Here’s a helpful tip when buying or tying flies to match a hatch throughout the fishing season. Let’s say you’re fishing a particular hatch and targeting a fish or several fish. Let’s use a Sulphur for example. Often when there is one or a few fish rising in an area, feeding on Sulphurs, we may pick up a fish or two using a particular pattern. If, for example you caught a few fish on a sulphur parachute, but find that this pattern stops working and fish refuse to eat the fly, you may want to consider simply chnging-up a little. Have a few variations of the Sulphur in your fly box. I often carry 2 or 3 varieties of a same fly, like a Sulphur. In my box I’ll have Sulphur parachutes with cdc loop wings, some extended body parachutes and some thorax style Sulphurs. I catch a fish or two, can’t catch the other few fish I’ve attempted to catch and then switch patterns to mix-it-up a little. This method will very often help pick up an extra fish or two in each instance. This has proven to be very successful for me with most mayfly and caddis patterns. Hope this helps.
Gene Ercolani – Owner A.A. Outfitters

