[STARMedic]

How often do you guys change flies when fishing....what is the determining factor in your strategy of casting.....that decides when something isnt working and its time to go to something else....

Also, how many times do you use a swallowed/struck fly before changing....

Thanks in advance...

Bruce

[gregorykicks]

If I can see fish following my fly and not biting then I'll switch. If i've been fishing all over the river and nothing's hitting that fly i'll switch.. if I get a "feeling" that I need to switch flies I switch.

I change my speed and fishing "style" ever few casts unless i'm getting hits.

I swap to a new fly when my fly doesn't look like a fly anymore.. I don't have many flies to choose from so I make them last.

One of my friends changes flies all the time.. he's constantly swapping flies.
his theory is," If you're in the mood for a cheeseburger, and someone is trying to get you to eat pizza, you're not going to take the pizza. It's the same with fish. They want a cheeseburger and all you have to do is find the cheeseburger in your fly box"

[LoneFlinger]

typically, i try one of two things first, my best imitation of what's floating down stream or the flashiest attractor I have and go from there, sometimes, but not often, i guess correctly right off the bat.

it really depends on the stream. ones with heavy fishing pressure require a more careful fly choice, and will ultimately lead to alot of switching around. native streams or relatively unfished stretches (they do exist) require little more than 'it looks like a fly' and a good natural drift.

if i do change flies after seeing a refusal, i try subtle changes, first up or down a size, then different color, then a different pattern.

the one definite, i've found, is to pick a fly you have confidence in. guys who ask me what to fish, who get something like a comparadun when all they have is catskill style flies, won't fish it with the full concentration the would if they had something they are confident in. it seems with their confidence they are fully expecting a take at any second, while with my choice after the first drift or two they simply go through the motions.

as long as it's still identifiable as a fly, and trout like it, i'll fling it.

lf