|
|
| |
Fly Fishing - My Personal
Favorite Fly Selections
by Gary Ratajczak
If you are a fly fisherman like me, then no other name
brings a twinkle to your eye more than Orvis. Living
only a few hours away, I have made several trips to
their flagship store located in Manchester Vermont.
Also, like many of you, I'd rather be fishing than tying
flies. As a result, I'm always on the lookout to build
up my collection. Orvis offers everything under the sun
for the sport. For someone just starting out, or as a
perfect gift, they offer numerous pre-packaged fly
selections. The remainder of this article will be a
review of some of their offerings, along with my
personal experiences. The Orvis fly kits can be located
at the following link:
http://www.orvis.com/
Prince Selection
This selection covers my all time favorite, the Prince
Nymph. It includes both bead head as well as standard
ties, and with twenty flies is a bargain at just under
sixteen dollars. I have purchased several of this
selection, with the Prince being my first choice fly in
many situations. This one is a must have!
Hare's Ear Selection
Here is another must have. The Hares ear is presented in
many of it's varieties within this kit. All fish
catchers. Again, a great value at under sixteen dollars.
I like the bead head flash backs the best, but have used
the others as well. All are fish catchers.
Caddis Selection
With nine flies in this kit, all being popular patterns,
I'd toss one of these in your basket as well. Like I
mentioned, all included are very popular patterns. With
the Caddis being one of the most popular flies in almost
every part of the country, you can't go wrong with this
one.
Emerger Selection
This one is recommended, but a little trickier. If you
have some knowledge of hatches, then I'd pick up this
one as well. I bought one of these kits, and managed to
match the hatch on a few occasions. Emergers are my "go
to" over standard dry flies. I find the trout much more
willing to take my offering as it sits stuck in the
surface film. There is no doubt, trout love Emergers.
Attractor Dry Selection
If you are on a stream with some faster water, you will
want the Attractor selection in your box. One of my
favorites for this situation is the Stimulator. This kit
contains both the yellow and the orange; favorites of
mine. Stimulators are fished dry, and through the faster
riffles. Keep it moving with some short hops, and hold
on to your rod. This kit has been a winner, with a few
nice eighteen inchers leaping for a mouth full of
Stimulator!
Small Mouth Fly Selection
If you want to try something beyond trout, give a small
mouth on the fly rod a try. I would recommend a six or
seven weight line for the flies and poppers in this kit.
I have purchased this one, and all are winners. I
especially love the yellow and black poppers. I use the
black on darker days, and the yellow on brighter days.
No losers in this kit.
I would also like to mention the quality of the flies in
these kits. Like most sources these days, the flies are
made over seas. I have found Orvis flies to hold up very
well. Whenever I try and get a bargain somewhere else on
some of the dollar flies, it seems like you need to toss
them after the first fish. Orvis has always provided a
good product, and with their prices being no more than
many of the other sources, I remain very satisfied with
all of the kit purchases I have made.
I hope you enjoyed this short review. I find that by
picking up a selection, such as the ones shown here, I
often stumble on a fish producer that I would have not
bought on my own. For that reason, don't look at kits
and immediately think that only a few flies are good.
Give 'em a try! You might stumble on a winner.
|
|
|
