Something crossed my mind about classic Atlantic Salmon flies, and maybe somebody (hello Paul Marriner! *g*) or other expert can help me out...
I've grown up with western U.S. flyfishing where, no argument, a lot of the fly patterns developed over the decades are decidedly scruffy, bland, colorless, and commonplace...but oh, so effective.
I've found when fishing the landlocked Atlantics in Hosmer Lake that they will take any well-presented fly, in fact, in August a simple white streamer does wonders. The personality of these fish strike me as very much like cutthroats, that is, not the brightest bulb in the chandelier and very aggressive, almost reckless feeders. Not sure how bent out of shape these Atlantics are mentally compared to their wild cousins in the eastern wilds of the US and Canada, but they should share some genes and preferences, right?
BUT, how in the world did classic Atlantic Salmon flies end up being so ornate and involved? It's hard to imagine what process of fly design evolution would lead to such complex patterns, when (I would suspect) simple, more natural patterns might work equally well?
What was the story here?
Thanks for the enlightenment!
Wes Wada Bend, Oregon
