Parachutes?

[dna]

Mice...

[Papasequoia]

If I had the time and know-how I would photoshop a picture of a mouse and a parachute and meld them together. Instead, you'll have to use your imaginations.

[rayfound]

If I had the time and know-how I would photoshop a picture of a mouse and a parachute and meld them together. Instead, you'll have to use your imaginations.

By the power vested in me, by the all powerful google image search, I give you:

[rayfound]

The freaking Parachute Mouse. Thats excellent, Ray !

You know, over the years I've given this same situation alot of thought. Right or wrong or something inbetween, here's my partial theory.

Before the inception of the Parachute Adams, there was the Standard Adams. For years, the Standard Adams did an excellent job of imitating lots of different insects and pounding up trout. But I truly believe that over time, those trout (and their progeny) had developed some sense of fear for that pattern. All they know is that yesterday they tried to eat something that looked just like that... and it hurt like a biatch. I believe trout can become accustomed to seeing one particular thing so much that eventually they call "<oops>."

Enter the Parachute Adams. Someone ties himself up this way cool little dry mayfly imitation with a visible post (indicator) because he's getting older and so are his eyes, and he has one heck of a time seeing his old Standard Adams on the surface. The trout see this new fly that rides slightly differently in the surface film. "Hey! the trout thinks. "This doesn't look like one of those pieces of food that always hurts my mouth. I think I'm gonna take a chance and eat that !"

What I'm saying is (without giving the trout too much credit for having brains), I think the trout "get used to" seeing one thing and they get wise to it. So maybe (for me anyway) by switching back to a Standard Adams for a season or two, enough time has passed and the trout will once again take that Standard dry merely because they aren't used to seeing it and I'll have the jump on other flyfishermen that still throw the Parachute. Just my dumb little theory.

Mike, I do think you're giving a little too much credit in the brains department (I've caught the same fish, on the same fly within 10 mins before), but I do think that can play a role in a different way:

The Trout that are attracted to a particular pattern die... get get put in a frying pan... the ones that don't, well they live on and breed. Theoretically passing on a higher number of progeny with certain preferences.

I guess, while I'd like to think that trout are inspecting and making a decision every time, I just don't think its true. I think they see things floating by and are making a single evaluation: Food or Not food. If its food and its not too much hassle*, they eat it. If not, they let it pass by.


*This brings me to the one thing my Dad really ingrained in me as a Kid fishing: "Fish are lazy"
Virtually every piece of tactics can be reverted back to this simple fact... Fish are lazy. It seemed so weird at the time, but I now think about it every time I fish. Of course I know now that they are not "Lazy" per se.... they just need to conserve energy... but the "fish are lazy" rule is a simple way to think about their behavior that almost always works.

[rayfound]

Thank God it was just my own dumb, little theory.

No, I think your theory is correct... just that the mechanism of how it works... I had my own theory.

Cheers.

[Papasequoia]

I have my own theory: if you just put a little Trout Gravy (tm) on your fly it will not matter if you have a parachute or not! Btw, love the parachute mouse, Ray!

[NorcalBob]

NAAAAAAAAHHHHH, Nitro is much better than trout Gravy!!!!
I actually believe in the good DR's theory and that's why I always tye my flies a little different than most.

[Flyjunkie]

Probably some Foundation in the View that "seeing the same fly too much" causes a Trout to turn off on it....

Thought I will chalk it up to that Bloody Micro drag (that we Human Sapiens can't see, But Fish certainly can) that will turn off a Trout.. especially in a well fished, High Biomass System Such as Hot Creek..... Micro Drag is a pain in the * at times... (besides Trout do not have Long term Memory storage capacity in their little pea brains like we more evolved Sapiens have in our larger, more advanced Brains...)


Forget Gravy or Nitro.. Spray WD-40 on there, that gets their attention...