I am not sure whether you guys ever heard about this term G.I.S.S. This term is being used by bird watcher to identify the birds they see in the wild. It stands for “General Impression of Shape and Size” Rather than seeing the birds with the detail profile, they just see the birds with impressionistic image.
Some trout fisherman uses this idea and applies it to trout fishing. They feel that this is how trout see the flies that being offered. So instead of using natural and realistic looking flies, they just use general pattern. So some general pattern flies will make their go to flies and can be used every where in the word.
I really like this idea very much as I don’t have the ability to tie realistic looking flies like bro Dron, so I only carry couples of general pattern like Adam, Elk/CDC hair caddies, PT nymph, hare ear, wolly bugger, clouser/charlie, brook blonde in different color and size, most of them is ugly looking[:D]
Don’t get we wrong guys, it’s really OK if you can tie realistic flies like Dron, Hammerhead, I wish I can tie flies like that.
bro,
i believe this is what we call the ‘silhuette’? an image that ‘resembles’ an actual object, but without the details. i’ve read somewhere before, that a fish has a set of stored images regarding it’s food. as long as your fly falls into that set of stored images, u’ve got it!
I believe it’s a same thing bro. When Joe Broke brought his Blonde to Patagonia during the 50’s. they were laughing at his flies. They called it shaving brush. In fact it looks like shaving brush with stack of bucktail and tinsel body. But he caught fish after fish, they just realised how effective was the flies, and still affective today.
I thing because of the flies silhouette like you said resemble bait fish rather than the actual detail, just enough to trigger strike.
In Aus i use a very limited box of flies and in summer try only to use the most simple design which fully supports G.I.S.S.
its a hopper pattern called ‘wee creek hopper’ and is a piece of brown or white foam with a piece of orange rubber cord tied to each side. same shape as a hopper, bright and has excellent flotation. results are absoloutely amazing.
the best is they only take a couple of minutes to tie.
keep it simple and spend more time on the water.
Wee Creek Hopper is one nice, simple and easy to tie hopper. I am not sure about the origin of the fly, but the one that I saw on Fly Life magazine tied by Peter Leuver is very simple. What hook size is the best for the fly?