Chapter Seven

Maybe is sometimes as good as Yes

Fly fishermen always enjoy a pleasant protracted discussion of the relative merit of presentation, size, color, and outline in enticing trout with a fly. You’ve listened to these debates…

This is the never-ending argument and it won’t be resolved in this book…because we are going to adroitly side-step the issue. All of those factors are important in successful fly fishing for trout. However, ultraviolet reflection adds another category altogether. If all of the aforementioned factors are correct, what element of the fly tips the scale for the trout, inspiring the acceptance of the artificial fly as food? That would be appropriate UVR. The trout know what they want and we must give it to them.

What do the great prospecting or searching patterns of fly offer the fish? Let’s examine a few of the usual prospecting patterns.

First, the Hairwing Royal Coachman. The Hairwing Royal Coachman and the similar Royal Wulff resemble no known insect; yet trout will rise eagerly to them. Since a hatch of Royal Coachmen has never occurred, size, color, and outline are moot as standards. Proper presentation is, of course, still important. However, what drives the trout to take the fly is the marking that indicates a natural insect – the wings have a very strong UVR signature.

[Important Note: In all the UVR photographs which follow, the light areas of a fly or material indicate UV reflection, the darkest areas indicate UV absorption. The closer to white, the greater the UVR.]

The Fanwing Royal Coachman, a very killing fly which was largely replaced by the more durable Hairwing Royal Coachman, has an even more remarkable UVR signature.

Either of these flies dancing over the riffles of a stream in bright sunlight would capture the attention of a trout. However, so would the same fly with yellow wings. What the yellow wings would not typically provide, and the white wings do, is a strong UV reflectance. And a trout upon seeing a Royal Coachman settling on the water at dusk, when colors can no longer be clearly distinguished, would immediately notice the bright UVR of the wings in the prevailing ultraviolet light.

Another fly that is often used in prospecting for trout is the Wright’s Royal. The Wright’s Royal, for those unfamiliar with it, is the tailless down-wing version of the Hairwing Royal Coachman above. The Wright’s shares the strong UVR properties of the rest of the Royal clan but, like the others, resembles no known insect. Yet the fish take it eagerly. As anglers we often use the Wright’s on rivers which have a predominance of caddis flies, though no caddis ever looked like that.

The Stimulator, as the name implies, is intended to stimulate the trout to rise. Stimulate it does, simulate it doesn’t. I have heard many suggestions of insects that the Stimulator faithfully portrays, the most likely being a stonefly. Yet trout take a Stimulator on water that sees few stoneflies, so there must be something to the pattern other than mimicry. With that buggy-looking hackle and hair the Stimulator screams “bug.” The high UVR of the wing, body, and tail; along with the medium UVR of the head, further enhance the impression of life.

Not Vision, Perception

Any trout fisherman, especially those who fish with dry flies, will tell you that trout possess acute vision. Scientists will agree. How is it then that a large brown trout will see this –

[Margin note: Photo from Streamside Guide to Naturals and their Imitations by Art Flick]

And accept it as this

[Margin note: Photo from Streamside Guide to Naturals and their Imitations by Art Flick]

The answer lies not with the trout’s vision, but with his perception; that is, how the trout’s brain registers the sensory input of vision and matches it to an established pattern. As fly fishermen we have for centuries looked at the thick hackle of a standard upright dry fly and assumed that the trout sees the hundreds of light points breaking the surface as the six legs of a mayfly. That astounds me! A fish with such fine vision will see all the hundreds of those discrete hackle points. However, while the trout can see

KB of Singlebarbed.com reviewed "The New Scientific Angling - Trout and Ultraviolet Vision" which he referred to as "The Ultimate Stocking Stuffer" (you'd need very large stockings). He graciously noted the following:

"There is an enormous amount of real meat for the angler, and the segment of greatest interest to me was the discussion of “pattern matching” that answers that most elemental of all questions, “Why do fish think this is food?”

...

The section on “the composite insect” and how it fits into a fish’s pattern recognition “database” is enough to send any fly tyer into a reproductive frenzy."

[Ed note: I'm not certain my psyche would survive witnessing fly tiers in "a reproductive frenzy" as most of the older fly tiers I know are rather craggy individuals.]

"… and while Reed answers more questions than he poses, it’s plain that both vision and perception suggest there is a great deal of unexplored territory left in the classic stalk and seduction of trout – and any other UV equipped gamefish.

This is a wonderful reference work for all anglers, likely to turn some of your notions about fly fishing on their ear. Careful study of the colors and their qualities under UV will assist in fly selection, clothing choice, and fishing qualities like retrieve and how depth may play into fly selection.

… and for the fly tier the color plates alone justify inclusion into your reference library. An essential book if you’re attempting to navigate the vendor offerings and add UV aids in insect imitations."

KB had many more interesting comments. See Singlebarbed.com for the full review.

Buy it now through  Amazon.com 

Yes, the book was supposed to be ready in September but hey, it's ready now! The fly-tying season is upon us, Christmas is set for December 25th this year, several planets are in alignment with something, if not each other, and the exciting volume "The New Scientific Angling - Trout and Ultraviolet Vision" is just a mouse-click away. 

Buy It Now from Amazon.com 

Trout see a world invisible to man -- the world of ultraviolet light.
You can now meet them in that world. Through abundant photographs and clear text the author illuminates the remarkable distinctions between the vision of man and the broader vision of trout, revealing for the first time flies, fly tying materials, and insects in both visible light and reflected ultraviolet light.

In this groundbreaking work, the author presents recent scientific discoveries in the understanding of trout vision and illustrates how these discoveries benefit the discerning scientific angler. Complementing the text and photos are the drawings and cartoons of Eric Reaves - longtime cartoonist for Jim Davis of the "Garfield" comic strip.

The colors we find in fly tying literature are baffling to us today. Where, for example, did they come up with the term "blue dun" or "golden dun"?

Examining the dictionary definition of "dun" gives us a starting point. "of a horse : having a grayish-yellow coat with black mane and tail" (Merriam-Webster Online)

The use of the term "blue dun" in fly tying predates the common use of the automobile. Needing a color description, it seems that the tiers turned to what would be most commonly understood and used horse colors as reference points. Thus, when documenting a fly pattern, "dun" would be broadly understood as being a "grayish-yellow." If in doubt, one only had to look out the window at horses going by in the street to understand the tier's intent.

Here then are some examples of duns:

Dun


Light Blue Dun


Blue Dun


Medium Blue Dun


A herd of Blue Dun from Light to Dark


A Pale (Champagne) Blue Dun


A Dark Blue Dun


and here is a link with yet more Dun colors.

© 2007 Reed F. Curry

Recently I submitted a petition for a rule change to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. This change, should it be implemented, will radically alter the fishing - both in terms of technique and impact upon the fisheries - of a number of fine streams currently designated as "Fly Fishing Only" in this State. I hope that the fly fishermen of NH will give it their support; however, I am also curious whether readers in other States and countries find the concept of "Traditional Fly Fishing Only" useful.

Of course, petitions do not necessarily resemble the final presentation to the public; nor the rule as implemented. However, the substance of the petition is as follows:

Petition for Adoption of Rules – New Rule for Fly Fishing Only Streams

Pursuant to RSA 541-A:4, the undersigned hereby petitions the State of New Hampshire, Department of Fish and Game, to modify the regulations for existing flowing waters currently designated as “Fly Fishing Only” (FFO) to be upgraded to a new designation of “Traditional Fly Fishing Only” (TFFO) and to add such additional waters as it determines may benefit from the new designation.

In this brief, we will endeavor to present the myriad benefits of a different approach to Fly Fishing Only than exists under our current rules. Through Traditional Fly Fishing, as defined below, large sections of many of our current FFO designated rivers and streams will become sanctuaries for large trout - growing trophies and reducing the need for intensive, and expensive, stocking.

The Concept of Trout Sanctuaries

Until 1991-1992, the FFO sections of New Hampshire rivers had a conservation purpose that no other angling type presented. Because no weight was allowed on line, leader, or fly, the trout in fast water or deep pools never had the fly presented directly to them, it was always passing overhead. Even with an intermediate line, the leader and fly would seldom get deeper than six inches in fast water. Of course, in some back eddies the fly might go deeper, but for the most part, large trout had those waters as "sanctuaries". Lee Wulff, a former member of the NH F&G Commission and renowned writer, defined and promoted this concept of trout sanctuary in his book "Lee Wulff on Flies" (Stackpole, 1980):

“… we can break fly-fishing down into several classifications, depending upon technique. The first classification is surface fly-fishing, with floating lines and no weight of any kind, in the fly or on the line. The second classification is intermediate fly-fishing, in which weighted flies or sinking-tip fly lines are used, but no attached weight, such as split-shot or sinkers. The third classification is unlimited fly-fishing, in which lead-core sinking lines, weights and sinkers, and weighted flies (and perhaps spinners) are used.

Of the three classifications of fly-fishing, surface fly-fishing is the most difficult way of taking trout and all the classifications of fly-fishing are more difficult than spinning. With surface fly-fishing all the fish have to be brought to the surface for the lure, and all the deep flowing water is sanctuary for the fish. Any trout caught by surface fly-fishing leaves the sanctuary of its own volition, and unless it leaves, it cannot be caught. This eliminates the drifting of a lure right into the trout’s holding level and almost right into its mouth, so that simple curiosity as much as hunger may cause it to mouth the lure. The intermediate fly-fishing classification gives the angler a greater advantage and allows him to drift his flies deeper in the flow, where most of the feeding by the trout is done. The unlimited fly-fishing classification lets an angler have maximum advantage, allowing him to reach the fish at their holding level, and this is particularly deadly on big fish.”


Thomas McGuane, an internationally famous outdoor writer and novelist, wrote in "Live Water" (Meadow Run Press, 1996):

“In a perfect world, fishing with split shot on the leader wouldn't be fly fishing at all. Neither would monofilament nymphing and maybe even shooting heads. Lee Wulff said that the fish is entitled to the sanctuary of deep water. That's where most of us used to set the bar in trout fishing. We fished on top and tried to devise ways of catching big fish that way, fishing at night, fishing with greater stealth, hunting remote places that rarely saw an angler.”


John Gierach, a modern writer on the subject of fly fishing and the author of many books, wrote in "Good Flies" (Lyons Press, 2002):

“I still do my share of dredging with weight on the leader – sometimes lots of weight, as much as it takes – but in the past few years I’ve tried to do it more sparingly. If there’s anything wrong with this kind of nymph fishing, it’s that it can be too effective. Lee Wulff once said that trout deserve the sanctuary of deep water, and I can’t help thinking about that every time I nip three split shot onto my leader and dredge up a fish that might have started rising in an hour or two if I’d left him alone. Maybe there was a time when this didn’t make too much difference, but with the crowds you now see on popular rivers – not to mention the beat-up trout you sometimes catch – maybe the idea of letting the fish hide, rest, or feed undisturbed from time to time is worth thinking about.”

So, the concept of sanctuary for trout is neither new, nor logically inconsistent as a practice beneficial to the growth and preservation of large trout.

Benefits of Traditional Fly Fishing Only Designation

The introduction of Traditional Fly Fishing Only waters will have sporting, practical, environmental, fiscal, and social benefits to the State of New Hampshire. These include, but are not limited to:

• Free advertising of New Hampshire waters in fishing magazines, journals, and the Internet as sportsmen explore and debate the concept of TFFO.


• Fly shops will realize an increase in sales of flies and fly-tying materials that meet the criteria of TFFO.


• Guide services will flourish as newcomers require guides to instruct them on casting and fishing in the traditional manner.


• Spin fishermen will warmly accept the new regulations. The current FFO regulations allow the use of jigs (Clouser minnows, conehead Muddlers) and other weighted flies which are more safely and easily cast with spinning gear; thus fishermen using a spinning rod justifiably question the fairness of FFO rather than ALO. Since the flies used in Traditional Fly Fishing are too light to cast with spinning tackle, the equity of the new designation will be apparent.


• Trout will grow larger in the safety of their “sanctuaries”.


• The added cachet of TFFO will resonate with new fly fishermen and the similarity to the fishing prior to 1992 will be attractive to the old-timers.”


• The Department of Fish and Game will save money in stocking, as the number of fish caught per angler day will be less, but the satisfaction with each catch will be greater.


• The fishermen who adopt Traditional Fly Fishing methods will be possessive of their waters and will police them themselves, calling upon Conservation Officers as necessary. Thus no additional enforcement checks will be required.


• Only FFO flowing waters need be altered to TFFO, as ponds and lakes would not realize the same benefits as rivers and streams.

Proposed Definitions for Traditional Fly Fishing Only Waters:

Artificial Fly for Traditional Fly Fishing – In waters designated Traditional Fly Fishing Only, a fly shall be constructed on a single hook with a single point dressed with any or all of the following: feathers, fur, hairs, wool, cotton and other grasses, silk, metal tinsel not greater in thickness than five thousands of an inch, rayon or nylon thread or floss. Resin, gum, and nitrocellulose varnishes and lacquers may be applied to the thread of the fly. Epoxy and other synthetic adhesives may not be used. The hook shall have no additional weight affixed, including but not limited to: hooks, natural bait, molded weight, beads, coneheads, dumbbells, spinners, spoons or similar devices.

Traditional Fly Fishing - A technique for fishing where the weight of the line is used to cast a very light-weight fly that would not be heavy enough to be cast with a spinning or casting rod. No additional weight may be affixed to fly, leader, or line. The line shall be either a floating fly line, or an intermediate fly line with a sink rate of less than one inch per second, to which a leader of Nylon or silkworm gut is affixed. The rod shall be one designed for fly fishing and the reel shall be a single-action fly reel. The fly shall conform to the definition of Artificial Fly for Traditional Fly Fishing (above). No more than three such flies individually attached to the leader may be used. Dropper flies must be attached to the leader by Nylon or silkworm gut droppers no less than eighteen inches apart.

Clearly, Traditional Fly Fishing Only will bring attention to the finest fishing waters in New Hampshire, both from resident fishermen and out-of-state anglers. The additional challenge and prestige of catching trout under TFFO conditions will increase angler count on the waters, but decrease actual angling pressure on the fish.


The Petitioner thanks you for your thoughtful consideration of the above and looks forward to your response.

*********

Readers, let me know what you think, either by submitting a comment to this post or by email at reedc@overmywaders.com.
Thank you.

The Concept of Trout Sanctuaries

 

Until 1992, the "Fly Fishing Only" rivers and streams in Maine and New Hampshire had a conservation purpose that no other angling type presented. Because no weight was allowed on line, leader, or fly, the trout holding in fast water or the bottoms of deep pools seldom had the fly presented directly to them, it was always passing overhead. Even with an intermediate line, the leader and fly would seldom get deeper than six inches in fast water. Of course, in some back eddies the fly might be drawn deeper, but for the most part, large trout had those waters as "sanctuaries". Lee Wulff, a former member of the NH F&G Commission and renowned writer, defined and promoted this concept of trout sanctuary in his book "Lee Wulff on Flies" (Stackpole, 1980):

 

“… we can break fly-fishing down into several classifications, depending upon technique. The first classification is surface fly-fishing, with floating lines and no weight of any kind, in the fly or on the line. The second classification is intermediate fly-fishing, in which weighted flies or sinking-tip fly lines are used, but no attached weight, such as split-shot or sinkers. The third classification is unlimited fly-fishing, in which lead-core sinking lines, weights and sinkers, and weighted flies (and perhaps spinners) are used.

Of the three classifications of fly-fishing, surface fly-fishing is the most difficult way of taking trout and all the classifications of fly-fishing are more difficult than spinning. With surface fly-fishing all the fish have to be brought to the surface for the lure, and all the deep flowing water is sanctuary for the fish. Any trout caught by surface fly-fishing leaves the sanctuary of its own volition, and unless it leaves, it cannot be caught. This eliminates the drifting of a lure right into the trout’s holding level and almost right into its mouth, so that simple curiosity as much as hunger may cause it to mouth the lure. The intermediate fly-fishing classification gives the angler a greater advantage and allows him to drift his flies deeper in the flow, where most of the feeding by the trout is done. The unlimited fly-fishing classification lets an angler have maximum advantage, allowing him to reach the fish at their holding level, and this is particularly deadly on big fish.”

My fishing vest must weigh thirty pounds. It contains enough aircraft-aluminum fly boxes that, in need, I could flatten them and assemble a Boeing 747, with enough left over for a Cessna or two. Add to that my Oxygen tank and you understand my ads in the Pennysaver for three on-call Gillies or one Sherpa-lite.

Well, thanks to the folks at DARPA (whose last known useful invention was the Internet -- and we know how that turned out) and Boston Dynamics, my Uber-Gillie is now available.

A friend, and superb fly-tier, was lamenting to me today that whenever he used duck quills he could always find plenty of usable quills on the left wing, but fewer on the right. Immediately I understood the complete global implications of this information -- ducks don't actually migrate, but their stronger left wing causes them to fly in very large circles, of which we only detect the resting points...

I don't have close friends - not, at least, when I am fly fishing. There was one fellow I was attached to for quite some time, but we were finally able to extract the hook. He has since kept his distance...

For those who are unfamiliar with the Pisscalator concept, the purpose of the invention is to allow a gentleman angler to continue fishing when the water in which he was standing is deep, and the fluid in his bladder is registering "FULL". No longer will it be necessary for the devoted fisherman to wade back to shore, find a convenient (and discrete) tree, and partially disrobe in order to respond to Nature's urgent call -- the Pisscalator allows the fisherman to blithely catch and enjoy “release” simultaneously.

My first three prototypes of the Pisscalator presented design issues that would have made them less than marketable, though not always lethal. However, the Pisscalator “Mark IV” incorporates a radically new design. While the previous prototypes used external force to pump or suction the fluid away...

Some people are at their best when they're not breathing. Now, I don't wish any harm to them - just a cessation of the respiratory process. Especially when they sleep. Most especially when they sleep in a cabin ... in the woods ... with me ... during a bitter northern winter...