I was happy to be able to "retire" three #4 Merkin Crab flies a few ago after an amazing trip to Belize. Over the course of week, I hooked six nice permit with those flies and landed five, one weighed in at 35#s.
Those three flies gave me the trip of a lifetime and they were pretty chewed and mangled up by the end of the week. Those flies kept working all week and more than covered their value.
Tom...congratulations on the Palometa. Landing 5 in a single trip is outstanding, and a 35lbr to boot. I had a similar trip to yours on Ambergris Key. That may have been where you were fishing too. A single #4 olive merkin brought 6 permit to the boat in two days, but none over 25lbs. That fly was retired and sits in my tying desk.
Back OT.....I will normally retire a salwater fly after one fish for several reasons. I always like to try new flies b/c I tie. Also, SW flies get chewed on and/or become slimy after only a single fish, especially bones. Sometimes sitting on the casting deck of a flats boat, opportunities don't come frequently. I like a fresh fly when the opportunity presents itself. With regards to trout flies, Chernobyl ant type flies, fish better when they are chewed on IMO. They ride lower in the water and for that reason, I think look better to fish. Otherwise, if the fly is still catching fish, I'm going to keep fishing it.
On a similar note. I guided in the Jackson Hole One-Fly for 9yrs. You get one fly per day during the two day tournament. Indestructible flies are tied, zap-a-gap applied to all knots and when a fly lands in a bush you either go swimming for it or throw your rod/reel on the bank, float down, anchor and see if you can retrieve the fly. I have seen amazing fly recoveries with pole saws, guides or client swimming down into root systems to retrieve flies and even a fish that broke of the fly come back up and spit the fly like a bass would have. I guess at a $5000 entry fee for the teams, these flies are worth retrieving.
