Moving past the wooly bugger

[bigslackwater]

So I've been fishing wooly buggers and green weenies for almost a year now, pretty much exclusively. Here and there I've tied on something else and I've caught fish but I'm stuck on these two flies. I usually use a double fly rig with a small nymph but the bugger or weenie almost always catch the fish... I feel like I'm at a crossroads. Keep fishing with the same flies and continue to catch fish or try something new, work on my technique and get frustrated... I keep choosing the easy, more satisfying route. Then I think that there is a whole world out there of flies that I have not explored. Any suggestions?

 

[springer1]

Size 18 Bead Head Pheasant Tail.

 

[SBecker]

The point is catching fish and enjoying yourself. If you are catching fish and are happy then who cares? Do you fish drys when there is a hatch?

 

[Volksnurse]

Absolutely fish other flies. Nymphs are good going into colder weather...but sometimes an attractor dry and nymph dropper will work.

BUT. I still keep a couple of wooly buggers and green weenies because when the fancier rigs frustrate me, I tend to go back to basics that I know work.

 

[mcfinn]

Yeah, fancy weenies frustrate the heck out of SOME people (cough...JT).
If you're cool with buggers, then streamers are a sound substitute. Quickly stripping a grey ghost or grand laker across and down can pull fish in much the same way as a bugger. Plopping ants or hoppers near the streamsides are usually safe bets as well. Getting fish gets better the more one gets out there and tries - regardless of catch rates.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

mcfinn wrote:
Yeah, fancy weenies frustrate the heck out of SOME people (cough...JT)

Uhhh............nevermind. :lol:

 

[Volksnurse]

Better see someone about that McFinn. Soon.

mcfinn wrote:
(cough).
If you're cool with buggers, then streamers are a sound substitute. Quickly stripping .... Plopping ....

Getting fish gets better the more one gets out there and tries - regardless of catch rates.

Your turn Heritage Ed....

 

[tailingloop]

Size 18 Bead Head Pheasant Tail.

If fish are feeding subsurface this will always work.
If they are rising a small parachute adams can't be beat.

 

[Chaz]

I've been Fly Fishing for 40 some years and when I see that first rise I will almost always switch to a dry. It's a bad habit, I know, but that's me. Next year I will learn to really fish nymphs.
As for you, I say branch out, there will be a learning curve, but I'd suggest you can shorten the learning curve by studying hatch charts and learning to tie flies.
A big part of fly fishing is learning what flies hatch at what times of the year, and capturing live flies and tying the right fly to match it. Capture nymphs on the underside of rocks and tie nymphs to match them. IT's not important to learn the the latin names of flies, but it is very important to learn the flies and how to fish them.
The other thing is to learn rise forms. There are other posts here that talk about the rise forms, you can search for that, or PM me and I'll try to explain it in a brief message.

 

[Volksnurse]

Why is that a bad habit? Isn't the point to use whatever the fish are eating. I agree its a good idea to study the hatches on the stream(s) you fish and love the most, but IMO, there are flies that don't make a lick of sense to me as a person GW, WB, chernobyl ant and probably a few more once I think about it)

I also think fishing with guys who KNOW a stream and its seasonal changes and hatches carries a lot more value than just hatch charts and books.

Chaz wrote:
I've been Fly Fishing for 40 some years and when I see that first rise I will almost always switch to a dry. It's a bad habit, I know, but that's me. Next year I will learn to really fish nymphs.
As for you, I say branch out, there will be a learning curve, but I'd suggest you can shorten the learning curve by studying hatch charts and learning to tie flies.
A big part of fly fishing is learning what flies hatch at what times of the year, and capturing live flies and tying the right fly to match it. Capture nymphs on the underside of rocks and tie nymphs to match them. IT's not important to learn the the latin names of flies, but it is very important to learn the flies and how to fish them.
The other thing is to learn rise forms. There are other posts here that talk about the rise forms, you can search for that, or PM me and I'll try to explain it in a brief message.

 

[redietz]

Volksnurse wrote:
Why is that a bad habit?

Two reasons:

1) A single rise doesn't mean a whole lot. The majority of fish could still be feeding on bottom.

2) A rise doesn't necessarily mean a fish ate something floating on top. It could have taken something just below the surface, and a wet fly or unweighted nymph might be a far better choice, especially at the beginning of a hatch.

There's nothing wrong with being an optimist, though, if you strongly prefer fishing dries. You might not catch as many fish (or maybe you'll catch more) but if you're not enjoying yourself, what's the point of being there at all?

 

[Chaz]

Because it keeps me from learning to fish nymphs.

 

[albatross]

What's with the secret SBCC logo, and how do I get my custom portrait avatar from McFinn? You can caption it "Bourbon Boy".

 

[Volksnurse]

Chaz wrote:
Because it keeps me from learning to fish nymphs.

Why do I not believe you? :lol:

 

[Volksnurse]

albatross wrote:
What's with the secret SBCC logo, and how do I get my custom portrait avatar from McFinn? You can caption it "Bourbon Boy".

And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, I drank with Whiskey Dave.". And walk out. You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in sayin' "I drank with Whiskey Dave" and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in sayin' "I drank with Whiskey Dave" and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

albatross wrote:
What's with the secret SBCC logo, and how do I get my custom portrait avatar from McFinn? You can caption it "Bourbon Boy".

Be careful what you wish for. ;-)

 

[PoconoPaul]

Chaz,

You'd probably be an accomplished nymph fisherman pretty quickly. You know where the fish are, so I can't see you having difficulty fishing with this technique. Look on the bright side too, nymphs by in large are pretty easy to tie.

I started out as mostly a nymph fisherman, now I am a mix. Only thing I rarely fish are streamers.

 

[mcfinn]

Taking a break from tying cotton candy steelhead things & baking pies, so let me inject some clarity re: the SBCC 'secret' - it's a FF webcomic i've been developping called the Shady Bottom Casting Club. Look for OT Jam links to the SBCC in early 2013. Am floating some avatars of a few of its primary characters since SOME are loosely based on a PAFFers... much like "Martini Ed -err, DAVE" resembles a certain Heretic we all know and love. (Watch ur inbox Alby, and i'll hook u up after the holiday.) Now back to tying and pie-ing.

 

[blueheron]

You have to move past the frustration along with the weener and the bugger. When you hear guys say that it's not all about the fish this is what they mean. Do you tie yet? That's part of the joy along with figuring out what they eat and when and tying the specific bug that you see on the water. I don't get upset when I'm not catching them, I get even. You're about to turn the corner into some good stuff but you'll hit some fishless days, don't worry, this too shall pass. I was fishing this past weekend on some new water to me when a teenager hiked up with a fly rod. He proceeded to chum the water with canned corn, hooked some kernels on a hook and slid on a bobber and heaved the whole thing out . You know what, he caught fish but he also released them gently and we had a nice chat about bugs and habitat and my cane rod. Oh yeah , I only caught sunnies and bass and he caught trout but we had a good laugh. And so it goes

 

[DJBerg]

And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, I drank with Whiskey Dave.". And walk out. You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in sayin' "I drank with Whiskey Dave" and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in sayin' "I drank with Whiskey Dave" and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement

Oh alice always make me warm in my heart, thanks volke.

And thanks to all who have given advice here, good over the winter brain food.