It's not the fly, but the fisherman. A good fisherman observes before approaching and blindly casting. Subtle often minor events affects how a pool will fish. An inadventant shadow, a careless splash, too many false cast or too many fisherman working the pool beforehand are examples of how a fish may respond to your fly. The difference between a good fisherman and a great fisherman is a couple of split shots. Fish not rising, laying on the bottom? Look and observe, maybe just resting, maybe subtly feeding with only slight body motions.
Nothing happening, move on try another location. After a couple of fly changes, varying presentations there is no need to pound the water for an hour. Only 10% of a river actually holds fish, so find another 10% place. Quietly moving and slow they dart out of unexpected places as you stumble over them. Only the stockies are bunched together for safety, the wild fish are survivors.
My last couple of years fishing on that favorite stream, I only used four patterns that actually worked. The secret was to Trust Your Fly. Experimented with many, but it came down to four. They're my four, you'll have find your own. Everyone eventually finds their four and they are always different. Again the secret is trust your fly. After all it's not the fly, but the fisherman!
Tight lines y'all!
