Re: [VFB] Major Pattern Inventions

[StevenOjai]

Hi Wes
I've noticed the same thing with Dave's Book. I have organized, in my own mind, that there are 5 major categories of Flies. 1) Dry Flys 2) Wet Flies 3) Nymphs/Emergers 4)Streamers and 5)Terrestrials. Within these categories, there are Fly Types representing the naturals. For Instance,  Dry Flies would have Fly Types of : Attractors, Caddis, Mayfly, BWO, Lt Cahill, Callibaetis, Green Drake, Hendrickson, March Brown, Pale Evening Dun, Pale Morning Dun, Tricos, Stoneflies, Midges, Red Quill, Cranefly/Damselfly, and Hexagenia, etc. I think a "Tying Style" could be addressed separately for these Fly Types, the Styles could include: Hair Wing, Parachute, Spinner, Quill Body, etc. I would consider the Wulff Flies as Dry Flies, usually an  Attractor Fly Type,  and utilizes a
Figure-eight Hair Wing Split Style , a Hollow Hair Bundled Tail, and a Multiple-Hackle Collar. What Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer did in developing "The Fly Tiers Benchside Reference"  was to give us a reference as to how these various Styles are tied. Utilizing their work, we can describe a fly with more accuracy. I think we need keep the categories of flies in relation to how we fish. If a Caddis hatch was coming off, I'm going to be thinking in terms of Caddis patterns. The tying styles I want to choose from will be taken after I determined that I need a caddis pattern. Dave Hughes in "Trout Flies"  refers to the Wulff patterns as Dry Searching patterns. This is true enough. But I think that referring to the Wulff patterns as "Attractors" brings us closer to how we are considering the natural representations.
Steve Schalla