I take my trout and panfish ties from the winter and test them all in water when season starts. Easy to do in shallow clear water and I see how they work in many different situations as well as techniques.

I do the same with my steelhead and salmon jigs and flies in the early fall before the water clouds up. It is the only way to see how big of a profile they will have to know which ones are going to be needed in what water conditions.