Size Does Matter

[stimulator2]

Ok so i have fished in alot of places and once again i find my self amazed at how trout sometimes can be so damn picky.I was fishing this past Sunday morning,up early on the water EHC with a #12 PT for a dropper.I saw a good fish roll on the fly but never took it a few cast later i caught a small rainbow on the dropper,then another,then not much action.I switched to three nymphs and no dry.Immedate hook up then two more fish,after that the water changed and it was not suitable for a three nymph rig ,so i tied on an orange stimulator#12 with a #14 pt dropper.Fish just killed the dropper to the tune of i had 18 to hand in just a short period,but being me i only had two PTnymphs in size #14 well i lost both.Easy enough just put on a #12 not the first fish took ,ok easy enough a size #16 nope no takers.Went home to tie and was happy with what i had caught but dang if the fish weren't picky.

 

[roguebum]

You got me. I was horribly deceived by the title of this post.

That does sound like a pretty picky pod. Did you get many of them going after the Stimmy?

 

[labradorguy]

 

[silver creek]

There are two "rules of thumb" that I use when I am fishing a hatch and getting refusals.

Rule 1 - Use a fly that imitates one stage earlier in the hatch. Examples - If they are refusing duns, use and emerger. If it is early in the hatch and they are refusing emergers, use a floating nymph.

A floating nymph is a pattern that not many fly fishers carry. Here is what a floating nymph looks like just before it the thorax splits and the dun begins emerging.



A good pattern is the Borger parachute floating nymph.

Gary Borger » Blog Archive » Parachute Floating Nymph–Hendrickson

If you don’t have a floating nymph, put on an UNWEIGHTED nymph and grease the leader right up to the fly.

Rule 2 - Go to a smaller fly. This often works because we visually overestimate the size of flying insects and will put on too large a pattern.

 

[wjl]

Urban Dictionary: You Betcha
Nuff said

 

[jcw355]

Im going to say size 14 matched what they were accustomed to eating, plus I like Silvers line of thinking and is probably more technical than what the average fly guy thinks or carries in his fly box.

 

[stimulator2]

I like the floating nymph in a couple weeks the size #12 will work like a charm,i always use it in the fall i think it is just a little early for the #12.