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Does the fly matter? the CRACKPOT study in evidence based trout fishing. The Collaborative Randomised and Controlled
B J Britton1, J G Evans, J M Potter
1John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU.
Objective:
To investigate the importance of the type of dry fly (artificial floating fly) in catching trout (brown and rainbow) in an English chalkstream.
Setting:
River Kennet, Berkshire.
Design:
Five anglers on five separate occasions spent five hours using a randomly allocated fly from a sample of five types.
Participants:
Five anglers of considerable but varying experience, determination, and opinion.
Main Outcome Measures:
Number, weight, and species of trout caught.
Results:
One fly (Black Gnat) performed significantly worse than the others. The fly most successful in catching brown trout was the Cinnamon Sedge.
Conclusion:
The possible prolongation of doctors' leisure time consequent on the use of unproductive trout flies has resource implications for the NHS. Urgent funding of a definitive, large multiriver trial is needed.
