Troutnut Forum

>

Fly Fishing

> Flies getting smaller

GoofusBug	January 1st, 2009, 8:07 pm
Posts: 31	The longer I fish for trout, the smaller my flies keep getting. My tippets keep getting smaller, too. Is this the normal progression of things?
Martinlf	January 1st, 2009, 11:40 pm
Moderator Palmyra PA Posts: 3233	For some, I suppose. I vary between smaller and larger, depending on conditions. Last season I caught some of my biggest trout on big bugs and heavy tippets, but the one I was proudest of was a big brown on the Delaware that took a small sulphur emerger and was landed on 6X (quickly, I'd add, for those who may think it was played too long. It swam off strong.) Smaller and lighter does require aggressive fighting techniques such as turning the fish's head, using side pressure, and pushing the tippet to it's breaking point to bring the fish to net quickly and avoid exhausting it.
	"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'" --Fred Chappell
JAD	January 2nd, 2009, 9:35 am
Alexandria Pa Posts: 362	GoofusBug Is that because your getting older ( loss of sight --aches and pains -fat fingers) or are the fish becoming college grads . JAD
	They fasten red (crimson red) wool around a hook, and fix onto the wool two feathers which grow under a cock’s wattles, and which in colour are like wax. Radcliffe's Fishing from the Earliest Times,
RleeP	January 2nd, 2009, 10:24 am
NW PA - Pennsylvania's Glacial Pothole Wonderland Posts: 398	>>Is this the normal progression of things?>> Yes. But the flies aren't really getting smaller. The lighting (whether solar or artificial) simply isn't as strong as once was and everything is harder to see. This occurred to me one day when I was standing on a dining room chair reading the newspaper opened on the floor, having misplaced my glasses...:)
GoofusBug	January 2nd, 2009, 1:09 pm
Posts: 31	Truth hurts.
Leakywaders	January 2nd, 2009, 3:37 pm
New England Posts: 43	The trout are smarter. Tried a royal coachman with yellow hackle tail, trout told me it was wrong. Need more golden phessant crest for royal coachman tails.
	Drag free??? If the fly didn't drag, I wouldn't know where it was!!
Troutnut	January 2nd, 2009, 4:11 pm
Administrator Bellevue, WA Posts: 2737	Of course, a real fisherman would realize that it's not your flies and tippets getting smaller, nor is it your eyes getting worse. Your flies just seem smaller, because your fish are getting bigger! See, there's a perfectly good explanation for everything...
	Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Martinlf	January 3rd, 2009, 10:42 am
Moderator Palmyra PA Posts: 3233	Great thread; I missed the joke at first. Leave it to John to point it out to me! I remember that day I was trying to tie on a midge and kept wondering why I couldn't find the eye. It was my eye that was at fault. Now I carry various magnifying aids--bifocals in my sunglasses, flip focals for nightime or whenever the sunglasses aren't in use, and a backup folding pair of reading glasses--just in case. I do like Troutnut's explanation too! The perspective thing.
	"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'" --Fred Chappell

Quick Reply

Related Discussions

Title	Replies	Last Reply
Re: Whiting 4 B's Coachman Brown Hen Capes In Fly Tying by Wiflyfisher	1	Dec 20, 2016 by Wbranch
Re: Dinking around on a small stream In Site Updates by Troutnut	6	Dec 27, 2020 by Wbranch
Re: Newbie In the Insect Order Trichoptera by GennieS	2	May 26, 2009 by Shawnny3
Re: California Coachman In Fly Tying by Joakim	1	Jun 25, 2020 by Joakim
Re: polling In General Discussion by Strmfshr	2	Nov 5, 2009 by Strmfshr
Re: I lost a MONSTER trout! In Fishing Reports by Mcflyangler	2	Dec 26, 2016 by Falsifly
Re: Muskellunge In Fishing Reports by Kschaefer3	16	Aug 22, 2013 by Roguerat
Almost as good as taking sunglasses off! In General Discussion by Troutnut	0
Re: Summer 2015 Fieldwork In Site Updates by Troutnut	3	Jun 28, 2015 by Martinlf
Re: Fly Fishing Survey In Gear Talk by Sup3rfly	8	Oct 14, 2016 by PABrownie

Troutnut.com is copyright © 2004-2024 Jason Neuswanger (email Jason). See my FAQ for information about use of my images. privacy policy