well stocked box of soft hackles.

A box of soft hackles in a variety of sizes and colors have been a staple in my stillwater fishing for 50 plus years. They also make a significant contribution to my sea-run cutthroat, bull trout, and salmon fly boxes..

Curt
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Curt, what sizes do you like to stock for your wet flies?
 
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Smalma

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Curt, what sizes do you like to stock your wet flies?
Click to expand...
mcswny-
A basic lake box would have soft hackles in sizes 8 to 14 in maybe 6 different colors; that box might have a 100 flies. With that selection might be able to provide a reasonable representation of anything from scuds to dragon fly nymphs. It would look different if for example I were headed to alpine lake where the size and color selection might be reduced; in some cases I would be comfortable armed with a dozen size 12 soft hackles in a dark olive color!

Curt
 
RCF

RCF

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Impressionistic flies: couple of ways I look at it.

Flies that impress me on why they even work...
Flies tied so well I would not even fish them because they are too pretty.

My flies I tie look like they have caught lots of fish even before hitting the water. What impresses me is they work...
 
mcswny

mcswny

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Smalma said:
alpine lake where the size and color selection might be reduced; in some cases I would be comfortable armed with a dozen size 12 soft hackles in a dark olive color!
Click to expand...
This was what I was actually looking for and I didn’t even have to ask ;)
 
Tom Butler

Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
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For river fishing I like one impressionistic softhackle fly above all others. Caddis, mayfly, stone, minnow, fish see something in a hare's ear all year long.
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clarkman

clarkman

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no eyes on my flies....

even they can't see what they are...
 
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Marc Fryt

Marc Fryt

Just Hatched
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Smalma said:
When it comes to suggesting a variety food items it is hard to beat a well stocked box of soft hackles.

A box of soft hackles in a variety of sizes and colors have been a staple in my stillwater fishing for 50 plus years. They also make a significant contribution to my sea-run cutthroat, bull trout, and salmon fly boxes..

Curt
Click to expand...
Agree. After getting more into upland hunting, I have ended up with a couple capes of grouse feathers, and with so many feathers I started to incorporate them more into my stillwater patterns. Especially this spring season, those soft hackle flies became confident patterns and are taking a prominent place in my stillwater box.
 
M_D

M_D

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A little thread drift here. For those who fish soft hackles a bunch, what's your method?
-An intermediate or lightly weighted line?
-A floater with a weighted fly and the soft hackle as a 'dropper' ?

And then what's your method of retrieval?
-short strips? like 3-6 inches?
-or a slow one handed retrieve?

I've come to realize I'm kind of a one dimensional fisher. I've become proficient with a full sink and a leech pattern and that's pretty much all I do anymore. I've tried the soft hackle thing a couple times with little to no confidence so I'd love to increase my repertoire and hear what works for those in the know.

thanks in advance
 
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Tom Butler

Tom Butler

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M_D said:
A little thread drift here. For those who fish soft hackles a bunch, what's your method?
-An intermediate or lightly weighted line?
-A floater with a weighted fly and the soft hackle as a 'dropper' ?

And then what's your method of retrieval?
-short strips? like 3-6 inches?
-or a slow one handed retrieve?

I've come to realize I'm kind of a one dimensional fisher. I've become proficient with a full sink and a leech pattern and that's pretty much all I do anymore. I've tried the soft hackle thing a couple times with little to no confidence so I'd love to increase my repertoire and hear what works for those in the know.

thanks in advance
Click to expand...
I fish small to medium size creeks and rivers. 1) cast across or across and down, let the fly drift and sink as much as desired, then as your line begins to swing follow it around with your rod tip, let hang below you, maybe strip a bit, step down, and repeat. 2) cast upstream, get fly down or not, and dead drift it past your position on a tight line, finish with the swing, and give an induced take lift at the end an hold just subsurface before repeating.
 
Zak

Zak

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.
M_D said:
A little thread drift here. For those who fish soft hackles a bunch, what's your method?
-An intermediate or lightly weighted line?
-A floater with a weighted fly and the soft hackle as a 'dropper' ?

And then what's your method of retrieval?
-short strips? like 3-6 inches?
-or a slow one handed retrieve?

I've come to realize I'm kind of a one dimensional fisher. I've become proficient with a full sink and a leech pattern and that's pretty much all I do anymore. I've tried the soft hackle thing a couple times with little to no confidence so I'd love to increase my repertoire and hear what works for those in the know.

thanks in advance
Click to expand...
In moving water, I fish SH on a floating line. I usually fish dry flies upstream and then a SH 9n the way back downstream. On still water I like an intermediate line or a floating line.
 
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Smalma

Life of the Party
M_D-
One of the benefits of the soft hackle is not only it can be used to suggest a variety of trout food they can be fished in a wide variety of ways to n match the "hatch" being fished or the trout's mood.

In addition to your suggested retrieves more than a few of my stillwater days have been saved fishing soft hackles on a fast sinking line with short quick stripes looking for reaction strikes from the trout.

Curt
 
Tom Butler

Tom Butler

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@Zak , here is a quote from the hairwing hare article. Just realized it was there, kinda glossed over it, like, ya, duh.
Same principal appears all the time in the book you referenced and Dave Hughes "Wet Flies" as well. I'm a believer in the impressionistic school of thought.

"Sometimes it’s best not to ask too many questions and just accept the incontrovertible truth – trout like it vague."
 
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