RLeep2 wrote:
I don't do very much intentional fishing to hatches, but if I run into one while I'm on the creek, my favorite style of tie varies by the mayfly that is on the water and by the wind/weather conditions and by the predominant type of water the stream is presenting me with.
If its cold and I'm fishing paraleps or olives, I like comparaduns. Same goes if I'm fishing sulfurs and it is chilly for the season and the wind is relatively calm.
But if it is windy and I'm fishing sulfurs, I like a parachute or even a conventional, upwing dry (usually a turkey flat). I do it this way because the wind often makes the bugs skitter.
If I'm fishing March Browns, Gray Foxes or Drakes, I like a variant, usually. They tend to skate around too and I've had very poor results fishing these hatches with comparaduns. Same goes for Isonychias, although I don't think I've seen one since i left PA 12 years ago.
In sections of broken water, I'll often fish high riders like humpies during hatches. I've caught a lot of sulfur feeding fish on #16 yellow humpies.
Finally, we are plagued out here with the dinky olives (#22). Virtually every day from mid-May to season's end. My fingers aren't nimble enough to tie a comparadun that small that looks even the least bit fishy. So, I use parachutes and that seems to go ok.
For searching flies when i'm just fishing the water and there is no significant mayfly activity, I tend to fish mostly parachutes. Some Adams (and some yellow or olive Adams), but mostly hare's ear parachutes.
