This I didn't know

[Brook]

The thing is, we may think we're matching the hatch. But what the trout see is another matter altogether.

I'm put in mind of when Swisher & Richard's Selective Trout was first published. Don't know how many of you remember that book, but the cover had a series of photos scattered on it. Some of the pix were of live mayflies. Some were of traditional dry flies. And some were of the S&R then new hackleless flies.

Friend Wife was not an angler at the time. She pointed to a mayfly picture and said, "that's what the trout realy eat?"

"Uh, huh," I replied.

"And that (pointing to a traditional dry fly) is what you fish with?"

"Uh, huh," I again replied.

"And the trout think that that (traditional dry) looks like that (real mayfly)?"

"Uh, huh," yet again.

She studies on the photos a little bit, looks at me, looks back at the pix.

"Boy," she exclaimed, "trout must be pretty stupid!"

So, I repeat. Trout sometimes are selective. And sometimes will hit anything that looks like it might be edible. But that nobody has a real clue how they actually see their environment.
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