New is the way to go

Have been trying a few new flies this spring and have come to the conclusion that on our pressured waters you will have to practice innovation if your going to fool our residents. Check any of the fly fishing magazines and see the new styles and colors of nymphs the guys are using, read George Daniel's new book and take a look at what he uses. The days of chucking a bead head pheasant tail and expecting a high catch rate are over. I looked at a magazine the other Sunday and saw the new 10 best patterns the guys are using, not in a hundred years would you ever use them but you need to now. A few years ago on the Missouri I watched rainbows swim away from a well presented bead head nymph, that comes from seeing them over and over just like our fish! You might get away with the same stuff on Penns because of it's size but for the most part they learn to avoid familiar patterns. A very well presented dry fly seems to work well provided it is the size and color of the naturals, the float is the key but not the case with nymphs in our heavy pressured waters, Spring Creek and Fishing Creek you will have to change pattterns and get a bit wild with them.