Articulated Vs. Non-Articulated

When you are looking at flies to tie on, there is a common practice that having a fly with more movement than others will theoretically be better. Although this entry is not a one-sided view, it presents both pros and cons for each and offers an opinion-based judgment on where I stand from an angler's point of view. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to flies.

In general and relative terms, an articulated fly is defined as a "Articulated has two meanings: “put into words” or “having two or more joints connected by a flexible link”. There isn't much guessing which one is used when it comes to flies... Articulated flies are flies with one or more sections connected in some way that allow the sections to move independently. This type of fly used to be rather exotic, and was rarely seen until a few years ago."

(Joergensen, Martin. "Articulated Flies" Global FlyFisher, 15 September 2017, https://globalflyfisher.com/articulated-flies#:~:text=Articulated%20flies%20are%20flies%20with%20one%20or%20more,was%20rarely%20seen%20until%20a%20few%20years%20ago)

The traditional and particularly use of these are applied to Saltwater flies since majority of the time, articulated flies are perceived as being bigger than majority trout flies and or the smaller flies for species such as Grayling, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Artic Char, etc etc... Are the few that would apply to a unconventional way of fishing with articulated flies dating back to 19th Century, and first documented flies that were artificial date back into 2nd Century AD. With this being said, why is the assumption that articulated flies are solely thought of as larger profile rather than smaller flies? With that being said, some have completely revolutionized the way we look at flies, and adding articulation to the profile and how we fish them creates more strikes, triggers, movement, pushing water, etc. Legends such as Blane Chocklett, Kelly Galloup, Norbert Renaud, Oskar Hagelin, Rich Strolis, and Daniel Holm are perfect representations of individuals who have seen and used the ability a fly with articulation can do!

Kelly Galloup has come up with some of the most effective trout flies for Brown Trout, Cutthroat, Salmon, and much more... There are many patterns such as Rattlesnake Streamer, Sex Dungeon, Drunk & Disorderly, Rat-Faced MacDougall, Montreal Whore, Double Bunny, Name Changer, Barely Legal. These are the sort of flies that typically are tied larger, than the majority of the flies used in other places, states such as Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, and other states that possess smaller streams and rivers with smaller sized fish that wouldn't work with those types of areas theoretically in most situations. I like to use traditional flies with some of my modifications, such as Articulated Prince Nymph, or a Single Hook with 4x1mm Shank Gamechanger, and even the uncommon fly choice with Super Adams A Articulated dry fly.

In all reality some things make articulated flies better in certain situations, style, and technique used to catch a fish from Streams to Rivers, etc... There are too many variables to sift through when deciding the right flies to fish, but in an opinion based decision there are flies that you tie on and just feel more confident with than others and in the end experience, technique and execution lead to success.