Bruce, I have tested extensively your PomPom, Cecil�s PH fly, and my foam PH pellet fly.
They are difficult to catagorize becasue I find that those different flies are used for different species under differing circumstances.
.
My ranking, for what it�s worth:
PomPom:
Best used for CC
Has been successful for CC, but is too large to attract surface feeders since fly sinks.
First time used caught 17 CC in two evenings and lost several long distance releases.
Each time used after being hooked, caught less and less due to hook shyness.
RANK C
Cecils, PH fly:
Best fly for CC and GC with 3 pellets in PH bag.
CC and GC get �hook-shy� fast.
RANK B
Foam PH fly:
Best fly for BG and HSB when stored in Ziplock bags with ground up fish food.
Use AQMX 600 size to �cull� small BGs � just right size for large BG.
Fish closer to feeder for BG and outer edges of feed �cone� for HSB.
Disadvantage for HSB is hard strike �wake� pushes fly away from fish�s mouth.
BG and HSB don�t get hook shy when feed has been limited for a couple of days and they are on a competitive feeding frenzy.
When on normal feeding schedule, in calm water they are more leader shy than hook shy.
RANK A
Three year experience using PomPoms, Cecil�s PH fly, and george�s PH foam fly:
GC: ~10+ accidental hookups on Cecil�s PH and foam PH fly - three landed
CC: Dozens caught on all three test flies� dozens remain to be caught on development of a dynamite fly.
HSB: Dozens caught and still catchable on foam PH fly at the rate of a couple /hr most days.
CNBG: 6 - 10� catchable on foam PH fly at rate of 20 �30 /hr.
These observations are based on my experience only, and may not hold true under all conditions.
�IT ALL DEPENDS�
Bruce PM me your mailing address and I�ll send you some PH foam flys to field-test.
