Which is the best fly?

[otter]

Which or whether, a significant number of salmon and sea trout liked a black pennel enough to bend my rod many a time when I was but a pup.

[Traditionalist]

Which or whether, a significant number of salmon and sea trout liked a black pennel enough to bend my rod many a time when I was but a pup.

Oh, the fly generally referred to as a Black Pennell often works quite well. it just has nothing at all to do with Pennell.

[Otter Spotter]

Which or whether, a significant number of salmon and sea trout liked a black pennel enough to bend my rod many a time when I was but a pup.

Personal best brownie 4.75lbs caught on a size 10 black Pennel. Not a go to fly for me but it certainly did the trick on that occasion.

[otter]

Oh, the fly generally referred to as a Black Pennell often works quite well. it just has nothing at all to do with Pennell.

Okay, just looked at the plate -  they must have UV properties or some other magic ?,  he must have been some angler, they make bob wyatts flies look like full dressed salmon flies in comparison.

[Traditionalist]

He was an idiot, as you will see if you read some of his books. He wasn't a very nice person at all.

UV properties!!!!   Are you trying to get me going? 

The flies were largely useless, as many anglers of the day noted. Most of what Pennell wrote regarding them was absolute rubbish.  He was also caught a few times lying about it.

[otter]

Just read Malcolms thread, which obviously is very similar to this one. Bear in mind my experiences are largely river based.

I have a theory as to why discussions about these matters can become very argumentative and that is when ever one mentions hatch matching it immediatley  evokes a negative response from many anglers simply because their concept of the term matching the hatch is largely based on the volumious dribble that has emanated from english chalkstreams and other such enclaves of piscatorial eloquence.  " The trout was taking every 6th dun " comes to mind here. It also evokes an irrational but understandable  belief that matching the hatch must refer to fishing very specific dries with three and three quarter turns of a almost medium dun  or very very specific nymph imitations etc....    No offense intended to any fine upstanding or not englishman here, but since much of literature and magazines emanated from england it is fair to say that much is based largely on the english establishments physche to label and box everything in to a very orderly way - keeps the masses on a firm leash . 

Also much of the stuff is dribble handed down from one author to the next and any real sense of reality was long since lost. I bet you a fiver that when Bob Wyatts bones have long since turned to dust, the reasoning behind his flies will also be forgotten and his disciples in fifty years time will be marketing his flies and selling them with theories that will bear little resemblance to his.

Trout, yes even wild trout, can be as easily caught as mackarel at times for various reasons. A clear example of this is early season just as the first hatches begin very lighly. Trout can often be found shoaled up and on the bottom, competing for any nymph that dares show its ugly mug. On such occasions one may catch dozens upon dozens of trout with a basic nymph as long as it behaves reasonably correctly and is of a size and colour and profile that appeals to the trout.  Clearly you are taking advantage of the sparse hatch, presenting a suitable imitation in the right way and at a position in the water column that matches where the trout are taking the naturals.  You are matching the hatch or more precisely you are fishing in a manner that is providing a suitable fly in a manner that the trout percieves it to be food - ergo bent rod regularily.

As the season progresses, there is more food on the menu, trout become more spread out, taking very specific advantage of the food on offer. On some very flylife rich rivers they can settle  into quite complicated feeding patterns according to the prevailing conditions. Matching the hatch or taking advantage of the hatch now is all about knowing where the trout are likely to be actively feeding.  Whether your patterns and how you fish is optimum or not , it is a huge advantage to be in the right place at the right time. 

After that its all down to learning to read / anticipate how the trout GENERALLY react to various hatches on YOUR river. You dont need to be a rocket scientist to even by trial and error figure out 90% of it and catch quite a few trout.  Those anglers that do get loads of time on the water and if they so choose can really get into the nitty gritty of it all and possibly learn how to take ultimate advantage of each type of  hatch.

I have done so on my local river in certain situations, can replicate it season after season so that it is akin to mackarel fishing - I am sure many of you have done the same.  To achieve that level you will have learnt to take advantage of the particular hatch or in that god awful phrase you will have matched the hatch.

How we phrase things can cause a lot of negativity and headache.

[Wildfisher]

That is an excellent post Norman. 

[Traditionalist]

Very good analysis.

[13Fisher1]

Otter,
Good summary, reasoned, clear, logical and concise!

[otter]

A small addendum to what I posted above which is equally important.

Not all rivers are the same, even areas of the same river can vary quite dramatically and the precision required to take advantage of the hatches with reasonable sucess can also vary.  Generally speaking (there are execeptions) , the closer to form and behaviour that your fly matches the natural the more likely you are to succeed. This is really just common sense but even then it is not black and white, sometimes its a must , sometimes its not.

You will find many fine anglers that are not overly fussy in fly selction but either through knowlege. experience , simply working through their repetoire of sucessful presentation methods on any given situation will effectively start to take trout. Experience and time on the water are the real keys to success as long as the angler is capable of evolving.

For some anglers this simply does not happen, just as in golf and many other things, they don't have a natural ability for it and each season is another groudhog day - doesn't make them less an angler and doesn't make their enjoyment any less than those that catch more.

My local river is very heavily fished, is quite rich in fly life, is stuffed with trout in much of it.  I enjoy the challenges it presents and the nature of the river shapes me  the angler as will the nature of your waters shape you.