Posted on March 21 2016
Fly fisherman are a stubborn bunch. We all have our confidence flies – The tried and true patterns we reach for when the going gets tough.
However, in all avenues of fly fishing, the angler who’s willing to experiment is often the most successful in the long run. Trying new flies (even the most off the wall patterns) allows us to learn more about our quarry and become better anglers in the process.
Take the photo above as a prime example. That’s a bonefish, caught by our good friend, Doug Jett, at Andros South. The fly? No, you’re not seeing things – That’s a size 8 Bead Head Pheasant Tail. In fact, that very day, Doug landed over a dozen bonefish on that very fly! Yes, really.
That begs the question – Is the Pheasant Tail the next big bonefish pattern? Probably not. But, we think it goes without saying that sometimes trying something out of the ordinary can pay off.
So, the next time you reach in your box for that gotcha, wooly bugger, clouser minnow, parachute adams, or the like – be brave and try something different. You never know what you might learn!