I am sure that everyone who ties flies has a dream of a fly pattern that will always work no matter where or when it is used. We all try to tie just such a fly.
I firmly believe there are no new fly patterns. Many of these new patterns are simply variations of other patterns that have been around for years.
We are able to get new and better material, in some cases to tie flies today, but the fly will go together the same as in years long past. Just talk to some of the older flyfishers you know. Tell them about some of the new patterns, and chances are it has been done by someone years ago. The material may be different, but the end result is the same.
Most of these fly variations -- or at least some of mine -- look like a vacuum cleaner blew up. But the dream is always there or most of us would stop tying flies. We go fishing with the new pattern and sometimes it will work just as anticipated and suddenly we are the best tier in the world and other flyfishers will beat our door down to get the secret pattern. Fame and fortune will soon follow.
A secret like this can not be kept. A friend is told about how the fish are jumping out of the water just to get to the fly. A trip is planned to the same water, but without the same success as before. Your friend questions your new secret fly and your truthfulness and then proceeds to catch fish with an old proven pattern that has worked well in the past.
What went wrong?
Who knows. That is the mystery that keeps fly tiers tying flies, fishing and all the tackle stores in business.
The exciter, a variation of the stimulator, is just such a pattern.
I have used a stimulator for years in most of the streams I fish. The only problem I have had with the original stimulator is I seemed to lose more fish than normal. I've had the fish come up and take the fly but could not land them. Someone told me it was because of the longer hook shank.
That statement got me to thinking and experimenting.
I went to a regular dry fly hook rather than the long shank called for in the original pattern and it worked. I was now landing most of the fish I hooked.
But as with most tiers, I did not stop there. I started experimenting with some Krystal Flash in the tail. That also worked. Even different body color went into the experiments.
The original Exciter came about several years ago with an orange body, and I still find myself changing the pattern. The orange worked very well, but I kept changing colors just to see what would happen.
Last week I took my latest version -- and a friend -- to a favorite stream. I wanted to try a new version with a black body. I had no idea if it would work or not, but after the third cast I hooked my first fish and promptly broke it off. Just a bad knot tied in the haste of testing the fly.
I caught the next two fish that came to the fly, but did not check the leader or retie the fly as I normally do. The next fish also left with the last experimental black-bodied fly I had, but since then I have tied several more in preparation for the next trip.
No, I don't think I have the wonder fly that will work no matter where it is used. I have not created the fly. I only changed the original pattern to better suit the way I fish.
But I also know this fly does not look like a vacuum cleaner blew up and it is still working after several years of fishing and will always have a place in my fly box.