# One question



## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

I had a ok but fun day on my local river this past weekend. thanks to a local water outflow...But as my day was done I started thinking of why Im not catching as many fish as I used too when I first started fly fishing. Then it dawned on me, Earlier when I made my fly change to my old faithful summer smallmouth fly is when I started catching fish. But the majority of the day I was fishing all my new fancy rubber legged fly patterns that I thought would be so great and that I would catch more fish than ever. Which looking back seemed like a big waste and raises a question to me. 

When do you stop trying to perfect a fly and keep tweaking and creating patterns in order to make the perfect fish slaying fly? Instead of going with what has always worked and produced many fish.

I understand that thats the fun part of fly tying and being creative but it seems Ive been so caught up in trying to create new inovative fish slaying patterns that I forgot how much fun it is to go out and just catch fish. So for me I think Im going to take a step back from the vise and just tie what has always worked and see what happens.


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## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

> When do you stop trying to perfect a fly and keep tweaking and creating patterns in order to make the perfect fish slaying fly? Instead of going with what has always worked and produced many fish.


I don&#8217;t think I ever stop trying to perfect a fly. I have a couple patterns that I&#8217;m very pleased with but I always run into a new situation and think &#8220;this fly would work better if&#8230;..&#8221; and then spend some time on the vice trying to achieve that. Often when I have a pattern that works well I&#8217;ll try to simplify it and make it easier\faster to tie.

If your new patters aren't catching as well as well as your tried and true patterns, think why that might be. The first thing I'd look at is how it performs compared to the one that produces. What is the sink rate? How does the fly move when stripped? When drifted? How much movement does it have?

If it's performing well and still not producing, well maybe it's just not meant to be and you go back to the drawing board.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Different colors of the same patterns during different parts of the year can make a huge difference. Early in the season I was using black and olive, right now I'm using orange and browns but noticed some of my white patterns are starting to get hits. I also try to mix up the pattern a little if I'm hitting the same area repeatedly. Crayfish and other bugs, bait fish, ect. change color throughout the season so try to match that, but also occasionally throw something they haven't seen, it may surprise you. I caught a nice smallie on a bright purple zonker last year and doubt there was anything in the river that resembled it.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

I dont think I will ever stop trying to find that perfect fly, but I guess what I was trying to say is that Im spending more time on the river trying new patterns rather then just fishing what I know that works. Mabe everyone does this I dont really know because I dont have really anyone to ask. But it still is lots of fun I just get frustrated sometimes when there not producing... 

I appreciate the insite though it opened my mind on the way im looking at things. Instead of just saying that pattern is no good tweak minor things and try that instead of giving up on the whole pattern. I do believe now looking back at my other day that I was overweighting some of my flies when they didnt have to be in summer conditions. they made a lot of noise when they hit the water. Probably a big reason my unweighted fly produced.

Also talking about different colors etc. Have you noticed certain patterns only seem to do real well on certain rivers, even neighboring rivers. Or is this more of the time of day or water condition, and its actually more of a coincedence?


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

I've noticed certain patterns working well in not only certain rivers but also in different areas of the same river. I never do well with crawfish patterns in the upper Clear Fork but do well with them in the lower.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

Im sure theres something to it. but thats good to hear. Thats funny though you say that about the clear fork because the first time I tried fishing the upper in the summer I fished most of the day with crayfish patterns only catching one smallmouth then switched to a very small white streamer and everything wanted to hit it. Never really tried the lower dont have an access point....I hear its great though.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I completely understand that you could have a simple fly box with maybe 2-3 streamer patterns in a few sizes that would cover you for most warmwater fly fishing scenarios in Ohio. I understand it. But I can't do it. I never stop tinkering with patterns, add this, take away that, swap this material for that material, etc... I also "fall in love" with a particular pattern for one year, and sometimes, won't use it much at all the next year. A few years back, the Murdich Minnow was my streamer for bass. I used it all the time and caught a lot of bass on it. I honestly can't tell you the last time I tied one on. I bet it's been at least 2 years. There's nothing wrong with it, I just got away from it. This summer, Craven's Dirty Hippie and Gonga streamers have been killing it for me. Fun ties, very effective patterns...and I won't be shocked if at this point next year I am hardly using them for no good reason.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

that's good to hear cream. I'm happy tying and truly enjoy it. I guess as the years go by I will get better at making the right ties and what to use on the river to effectively catch bass. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting too creative and wild on the tying end, making my fishing end suffer. But it sounds like I'm not doing that and I should keep being creative, just make better tying choices and pay more attention to how my fly's swim in the water, and the fish catching will come naturally. I hope....

thanks for all the incite everyone now its time to try some new carp flys.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

TheCream said:


> This summer, Craven's Dirty Hippie and Gonga streamers have been killing it for me. Fun ties, very effective patterns.


Great, now I've got to add some more flies to my bag

Last weekend I was fishing a small hole at the base of a dam in my local river. The area is only about 20 feet wide by 60 feet long and about 3 to 4 feet deep. The water just past it is only an inch or two deep. I started with my crayfish pattern orange and brown and caught 6 rock bass and a small mouth. After a few misses I stopped getting any bites. I tied on another pattern and tried for a few more minutes with zero hits, tied on a black ghost and immediately caught several more rock bass, missed another small mouth, missed a surprise crappie and then caught 3 crappie in a row. I don't think I would have caught any of the crappie had I kept throwing the other patterns and that's only the 2nd time I've ever used the black ghost, I just did it on a whim.


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

for warm water I keep it simple 
1.Closer's 
2. marabou Muddler minnows ( bottom of head trimmed flat)
3. Hollow tie's 
4. rubber leg Woolly Buggers - these I fish slowly with a bottom hop followed by a short 6''-12'' strip 
I find I don't need anything else , One side note I fish all these with the exception of the wooly bugger on a sink tip line . The rubber leg wooly bugger I fish on a floating line ...with a indicator ..cast up stream to give the fly time to sink to the bottom ...let the line belly slighty down stream and give it a rod tip jerk....many small mouth trips have be saved by this trick when they do want to give chase to a minnow and would rather smash a craw fish...stay under size 4


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Are you fishing the Black? 
Right now the lower and out to the rock walls in lake is the way to go. You will need a boat or kayak to fish more efficiently.

As for flies, just about anything with white imparted in it is the way to go.


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## lorainfly24 (Jun 21, 2014)

yes I am fishing the black. and I would be fishing the lower if I had a kayak that would be so nice always imagined it. But I do very well at days dam I just like to explore the upper and new areas also. but I have never had much luck on white in that river...but then again I've never really tried it that much, because I've never had a problem with olive/copper or orange/copper. But maybe that's what I need to do is change my technique up.

Ive always run a wet tip express sinking line and use rapid 4 to 6in. strips at a certain beat and target structure (rootballs and rocks). Ill catch a bass then move on usually covering a lot of ground. This has always produced for me but very rarely do I catch a bass out of the deep holes even with ones with large rocks or trees(that I've seen many smallmouth caught out of with live bait). So maybe I just need to mix it up and probably slow it down with some of flymakers techniques. thanks by the way.


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