The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

It's always the first question: "So, what fly did you catch them on?"

"An Elk Hair Caddis," I replied.

I was a little surprised he bothered to ask. The answer to his question seemed so obvious. The swarms of caddis were everywhere; as we spoke he was swatting them away from his face.

"I tried that earlier," the man announced. "I didn't have any luck, so I've been fishing hoppers."

Unfortunately, the search for the magic fly, that special pattern the fish absolutely cannot resist, is seldom the key to success. Granted, fish are selective; you need to have a pattern that roughly represents the correct size, shape and color of the dominate food items. But, within those broad guidelines there are a variety of choices.

For example, on the day in question we caught fish on an Olive Elk Hair Caddis, but I am quite sure we could have caught them just as easily on a CDC Caddis or an E-Z Parachute Caddis or any number of other caddis patterns as well.

Our friend who was not catching fish on the Elk Hair Caddis, simply did not fish the fly long enough and hard enough. He either did not show it in the places where the trout were hiding or it was not shown in a life-like manner. It was not about the fly at all.

Blaming the fly is always the easy answer. It's simple to say "I don't have the right pattern," and go on to something else. It's much harder to admit that the thing most in need of adjustment is the angler himself. That's a much more difficult fix. It's harder to correct a casting problem than to change a fly.

When I first started guiding I was a really fussy about fly patterns. I had all my own custom ties for all of the major hatches. I was pretty convinced that only those specially conceived, carefully constructed flies could get the job done. In my mind, nothing else would work.

Guests on guided trips have often been to fly shops before they come to the river. The guests arrive on the guide boat well equipped - but seldom do they have exactly the same patterns as those that the guide was thinking of.

Since the customers were often referred by the shops, we fished the "wrong" flies and worked more on our presentation skills.

It was an excellent exercise. Much to my surprise, we were quite successful. We caught lots more fish than I thought we would. I became less and less concerned about the "right" fly and more and more concerned about how the fly, currently on the end of the leader, looked on the water. I focused increasingly on presentation not pattern; my success rate shot upward.

My recommendation is to make a fly choice early in the game. When you first arrive, study the water to see which insects are hatching. Try to capture a few bugs so that you really see the size, shape and color up close. Rummage through your boxes until you find something that matches as closely as possible to the insects that you have found.

When you finally step into the water and begin to fish, concentrate on casting and presentation; make the fly that you have chosen work. Don't waste your time doubting the fly - spend it improving the angler.

Great fishermen can usually make poorer flies work. Poor fishermen are not likely to catch a lot of trout even if they have great flies.