Yep it all depends George.
I think our differences may be due to different species. The brown trout is well known in fishing circles as a very picky shrewd customer. I've also been told that trout not only have very keen eyesight but they have a keen sense of smell too. One fish farmer told me they can find the pellets in turbid water by their sense of smell. It's well known that during a hatch in a trout stream fly fishing for brown trout, if you aren't matching the hatch exactly in appearance and size you might as well pack up and go home.
As far as reuse of the PP fly I have several tied up ahead of time and simply put another one on when the previous one falls apart. However I've used the same one on as many as a dozen fish. Your hybrid striped could be another story. And for some reason for largemouth bass, I have better luck putting a very small split shot on the line with a very small ice fishing float as a strike indicator. Even though the bass are conditioned to feed on floating pellets, they seem to really go for a slow sinking pellet. I think it has to do with their laziness, as a slow sinking pellet is easier to inhale vs. taking the trouble to take one off the surface.
One more thing: I'm flattered by your comment that I am the expert but I am still learning. I don't consider myself an expert by any means.
