The late Gary LaFontaine was a remarkable fly-fisherman, fly-tyer and innovator in the sport. He was adamant that good flies have “triggers” that tempt trout to strike. A discussion of what this means is outlined below. I look to my library and see three of his books that are a treasure-trove of information: Trout Flies, Caddisflies and The Dry Fly.
What are Triggers?
Triggers are attributes of the fly that cause the fish to strike the fly. These may be subtle nuances in the fly, but are important to the fish. LaFontaine spent hours in Scuba gear observing trout responses to flies that his assistants drifted over them. His research revealed that often the most subtle changes in a pattern could evoke trout acceptance. Due to the long-term interest in fly tying and fly fishing, there are few modern-day innovations. LaFontaine was one of the modern-day innovators and he had some unique ideas.
In his famous book, Trout Flies, LaFontaine asked the question, “What is my most original creation?” He went on to answer that and explained how the Emergent Sparkle Pupa was constructed. Here are a few of the details:
- He used a new method of “Touch Dubbing” to create a sparser, fuzzier covering than any previous method.
- It also had a “loose” over-body.
- It was the first caddis pupa pattern to mimic the escaping natural in the surface film.
LaFontaine’s book, Trout Flies, lists sixty-two patterns, not all of which are his, but they represent some of the most successful and recognized patterns in existence. The book is broken into five distinct categories:
- Streamers
- Wet Flies
- Nymphs
- Emergers
- Dry Flies
My Experience with Triggers
I have caught a lot of trout on egg patterns. One of my friends, Bill Penland, who was a co-owner of Foothills Fly Fishing, was adamant that egg patterns were not an acceptable pattern for fly fishermen. I chose to differ with him and caught a lot of fish who agreed with me. At the time, I was fishing a lot of delayed harvest streams.
I tie all of the flies that I use to fly fish (my wife questions why I carry so many fly boxes and only fish with four or five on a trip). I read somewhere about a tip for tying egg patterns. I usually used a salmon-colored egg yarn. I read that using a permanent red marker to put a dot on each side of the egg would enhance trout receptance, so I decided to give it a try. Guess what? It increased the catch dramatically. That is just an example of what a slight change in a pattern can accomplish.
Final Thoughts
The moral of this story is that we should not hesitate to be innovative when tying flies. If you have an idea, give it a try. It doesn’t hurt to try and who knows? It might be just the ticket.
Trout can be very selective and sometimes even some small nuance of the same pattern can lead to success. I have found that if trout are looking, but not taking a fly, changing to a size or two smaller can lead to success. It is amazing that such large fish may be attracted to a tiny fly.
Who knows what triggers the strike. It often pays to be innovative and not dedicated to the same old patterns and methods that have worked in the past.
The best advice is to fish and fish often. One of my late uncles was a dedicated river fisherman. After a tragic situation in his life, he once fished every day for one year. He claimed that it was the only thing that kept him sane. A day on the water is good therapy.
