Dave
Sorry about the delay in replying, but I did an article about fly fishing attire a while ago:
Fly-fishermen have to wear a waistcoat that has seventy-four pockets. Now, I must have been seriously under-equipped whenever I have gone fly fishing, because there is no way I could find enough ‘bits’ to fill four pockets, let alone seventy four! What do they put in all those pockets, and more importantly, how do they remember where everything is? You can amuse yourself by going up to said fly fisherman and asking to borrow a length of 6x tippet, and seeing how many pockets he has to go through before he finds it. And can you please tell me what exactly is the point of sticking flies into your hat? Can’t be old flies that they don’t use any more. Everyone knows that when you have flogged the water into foam all day long without a sniff, you finally tie on the oldest, most moth-eaten fly in your box and immediately catch a huge fish (Well, that’s what happens in all the books I read!) So, they must be brand new flies. Now that’s a sensible way to spend your money, or are there fly patterns specifically tied to adorn hats?
And as to carp boys going fly-fishing, they won't catch much leaving their fly rods in pods for eight hours after casting out, they won't be able to cast 150 yards with a fly line, and how will they present a fly on a hair rig?
Regards