| |
THE CHALLENGE OF FLY ORGANIZATION
From Jim Abbs
The fly fishing magazines are full of me-and-Joe went
fishing stories where the author saves the day by having
just the right fly for an unexpected hatch. Because
these experiences are not uncommon, many---if not
most---fly fishers are obsessive about carrying every
possible fly known to humankind.
This obsession is not limited to fly fishers. Have you
ever looked into the tackle box of a well-equipped (and
well-heeled) bass angler? The difference is that we must
carry our entire inventory on our backs.
So how many flies does the successful fly fisher carry?
I counted the flies in my trout-fishing vest and came up
with just over 1,100. This count reflects every distinct
pattern I carry, including duplicates. So for the Adams,
I have 3 duplicates each of the upright, spent-wing and
parachute styles in sizes 12-18, yielding a total of 36
flies. Is 1,100 a high number?
Dave Whitlock, in his famous book, Guide to Aquatic
Trout Foods, provides a list of his fly boxes. He
carries 4 or 5 boxes, organized as follows: (1) General
Utility Box (general flies/attractors), (2) Match the
Hatch Box (mayflies, caddis, damselflies, dragonflies
and midges), (3) Streamers, (4) Terrestrials and Summer
Midges, (5) Large Dry Flies (Hoppers, stoneflies) and
(6) Skaters, Spiders and Variants. His total count is
over 780 distinct flies, which includes several
different sizes of the same pattern. He says he carries
between 2 and 3 duplicates, yielding a total of over
1,900 flies!
Somehow, I am not surprised that I carry fewer flies
than Dave Whitlock does. All these flies create certain
problems. First, whatever happened to the idea that fly
fishing was a minimalist sport? Second, carrying five
fly boxes is about tops, depending upon vest capacity
and how strong your back is. Finally, all these flies
begin to tax your organizational skills. If you are like
me, there comes a time when you have trouble remembering
where each of the 300-400 patterns is located. #
Unlike Dave Whitlock, I started out with a fly box for
each basic aquatic insect: three fairly full boxes, one
each for caddisflies, stoneflies and mayflies. Very
soon, I needed a fourth box for terrestrials and yet a
fifth box for streamers. Soon after that, I added
another box of the so-called attractor flies, the Wulffs,
Trudes and Stimulators. #
With this organization, I had six fly boxes. Of course,
I do not carry all of them at once and I have added new
ones. Some boxes I carry only at certain times. For
example, I carry attractors or stoneflies out west, but
only rarely in my home state, Wisconsin. Likewise, I
have separated mayflies into summer and winter, with the
smaller patterns for winter fishing and also added a
separate box for midges. Because this is a universal
challenge, there are undoubtedly some brilliant
solutions out there.
|
