Been quite enjoying the 'if you only had one fly thread', and it set me thinking: do you have a fly that works despite all logic and advice to the contrary? Something you find yourself turning to, and which everyone else flat insists can't work? And yet somehow it does for you.

Mine's a weird weighted black bug*er thing, with a short red tail and sink chain eyes. Looks more or less like a giant red tag. Caught pretty much everything on it, in still waters and rivers.

A size 14 wetfly hook, simply dressed with a couple of strands of white marabou, a single gold bead stuffed with some lead under the bead and dubbed around the bead with some silver dubbing.

I try not to use it as im not a big one for fishing lures but on those days when the missus agrees to let me fish "as we have guests coming that evening and im cooking trout" it has never let me down when resevoir fishing.

Should be an interesting thread. Can't wait to find out what toxic evo considers "eccentric".

Some pics would be good.

__________________
"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

I suppose it comes down to the "bare hook nymph" situation. I have caught a number of species on a single gold hook-this after the fish had stripped the bait away and the fish liked the metal shining in the sun-silver hooks work, too though not as well, but it usually proves that fish are more concentrated on something that looks like food-not a contender for a fashion fly competition!

__________________
The scenery in the Grand Coulee area of eastern Washington was worth the air fare on its own!

On Stocks fishing a Coromorant, off Bell Point, I was having a number of fish. Gradually there was less and less black feather just leaving the shiney multicoloured tinsel. I carried on and sure enough I had a trout on the fly which by that time was just tinsel wrapping. I've kept it but never had the courage to use it again.

BK

Got a flybox pretty much full of patterns like this, chewed beyond all recognition, but as they had their day and fished really well I havnt had the heart to bin em. They were still catching when i packed them away, but its just about courage to use them again. Unfortunatley i usually go for a sparkling new fly at the start of a session!

I've seen someone catching on a cigar shaped piece of black closed-cell foam, with a bright orange hackle and a small bit of black marabou as a tail. Pulled across the surface. Seemed to drive the rainbows crazy. Only seen it once. Should really try tying it - looks terribly simple.