Go To Dry Flies And Pattern Innovation

[Wildfisher]

Thinking back over the past two or three seasons without doubt my go-to dry has been a parachute Adams  in various sizes. The Adams really is the American Greenwells Glory. A super versatile, multi-suggestive pattern.  I reckon it?s an even better fly  than the Greenwells: easy to spot, floats like a cork and seldom fails.  God Bless America!  

If I was allowed to carry only 3  dry flies, in various sizes,  they would be parachute Adams, ginger hackled haresear Kinkhamer and the Elk Hair Caddis. Strikes me  that list does not contain  a single UK pattern, far less a Scottish one. Has fly design innovation (for real trout fishing as opposed to stockie bashing) passed on from the UK?

[Malcolm]

On stillwaters the good old hopper, cdc suspender buzzer and seals fur dry (probably centuries old) are my mainstays and on the river the compara/sparkle dun and snowshoe dun with a CDC collar hackle serve me very well. Isn't the sedgehog Scottish?

[Wildfisher]

Isn't the sedgehog Scottish?

Stan's.  However, Stan is in a class of his own. No other loch fisher in Scotland comes even close.

[Harpo]

I am busy tying up some Dirty Polly dries right now a pattern I only found out about through here

I think that paattern only exists on here
caught me my biggest Trout

[scotty9]

The simple fact is that there is not another country in the world that can truly compete in inventing and innovating..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_inventions_and_discoveries

[Wildfisher]

Scotland is more renowned for spiders and loch wet flees than dries though.

True, but new patterns are not necessarily innovation. Adding a red tag to a black spider and calling it a "machair spider",  :roll:  well technically it may  be a new pattern but it is hardly innovative. 

Innovation is seen in patterns like the Dutch designed Klinkhamer that have had a massive impact internationally.  Even the DHE was, arguably, evolution (I think even Bob has said that), but I would certainly class it as new and innovative with it's no hackle design. The hedgehog was also no hackle, but is it well known and lauded outside wee Scotland?  I doubt it.

[Wildfisher]

The simple fact is that there is not another country in the world that can truly compete in inventing and innovating..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_inventions_and_discoveries

I don't see much about fly design in there Scott, mechanical TV design that was quickly superseded by Polish electronic innovation, yes,  fly design, no.   :lol:

Let's try to stay on topic please, this is about flies.  

[Darwin]

... The hedgehog was also no hackle, but is it well known and lauded outside wee Scotland?  I doubt it.

I am trying to help with that, soon as I figure out how to catch with it!   :?

[Wildfisher]

I am trying to help with that, soon as I figure out how to catch with it!   :?

Here it is most often fished as a pulled wake fly  and is especially attractive to Scottish bandies. Some fish it as a loch dry, but I find a bit  too heavily dressed and prefer the likes of an Elk Hair Caddis, a Hopper -   or  CDC and Elk if the fish are in a more fussy mood. I have found it useless on rivers, but admit to not having  given it much of a chance.

[Swifty]

Hi All,

I could probably get through a season on rivers with two dries,  klink special (grey dubbing body and red game hackle) and a baloon caddis. When I am not catching on other flies I usually switch back to these two.  Both quite innovative in their way but beginning to feel old fashioned now.  Thats not to say I go to the river with two dry flies,  why carry two flies when you can carry 200.   

Cheers,

Mark