How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
Hi folks,
Just curious to see how many different patterns folks carry in their boxes for a single major mayfly hatch. I tend to just carry 1 nymph, 1 emerger, 2 dun patterns, and 1 spinner for each . Duns are traditional hackle Catskill dries and comparaduns for most eastern hatches, plus parachutes for BWO and Sulphers.
Nymph: 1 specific pattern for each major hatch (Caucci), mostly unweighted plus PTNs and BHPTNs for BWO and Sulphers.
Emerger: Caucci spectrumized dubbing, poly or CDC loop wing bud
Traditional Catskill ties: One hackled pattern for each (except m and f Hendrickson), though don't fish them as much as comparaduns unless in fast water
Comparaduns: for all, but am adding some Sparkle Duns and Harrop Hairwing Duns as replacements
Parachute: for BWO and Sulphers only
Thorax: Just for Hendricksons (m and f)
Quill Wing No Hackles: None except for a a few random experimental BWOs that I haven't had much luck on.
Cripples: None except for a few Hendrickson and Sulphers with CDC wings
Spinner: Poly wings, Caucci spectrumized body dubbing
Soft Hackles: Just 4 generic patterns in a range of sizes: Partridge Orange, Partridge Green, Partridge Yellow, and Partridge and Hare's Ear to imitate drowned adults and emergers as well as generic caddis pupae and searching pattern
Accepting that in most cases it's more about presentation and size than pattern, I was wondering what styles of ties seem to work well for you that I should add. Thanks!
peregrines
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
Peregrines,
I carry none for specific hatches.
I have mayfly dun imitations in several sizes and colors.
I have spent wing mayfly imitations in several sizes and colors.
I have nymphs in the same.
Sizes= 10 to 22
Colors= tan, grey,olive, brown.
Feel pretty confident I can fish ANY hatch I'm likley to run into.
These are just fish. Presentation is the key.
Good Luck!
Buddy
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
I tend to fish mostly freestones and the majority of them fall within three hundred miles of each other. They also happen to have, for the most part overlapping entomology. What all that boils down to is, I carry very few styles of anything, but masses of single patterns in one or two sizes.
Typically, five to six dozen of a single pattern, in a single size - although it would be good to keep in mind that I'm largely retired and may spend upwards of ten days at a time, fishing a single water before moving on to the next. While I don't mind tying, I really hate tying at the end of a days fishing, day after day, so I come armed to teeth, with the patterns that I know they'll accept.
And yes, I believe that presentation trumps selection more times than not.
All the best, Dave
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
One. Maybe two, if I ran across a pattern in a shop somewhere I thought I might try.
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
2patterns ... four of each..
1st a softhackle PTN (that REE first sent to me in a swap)
and a crackleback...
most of the time when I get to the water...
they are already on the water..
But I did see (what look like a mayfly hatch), last june about 11pm at night durning a full moon
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
I try in this order. Adams, BWO, forget it and go to Royal Wulff and Yellow Humpy.
As you can see i'm not one for messing with matching a hatch.
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
In addition to many generic patterns, I always have a few large black and brown stomefly nymphs. I like them more than split shot for nymphing before the hatch and use them as sroppers sometimes while dry flying during. I usually catch as many fish on the nymph as the dry.
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
For some hatches I have 10 or more. I have an entire box of hendricksons alone. At least 10 March browns and at least 10 different sulphers, and caddis patterns up the wazoo.
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
I carry Flashback PTNs #16, BH FB PTNs #16, Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph #16, Para Adams #12 brown/rust, Para Adams #16 olive/gray, and a BH soft-hackle #16. I don't actually try to match the hatch EXACTLY. I try to find something similar in size and color to what the trout are feeding on within the general category: mayfly nymph, emerging midge, macro-invertebrate, baitfish, etc.
Re: How many mayfly patterns in your box for a major hatch?
Hey guys thanks for all the replies. It looks like there are a lot of minimalists out there.... except for Ray. Like Dave, I tend to mostly fish several hours from home for days at a time and try to have patterns tied up in advance for specific hatches, for streams like the Battenkill and West Branch of the Delaware.
Local streams have stockers and the fish aren't selective at all. And some of the freestone streams with wild fish are either fast moving or out far enough in the boonies to have fish which are not very selective and will hit most anything.
But for the Delaware and Battenkill, I've found fish can be prettyy selective, and they get a lot of pressure as well as a lot of time to look over flies. It seems the Sulpher hatch is the one that gives me the most fits.
I know I have a lot to work on in terms of my presentations, especially controlling drag across different current speeds ... but I prefer to blame it on the fly....
NightAngler, do ever use those old timey skating spider patterns (short shank hook with way oversized hackle)? I've had some great times skittering them around at night for big browns.
Thanks again for the replies. Good luck this season!
peregrines