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Guest rich mc

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Guest rich mc

congrats to michael taylor for winning the madtom imitation contest. his fly was photoed and will be placed on a framed certificate . he has braggin rights till next year. the contest was close and the judges would have liked to tank test them. true test is if the winner of all of flies will catch fish on them. also john l did a wonderful job of gathering fly materials and prizes. thank you john.

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Michael, we did have a split decision and the contest was close but you captured the madtom profile and color perfectly.

 

That fly passed the "glance" test with flying colors. If you were looking for a madtom and your eyes swept over the group of flies, yours was the one that consistently drew the eye of the observer. It looked the most like a madtom to 2 of the 3 judges and IDNR biologist Dan Sollee, who has also seen quite a few madtoms. The dissenting opinion also liked your fly and had it ranked 2nd.

 

However, we DO need a tank test next year. Last year's silverside was innovative, but its' hydrodynamics were those of a straightforward streamer. This year, some of the designs that didn't win were potentially brilliant, but impossible to evaluate. Several of the innovations included in those ties would imparted a complex movement in the water. Standing there at the table, it was impossible to know how well those would have worked. Next year we need to the contestants to submit 2 flies of the same pattern and then test one of them in the tank.

 

An even better (but logistically difficult) test would be to test these flies against each other in the field. Even if some of those ties weren't the most faithful mimic of a madtom, they may easily have been the most effective fish catchers...

 

...and this year we really want some forum pictures of fish caught on these flies!!!

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The tank test is needed:

 

From past experience (read: disappointment), I had spent plenty of time on a deer hair popper that looked beautiful. The color separation was perfect, the prism eyes positioned just so, and the deer hair packed so tight it mimicked a cork popper. The unfortunate thing was that when it hit the water, it turned upside down and road hook point up, then it spun with the slightest strip of the line. Needless to say, I didn't get a single hit on it. The tank test should be mandatory.

 

It seems that whatever the ISA puts its collective mind to, it'll be a very professional activity. The Fly Contest for the Blowout is one of those projects.

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Congrats Michael!

 

All the flies submitted looked great. I wouldn't hesitate to fish any of them.

 

Some where very innovative, and may have worked great, but without seeing them in the water, it was a judgment call as to fishability. It is very difficult to create a fly that is both realistic looking, and realistic acting.

 

Sounds like design entries for next year better have seen some water before being submitted!

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