What's Catching You Fish?

Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
No whitefish??? Who even posts pics of bows and bulls anymore? We want the target species!!!
Skunk on that, but I had a Sz. 12 and 14, I was was looking. :)
 

Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
The soft hackle copper john I posted the other day. @Zak, here you can see how the peacock bump behind the hackle keeps the partridge from collapsing on the body as much. You probably already knew that.:) I should have used your grouse or a different tail color maybe. It did find two whitefish but I lost both bringing them across the current and back up to me.
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Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
I don't know what it is, but I've never had luck with a PT nymph, in any season, and today was no different. The one I just tied did nothing. I fished these two hard thorough every spot as both point and dropper, and only the copper john got a fish.
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I always follow up with a hare's ear softhackle, and because I saw salmon parts I put on an egg and reran each spot.
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Instant difference everywhere.
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I know what it is actually, no softhackle, movement. Plus the hun skin I'm working came from Bill W., so it's got some inherent magic.
 
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Oliver1329

Life of the Party
I don't know what it is, but I've never had luck with a PT nymph, in any season, and today was no different. The one I just tied did nothing. I fished these two hard thorough every spot as both point and dropper, and only the copper john got a fish.
View attachment 40532
I always follow up with a hare's ear softhackle, and because I saw salmon parts I put on an egg and reran each spot.
View attachment 40533
Instant difference everywhere.
View attachment 40534View attachment 40535
I know what it is actually, no softhackle, movement. Plus the hun skin I'm working came from Bill W., so it's got some inherent magic.
That is interesting Tom. I had the same struggles when I was fishing PTs. I didn't catch any fish on them when they were in a larger size say size 14 or 12. It was only when I downsized to a 16 or 18 I had success with them. Maybe try a smaller size? What size were you fishing?
 

Jake Watrous

Legend
Forum Supporter
I don't know what it is, but I've never had luck with a PT nymph, in any season, and today was no different. The one I just tied did nothing. I fished these two hard thorough every spot as both point and dropper, and only the copper john got a fish.
View attachment 40532
I always follow up with a hare's ear softhackle, and because I saw salmon parts I put on an egg and reran each spot.
View attachment 40533
Instant difference everywhere.
View attachment 40534View attachment 40535
I know what it is actually, no softhackle, movement. Plus the hun skin I'm working came from Bill W., so it's got some inherent magic.
It’d be interesting to see what other “sure-fire” flies have lackluster performance for folks. Despite a lot of attempts, I don’t believe I have ever caught a fish on a Bob Triggs Chum Baby, even some tied by Bob, or a Pat’s Rubber Legs.

Say what you will about confidence flies, but I had a lot of confidence in those flies for a long time—I was sure it was me.
 

Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
That is interesting Tom. I had the same struggles when I was fishing PTs. I didn't catch any fish on them when they were in a larger size say size 14 or 12. It was only when I downsized to a 16 or 18 I had success with them. Maybe try a smaller size? What size were you fishing?
Sz. 14, pretty small for me. It just feels weird tying on this small stuff. It felt funny catching fish on a sz 18 griffiths gnat the other day, maybe I just need to get used to going smaller again.
I don't know, I think they are tied well enough, maybe too long a tail?, but PT's just don't work well for me.
 

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Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
It’d be interesting to see what other “sure-fire” flies have lackluster performance for folks. Despite a lot of attempts, I don’t believe I have ever caught a fish on a Bob Triggs Chum Baby, even some tied by Bob, or a Pat’s Rubber Legs.

Say what you will about confidence flies, but I had a lot of confidence in those flies for a long time—I was sure it was me.
A sz. 6 coffee/blk pats is one of my go to confidence flies, like the hare's ear. Beginning to think it's location, location, location. I observe lots of caddis and stones but very few mayflies. Oh well, I guess if I could just tie on anything and hang it in the water and catch fish, it wouldn't be as much fun. Might be frustrating at times but I love a good challenge.
 
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clarkman

average member
Forum Supporter
It’d be interesting to see what other “sure-fire” flies have lackluster performance for folks. Despite a lot of attempts, I don’t believe I have ever caught a fish on a Bob Triggs Chum Baby, even some tied by Bob, or a Pat’s Rubber Legs.

Say what you will about confidence flies, but I had a lot of confidence in those flies for a long time—I was sure it was me.
a buddy of mine for the life of him can't catch fish on a prince nymph. They always seem to work for me....same size & everything. He's a very good fisherman too. He slays the same stretches with PTs....
 

mcswny

Legend
Forum Supporter
It’d be interesting to see what other “sure-fire” flies have lackluster performance for folks. Despite a lot of attempts, I don’t believe I have ever caught a fish on a Bob Triggs Chum Baby, even some tied by Bob, or a Pat’s Rubber Legs.

Say what you will about confidence flies, but I had a lot of confidence in those flies for a long time—I was sure it was me.
Same experience here. One winter I tied up 3 dozen Pats Rubber Legs and over the course of the next year I didn't catch one single fish on them. I just slowly lost them or gave them away. I think I have one left in my box and its missing a leg.
 

James St. Clair

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
It’d be interesting to see what other “sure-fire” flies have lackluster performance for folks. Despite a lot of attempts, I don’t believe I have ever caught a fish on a Bob Triggs Chum Baby, even some tied by Bob, or a Pat’s Rubber Legs.

Say what you will about confidence flies, but I had a lot of confidence in those flies for a long time—I was sure it was me.

@Tom Butler @mcswny super interesting conversation here. I have caught so many fish on PT's and Pat's Rubber Legs its insane. What I haven't caught a fish on is a prince nymph. Proven pattern for sure, and I am sure folks here have caught countless fish on them. But these days I can't talk myself in to tying one on.

Here is my take away, that which alludes to what a few have said here...confidence. We all have flies that work for us. We tie those on first, and likely fish them until we know the fish are seeing them, but not taking them. Then we tie on a different confidence pattern, and then another after that. Conversely, we'll tie on a pattern that we have heard works well, fish it with limited confidence, and when it doesn't work on the first few casts, we quickly switch flies to our confidence patterns.

I think all the flies work (even the prince nymph, which I despise, won't tie, and literally will not tie on the end of my line), but we make them work. We make them work based on how we fish them. I will always catch more fish on flies I tie because I will fish them harder, with confidence, and how much I want to catch a fish on them. If we fish a fly we don't have as much confidence in, we aren't fishing them as hard, possibly annoyed that they aren't working, quick to change them, and thus they get less fishing time.

Anyways, just my opinion. I had the best fall on my home waters on a pattern I randomly made up for a completely different river (which also caught 0 fish on said river). No confidence in it, but it was an original fly I tied, so it had a chance at least. Tried it as a dropper for fun and turned out the fish couldn't lay off it. Sometimes timing is key too!
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Oliver1329

Life of the Party
Here is my take away, that which alludes to what a few have said here...confidence. We all have flies that work for us. We tie those on first, and likely fish them until we know the fish are seeing them, but not taking them. Then we tie on a different confidence pattern, and then another after that. Conversely, we'll tie on a pattern that we have heard works well, fish it with limited confidence, and when it doesn't work on the first few casts, we quickly switch flies to our confidence patterns.

I think all the flies work (even the prince nymph, which I despise, won't tie, and literally will not tie on the end of my line), but we make them work. We make them work based on how we fish them. I will always catch more fish on flies I tie because I will fish them harder, with confidence, and how much I want to catch a fish on them. If we fish a fly we don't have as much confidence in, we aren't fishing them as hard, possibly annoyed that they aren't working, quick to change them, and thus they get less fishing time.
This is exactly what I think. Well said!
 
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