Do trout recognize, and avoid popular flies?

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    Posted: 06 Aug 2022 at 1:21am
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Titanium
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I was just wondering to myself, do trout start to recognize popular flies? 

For example, on heavily pressured waters where a lot of people fish gold bead pheasant tails, will that pattern slowly become less effective throughout the season as the trout get more exposed to it.

I know that trout have good short term memory, if I fail a strike on a Cicada fly, they will unlikely take that fly again, but if I change to say a Chernobyl ant or stimulator chances are they will have a second go. So atleast in the short term,trout can recognize and avoid specific patterns. But how long does that memory last. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Redfinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Aug 2022 at 11:46am
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glo bugs are taken just about all year in taupo fishery although you may need to change colour and size periodically - these are rainbows we are talking about here.
Had stunning success on a gold beaded pheasant tail bomb last year in one session - in fact fish ignored the small glo bug completely but must admit not much luck on that bomb last session or two.
Browns may be a whole different ball game - much more fussy and if refused your offering first couple of times may require a different style as you say.
Rainbows and browns do strike out of plain annoyance sometimes regardless of whether the fly offerred replicates what they are actually feeding on - however if spooked of course browns esp will seldom take for quite a while but does depend on the fish. No hard or fast rule i reckon.
As to your question i have observed rainbows refusing flies for a period then pool rested for only 10 minutes or so and bang took first cast on same fly when fishing resumed. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Fishb8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2022 at 10:08am
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I once caught a brown on a Hair & Copper (no bead), then released it and watched it swim back to where I'd caught it. Then, I caught another trout but was a rainbow. The first brown was still in place so decided to cast to it again but changed to a Pheasant Tail = it looked but ignored it so put my original H&C on and it took it again.

On another occasion, late season, there was a big jack guarding a bunch of hens so I tied on a globug and it took it. I lost it as I was netting it. The jack went back to his harem and I cast again with same fly within 5 minutes of trying to net it and it took the fly - this time netted properly and released it. Almost unbelievably, I caught it a 3rd time - 3 times in about 20 minutes!! 

Browns do eat egg patterns as saw some getting caught on the Waitahanui 2 days ago.
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