Arrange a change not match the hatch
Technique in dry fly fishing is all in the observation and presentation, observe the naturals, note the size, colour, wing and leg structure, identify the insect if you can. Search your fly boxes and find an imitation of the little blighter, tie it on a tapered leader and drop it delicately in the right place and wait for the action. How many times have we all followed these rules and waited cast after cast with not a jot of interest from a trout, what is the matter with them you think as they devour naturals all around your offering. Change the fly, I can hear you all advising, but to what? your fly already looks so convincing a natural tries to mate with it but still no trout, maybe a bigger one or a smaller one.
Well I recall fishing a stocked water many moons ago and on arrival keenly observed the water was pop marked with the bulls eyes caused by rising fish. The air around the bank was thick with hawthorn fly struggling against the breeze which helpfully deposited them repeatedly on the surface, gratefully received by the fish and spoiling them for choice . Applying finely honed angling skills and incisive decision making I tied on a perfect replica of a jet black hawthorn fly and felt very self satisfied as exhibition cast after exhibition cast landed in the perfect spot right in the middle of rising trout. Bring on the slaughter and the main course for that evenings barbeque, half an hour later nothing.
The trout, however, were continuing to fatten themselves up on naturals all over the place and with increasing frustration I changed up in size, down in size and presented perfect copies to be completely ignored. An hour later, with no improvement in fortune it became very obvious that matching that hatch was a misguided approach in competition with so many tasty little black delicacies skittering about on the lunch table.
Give them something different and make it completely different so long as it looks like food and ought to be there. On went a size 10 olive stimulator which plopped down a little clumsily right in the middle of the banquet, the result being immediate as a nice 3lb rainbow hit the fly hard. The fish hooked itself firmly in the scissors and after a good struggle presented for the charcoal grill. My entertainment, as you will have anticipated, took a deserved turn for the better as a procession of duped stockies found their way to the net and a couple into the freezer.
The Hawthorn Fly and a Stimulator
I could have spent all day trying to match the hatch without the slightest hope of a triumph but arranging a change brought me immediate reward. I have repeated this theory many times over the years and realised that fish don't read instruction books and so long as it looks like food, even though it is nothing like the natural alternatives available, they will eat it. The policy won't work all the time because of course nothing in fly fishing ever does but it is certainly worth a try and saved me from the embarrassment of getting to the supermarket before they closed to enable us to feed our guests.



















