Does the fly matter? The CRACKPOT study in evidence based trout fishing

BMJ 1998;317:1678-1680 ( 19 December )

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Does the fly matter? The CRACKPOT study in evidence based trout fishing

B J Britton, consultant surgeon, ^a J Grimley Evans, professor, ^b J M Potter, emeritus consultant neurosurgeon, ^c on behalf of the Collaborative Randomised And Controlled Kennet Piscatorial Options Trial (CRACKPOT) Investigators.

^a John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, ^b Department of Clinical Geratology, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, ^c Wadham College, Oxford OX1 3PN

Correspondence to: Professor Grimley Evans john.grimleyevans{at}geratology.oxford.ac.uk

Objective: To investigate the importance of the typeof dry fly (artificial floating fly) in catching trout (brownand rainbow) in an Englishchalkstream.
Setting: River Kennet,Berkshire.
Design: Five anglers on five separate occasions spentfive hours using a randomly allocated fly from a sample of fivetypes.
Participants: Five anglers of considerable but varying experience,determination, andopinion.
Main outcome measures: Number, weight, and species of troutcaught.
Results: One fly (Black Gnat) performed significantlyworse than the others. The fly most successful in catching browntrout was the CinnamonSedge.
Conclusion: The possible prolongation of doctors' leisuretime consequent on the use of unproductive trout flies has resourceimplications for the NHS. Urgent funding of a definitive, largemultiriver trial is needed.

Key messages

Brown trout like a Cinnamon Sedge
Black Gnats perform poorly
Doctors are poor predictors of the utility of a fly

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Alment, A., Adams, S. W, Britton, B J, Evans, J G. (1999). Does the fly matter in trout fishing?. BMJ 318: 1356-1356 [Full text]

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