That's a great question. I've "invented" a handful of flies that are really
variations on successful patterns. I've felt too guilty about plagiarizing
to name most of them, so I just call them by there appearance - "the black
one with the thingy" the "itty bitty one that caught that fish last year",
etc.
I don't really know where you draw the line. Does every minor wooly bugger
variation deserve a name? There's millions of them. On the other hand, most
dry flies fall basically into three or four patterns in different colors,
and you certainly wouldn't call an Adams a BWO.
I think if you invent a fly and it works well when the one you cribbed it
off of doesn't, then it deserves it's own name.
I have no authority to cite to on that, it's just an idea.
Dan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 9:49 AM
Subject: [VFB] Names of various flies...
> Sorry for the cross-post, but I want to get all the opinions on this that
I
> can. I hope the following makes sense.
>
> It seems to me that throughout FFing history, the slightest variation in a
> particular pattern resulted in a "new" pattern with a different name. Now
> these aren't necessarily real patterns, but for example, a bucktail
> streamer tied with black thread, silver tinsel around the hook shank, a
> yellow bucktail wing over white bucktail, with peacock herl over that, on
a
> #8 4x streamer hook was called by a particular name. Change the tinsel to
> gold, the bucktail wing to red over yellow, and omit the herl and you have
> a different (although extremely similar) pattern with a different name.
>
> These days, it seems that most patterns that stray from the originators
> exact pattern aren't renamed with a new moniker, but instead are referred
> to as "a variation of...". Although as I think about it, there's not alot
> of difference in a Crazy Charlie and Lefty Kreh's, "all the bucktail on
> top", version of the Clouser Minnow. Nor is there a thimble full of
> difference between the afore mentioned "Charlie" and the "Gotcha", or the
> myriad of other bonefish flies available today.
>
> A personal example of fly similarity/variation is, I tie a "variation" of
> Tom Nixon's, "Pigboat". I use various types of chenille for the body. I
> use silicone spinnerbait/jig skirts instead of the "rubber thread" that
Mr.
> Nixon specifies in his ties. Mr. Nixon palmers hackle around the chenille
> body to help hold the rubber thread skirt out away from the body. I do
not
> apply palmered hackle to mine because the silicone skirts that I use stand
> out quite nicely without any assistance, even during retrieve.
>
> My question is, how far removed from the original pattern should a fly be
> before it is a different pattern?
>
> I would appreciate your feedback/opinions/expertise on this topic.
>
> - Gary
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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