What is the worst fly?

[PennKev]

Bocianka1 wrote:

This thread almost makes me want to challenge myself. Go take my "worst" fly, or my most off-season fly and deliberately fish it for a day when it shouldn't be as likely to produce. I bet it would help hone my other skills like presentation and approach when fishing with a handicap like that.

There is seldom a single "right" fly, but there certainly can be a "wrong" fly. I think that more often than not, fishing a coffin fly pattern would fall into the wrong category, to the extant that it would be counter productive if you were trying to improve other aspects of your fishing. I'm thinking that it would not matter how well you fished it, it just wouldn't work well. How are you supposed to know if you fished it well if it won't catch fish regardless of your efforts?

I think a better choice for the exercise would be something like an EHC, Adams Wulff, etc. in an a smaller size.

 

[HopBack]

Which bear is best!

 

[Krex1010]

The prince nymph...not sure why, I know lots of trout have been caught on them but they just haven’t produced for me.

 

[franklin]

I don't believe there is a worst fly. I think a lot has to do with confidence. When I first started tying I had a number of flies that were tied so poorly I couldn't have told you what they were. Around that time my son was starting into fly fishing. He got hung up a lot in trees so I gave him my bad ties. He didn't know any better and caught a lot of fish on those flies. I probably wouldn't have because in my mind they weren't "good" flies.

 

[FarmerDave]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
I've never caught ANYTHING on a sculpin.

Haven't read them all, but this would be my answer. +1

Sculpin, muddler, whatever you want to call them.

But it's not the fly. I just suck at fishing muddlers.

 

[sgrim]

I second the vote for the venerable ant pattern.
Cinnamon. Black. Doesn't matter. I can't catch a fish with it.

 

[jacob]

despite all the rage, I’ve never caught a fish on a rainbow warrior.

Also, the ole’ zugbug- although I have only ever tied one on once. I just think they look dumb so, to others point - I think confidence really is the key.

For instance I love the muddler and other sculpin patterns and have done quite well with them at times.

 

[TrtnBux]

For me it's a Peeking Caddis. They look great but I never have any luck.

 

[FiveWeight]

Green head horse fly. They'll take a chunk a meat right out of ya and fly off with it. They are the worst.

 

[redietz]

FiveWeight wrote:
Green head horse fly. They'll take a chunk a meat right out of ya and fly off with it. They are the worst.

I think we have a winner!

Although black flies in Maine might just be worse. They bite just as hard, and there are more of them.

 

[dryflyguy]

FiveWeight wrote:
Green head horse fly. They'll take a chunk a meat right out of ya and fly off with it. They are the worst.

Yeah, they're some nasty mothers for sure.

I once got driven off a section o the clarion river by them.
Loads of them kept landing on me, even though I kept spraying picardin repellant. Didn't stop them one bit.

I once visited Michigan's upper peninsula in mid summer. The weather was surprisingly hot up there. With lots of the big horseflies around there too.
My wife and I attempted to swim in Lake Superior. But had to keep diving underwater to get away from them.
And even though I had fishing gear with my - I never gave it a try due to the heat and horsefly attacks

 

[pcray1231]

Chernobyl Ant

 

[Steeltrap]

The Muddler is getting a bad rap!! It's good when the stream is a bit on the high side and .....as the name implies....a little muddy. I've caught lots of trout on it.

 

[redietz]

Steeltrap wrote:
The Muddler is getting a bad rap!! It's good when the stream is a bit on the high side and .....as the name implies....a little muddy. I've caught lots of trout on it.

So have I, but different anglers get different results from a given fly, depending in part on how much confidence they have in it.

The name "muddler" doesn't necessarily imply mud; it was a regional name for a sculpin.

 

[FarmerDave]

redietz wrote:

Steeltrap wrote:
The Muddler is getting a bad rap!! It's good when the stream is a bit on the high side and .....as the name implies....a little muddy. I've caught lots of trout on it.

So have I, but different anglers get different results from a given fly, depending in part on how much confidence they have in it.

The name "muddler" doesn't necessarily imply mud; it was a regional name for a sculpin.

Exactly.

Muddler is my worst fly, but only because I don't have any confidence in it. I have used them a time or two with no success, but that is just me. I'll use a wooly bugger instead. Easier to tie, too. ;-)

No way would I suggest it is the worst fly in general. Those would be the flies one never use.

 

[Dmomeyer]

Same - I have tried green weenies and never had any success with them.

My mop flies always end up snagged.

 

[Steeltrap]

Last year I tied sever different types of articulated flies. I still don't know why I did that as I've never caught anything on them.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

Coffin Fly, though I have only hit the Green Drake Hatch head on once. Couldn't get one to take it though I did really well with CDC Caddis patterns, two night in a row. I have to laugh about the ant. Though I do fish them wet almost exclusively they generally account for over half my trout total a year. Last trip out was typical, they hit the heavier pattern early but when it got hot they killed the ant. Sunny, windy weather is a no brainer for me.