Picking up a recent thread with views expressed on both sides I thought it might be interesting to run a poll to see how many prefer to fish imitatively and how many rely on lures, with shades in between.

By match the hatch I mean using a fly that imitates what the trout are feeding on at that time, this includes lures for fry feeders.

By general imitative patterns I mean using flies generally designed to copy natural food no matter what is actually hatching and without necessarily being close copies. This would include many traditional patterns like the Invicta.

By a favourite pattern I mean that you always tend to use the same fly(s) unless there is a good reason to change or you use what the catch record shows was catching the day before.

The other choices are fairly self explanatory.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

I voted choice#2 ,I also try to match the hatch ,big stillwater drifty boat to me generally means a team of 3 somewhat traditionals,or a couple of drys,
flat calms will see me Cove nymphing possibly with a bung /float (eyesight not what it was for watching the leader )
Lures as in non fish imitators rarely get a lookin ,however been there and done that ,just find I get bored and there are other ways of catching daphnia fixated fish !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Very interesting, haven't voted yet but was thinking of posting something similar.

Still have a question in mind but interested to see replies to this one. Very good question.

Sorry I don't agree.

I voted for "I use what is most likely to catch a fish" which in my view is what they currently want to eat i.e a good imitation
(For me that choice is invariably dry as there are always some trout rising if you can find them)

P

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Trout fishermen revere the trout; trout, on the other hand, unaware of their sublime standing in man's world, revere nothing, including man, a creature they seem to view with special contempt. Nihilism is a rare trait in fish but trout are full of it. The old men liked that.

I think "general impressionistic" might have been a more suitably vague description for the second choice. Semantics perhaps?

(not trying to be obstructive, honest!)

.D.

Following on from MrP, and without wishing to appear difficult...

I tend to use a few favourite patterns and at any given time I use the one that I feel is most likely to catch a fish. Most of my favourite patterns are general ones that could be taken for a range of natural flies, so I match the hatch to a degree. If things are quiet I'll chuck out a lure in the hope that it will be taken for a small fish.


Andy

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not voted but all of the top four! saying that i do use a dawsons olive a lot on a local water so im a lure basher too.
I think the most important thing is catch a couple of fish then enjoy the day

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,9 bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee.

Fair enough if we were talking river fishing but perhaps I do need to explain what I meant by this option.

It was intended to discover if there were anglers who would switch to a lure to avoid a blank if an imitative approach wasn't working,

On the stillwaters, which were the subject of the question, would anglers consider putting on a Cat's Whisker if that's what they felt was needed to catch a fish or would they stick with imitative patterns even if this meant that they might remain fishless?

On a river without the stock of potential lure taking fish that stillwaters often have the situation is a little different as lures seldom come into play.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

I think the categories are not very precise or defined. Everything that a fish would bite on is imitative of something that a fish would eat, or they wouldn't bite on it.

Is a woolly bugg3r an immiatative pattern, a match of the hatch, or a lure? If you define "match the hatch" as an exacting replica of something a trout eats, then I'd argue this fits that category because a black woolly bugg3r is an exact match for a leech, which are a common trout food in many rivers.

What about a GRHE? Imitative or match? It depends on what's in the water, I'd say it can be an exact match for some nymphs in some stages, or it could be an imitative pattern as well, I suppose.

What about a muddler minnow or a rainbow streamer? Both are dead-ringer baitfish imitations, are they match the hatch?

Grouse

I voted choice #2 but only because it was the closest to my preference. I will usually be trying to 'match the hatch' but not with exact imitations. In other words I will try to use something the right size, profile and colour and that (hopefully) has the required 'trigger' included in the dressing.

On tough days (on stillwaters) I tend to struggle on with that approach in the hope that eventually I will get close enough to tempt a fish - I just enjoy trying to solve the puzzle.
On days like that I will regard it as a success even if I only rise one fish or get one take regardless of whether the fish is landed or not.This probably seems illogical to some but I have had a lifetime of catching fish so the odd blank day is not a problem.


Dave.