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Basic Fly Patterns
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One important step in fly selection is to outfit
yourself with an array of flies that will contain the
right one, once you’ve figured out which it is.
Whether you're starting at zero or with an
overabundance, I recommend you acquire two fly boxes,
one with compartments for dry flies, the other with foam
rows for sinking flies. Fill these with a range of
patterns to cover all conditions, as well as most major
trout food forms.
You'll want searching flies first, for when trout aren't
feeding selectively: size 12 to 16 Adams, Royal Wulff,
and Elk Hair Caddis dries; size 12 to 16 Gold Ribbed
Hare’s Ear, Fox Squirrel, and Olive Bead Head nymphs;
size 12 and 14 Leadwing Coachman and Hare’s Ear wets;
and size 8 and 10 Muddler Minnow and Olive Woolly Bugger
streamers.
Add a selection of patterns that cover the most common
hatches. To imitate typical mayflies, choose the Sparkle
Dun or Harrop Hairwing Dun in olive, gray, and sulfur,
size 12 to 18. For caddis, tie or buy Elk Hairs in tan,
brown, and gray, size 12 to 16. For stoneflies, arm
yourself with a few Improved Sofa Pillows and
Stimulators in size 6 and 8. Most midges can be covered
with the Adams Midge and Griffith’s Gnat in sizes 16 to
20.
Round out your basic nymph selection with size 16 to 20
Pheasant Tails, size 12 and 14 Olive Scuds, and size 6
and 8 Brook’s Stones. Add size 12 and 14 Partridge &
Yellow and size 16 Starling & Herl soft-hackles to your
wets, and size 6 and 8 Black Marabou Muddlers and Black
Woolly Buggers to your streamer list.
Always leave room for your favorite flies in each of the
four categories. They’re the flies you’ve used to catch
trout before and therefore the ones you already fish
with confidence.-D.H.
SMALL FLY, BIG CATCH
Select flies a size smaller than you think is right for
the water you're fishing, and you might be surprised to
discover that your catch is often larger. I can give you
reasons for this. When you choose a size 14 or 16
searching dry fly, first you're showing trout something
smaller than what everybody else is tossing, and second
you're showing them something more in line with the
average size bite they eat. Whenever you go smaller,
you're forced to fish closer and focus more intently.
That focus alone will often increase your catch.
The same is true subsurface. The average bite a trout
eats is a size 14 or 16, not a size 10 or 12. Downsize
your nymphs and wets, and you'll up your take.
Undersized streamers, size 10 and 12 rather than size 4
and 6, take more trout than large ones, probably because
they frighten fewer fish.
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