Bob Sheedy with a "Shamu" - Gull Lake, 2003

P. Marriner Photo

Foreward Comments from the Book - Bob Sheedy's Top Fifty Stillwater Fly Patterns

By Paul Marriner

Why do we tie flies? "To catch fish of course," is the immediate, but incomplete, reply. Sometimes we tie flies because they look nice, sometimes to test our tying skills, sometimes to impress others or stroke our egos; none of which have anything to do with effective fishing. However, if tying flies to catch fish is why you pick up a bobbin, how is one to choose among the tens of thousands of flies in pattern books and magazine articles? Simple, look to those created and battle-tested by folks who study food forms and catch fish! Bob Sheedy is such folk. In, "Top Fifty Stillwater Fly Patterns," Bob shares the patterns that have helped create his reputation as a fearsome, if benevolent,  predator of stillwater trout.

      Although long aware of his reputation, I first met Bob in September of 2003. The occasion was Fly Fishing Canada's 1st National Fly-fishing Championships and Conservation Seminar being held in his home territory, the Parkland region of Manitoba. I was covering the event for The Canadian Fly Fisher magazine.

Our first lakeside encounter got off to a shaky start. A CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) team wanted some video of a trout being caught as part of a report on the event. Bob got the assignment—among many others—and I tagged along. Problem was, he expected me to gear-up and give him a hand producing on demand. However, despite several entreaties and much muttering, I would have none of it. As an outdoor journalist I have an ironclad rule: photos first. Of course Bob needed no assistance, he hooked-up within minutes and the CBC crew got their video and I got my photos.

      Over the next nine days, Bob and I spent considerable time together. His comprehensive knowledge of where the trout were and what flies they wanted was impressive. My photos of the trip bear this out. One of them has Bob holding a 27" rainbow, caught on a fly in this book, a Psychedelic P-Quad—he practices what he preaches.

      Stillwater trout feed differently from their stream cousins. Rather than dial 310-30-30 and wait at home for delivery, they must shop for the fixin's. And just like at the supermarket, shopping's a visual event. Think about how you react to any display that features motion, either actual or simulated by shimmering reflected light. Now you wouldn't buy a carrot that moved, but a little mist to create a sparkle effect under the lights is certainly attractive. As you view the patterns herein, tote-up how many feature mobile or reflective materials. Of course neither would you buy that carrot if it looked like a mini Xmas tree, so the principles of basic food form imitation remain paramount.

      So, should you just start clamping hooks in the vise and tying up Bob's top fifty? You could, and catch plenty of trout on them, but you'd be missing the point. For example, the day before writing this foreword I took a break from the keyboard. It was as about as nice a late-November day as one could ever expect in Nova Scotia, so my regular fishing partner and I decided to explore some new country. One spot was a striper/trout river flowing into the Bay of Fundy. The tide was flooding in, reversing the river's flow and pushing huge quantities of rich silt upriver and onto the banks. As the water rose we studied the shallows; masses of scuds scurried every which way. I thought of the Scud Missile -page 112, but it would need some minor adjustments; a 2X-long nymph hook to mimic the size and a different colour of dubbing.

      And that's how to use this book. Don't make random substitutions in these proven patterns because you think it might look neater or simply to put your "stamp" on the fly. Instead, study the thought behind the design and make only those changes necessary to suit the observed foodforms in your fishery. That's what Bob Sheedy does, and that's one reason he has an enviable photo collection of wall-hangers!

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