Translating 600 years of usage

[willowhead]

If you ARE Caleb, i'm pretty sure i recognize you from the pic of you and the fish (big Bow), at that site. My wife is the Captain of the Japanese Team.......you prolly met her in Portugal........? Plus i think i saw you in Frisco, Colorado when were there for the America Cup. http://www.theamericacup.com in '08. We did that again last year.
Well, if your not Caleb.....tell him hi.

DAMN!!!!!!!!! those Art Flies are KILLIN'!!!!!!!! Phenominal work..........i'm headed back there Pronto! Easy..........

OK.....you must be him..........lmao............great work..........very inspirational to know that the future is in good hands. Just do me one favor............make sure you put CONSERVATION, AHEAD of all else in fly fishing..........ahead of your fishing, your tying, your socializing, EVERYTHING! Lead by example Bro. Cause if you don't.....who will? Thankx!

[paparex]

I am not Caleb Boyle. I used a link to his website and pictures as an illustration. I wish I could tie as well as Mr. Boyle. I continue to attempt to do so.

Still I am trying to develop a cause and effect relationship of imitative soft-hackles and resident aquatic bugs. Is there not a "hatch chart" that lists BWO and the soft-hackles to use? What about PMD and flymphs? I have tried to tie PMD nymphs and then add soft-hackle components with varying success. The result looks like a full-blown PMD nymph with a soft-hackle addition. Neither elegant nor minimal...the very characteristics I admire in soft-hackles. Anyone else with a list?

[Soft-hackle]

Hi paparex,
I do not know of such a hatch chart. I imagine one could be made, however, the thing is, there are many soft-hackle patterns that would work for selected species of mayflies and caddis. These flies are extremely impressionistic, and fished in the correct manner, can represent caddis or mayflies and the different stages of these insects as well. To actually say "use this soft-hackle or this flymph when this fly is hatching" would be somewhat limiting. For example I've used both Hans Weilenmann's Partridge and Olive Emerger # 14 and a Little Olive Flymph # 14 during Baetis hatches, sometimes during the same hatch, and taken fish on both.

Mark

[Soft-hackle]

Another good example is the Iron Blue Dun. Both the popular Iron Blue Dun pattern and the Snipe and Purple can both be used for the natural. You select which one, based on your preference.

Mark

[hankaye]

paparex, Howdy;

I am by far the MOST un-knowledgeable person on here about ANY of this flymph or fly fishing 'stuff'.

That said, I think that the "Flymph" is probably the most versatile almost All Purpose do-hickies that can be used.

The main thing that I am getting is that it’s “ALL in the PRESENTATION “….

Yea, size and color play their respective rolls. I feel, from what I’ve read, that one only needs to be in the ball park with color but needs to pay a tad bit more attention to size.

That’s my take on it …
hank

[paparex]

I really appreciate the replies. I am a real soft-hackle fan in stillwater and learning to be the same in small local streams. I have not fished soft-hackles in large Western rivers yet, but will do so this year in the South Fork of the Snake. My approach has been to be timid about what fly(ies) to use but feel like I can be more adventuresome with the soft-hackle. My preference is to fish in the film with a dead drift as I often fish the South Fork from a pontoon and cover miles of river in a day. The flow in the summer is so great that wading is only an option on gravel bars in the flow or from islands in the braided area or pounding the bank with large terrestrials and/or dry/dropper. My preference is dry/soft-hackle fished as if it were dry/dry. Now if I can find the confidence of which soft-hackles to use......

[kanutripr]

Just jump in paparex! Pick something natural looking, don't worry about what it is, and catch a fish! The confidence will come. I started out just modifying regular nymph patterns. Soft hackles can be some of the easiest and simplest things you tie. Present the fly right and it won't really matter. Have fun!!


Vicki

[willowhead]

Exactly Vicki.....get the size right, present it correctly, and you good to go.........put the what fly to what bug outta your mind.....it's not that important.....at all. You'll be after Cutts on that river predominately.....Cutts aint particular.......they be equivelant to Brookies in the East............VORACIOUS little sons-a-hehehehehehe.
Do yourself a favor and never forget, the minute you leave home to go to church (mid-stream), you already havin' a totally successful day........."Catch-rates" DO NOT MATTER...........catch-rates should be WWWAAAYYYYYYY down on the list of what's important when you go fishin'.......get your priorities straight now.....and you'll get MUCH more out of your fishin' for many, many, many years to come.
Don't ever forget your wading staff, polorized sun-glass, first-aid kit, an extra set of clothes, a blanket, water-proff matches, a knife, some rope, some cognac, a camera, and a blonde. Not nessessarily in that order.....

[kanutripr]

Wow Mark, you sound like my hubby. He once included a 50 lb bag of potatoes on a canoe trip. Now the whole food barrel prolly weighs 50 lbs.
Oh maybe if you ever meet him you shouldn't tell him I told that story.



Vicki

[willowhead]

Vicki, a good friend a mine, Gary Bartz (one of the giants of the alto saxaphone), used to carry so much crap on the road.....i couldn't believe it.......this cat would litterally take pots and pans with him, and a little stove so he could do all his own cookin' whenever possbile.....and he have a library of 20 books or so.......it was REIDCKALUS! How the hell he got all that stuff on the plane was beyond me.............nother friend, Charles Fambrough (bassist) used to take bar-bells with him on the road..................rotflmao..............i dunno what somma these guys are on..........but i want some.