If you could only carry one fly box....

If you could only carry one fly box on a trip, what flies would you pack?

Sort of a newbie question coming from a seasoned angler, but the reason I ask is that often I find myself with spare time during the day, and rather than take everything down to the water, I would just grab my rod from behind the seat of the truck, a pair of forecepts, and a small to medium fly box from my guide bag.

On my last trip I was thinking I should make one box as my go to box, a small to medium size box that will fit in with my rod and reel in it's case, along with a pair of forecepts because often I end up hopping a ride with fellow anglers or a spur of the moment "take a couple casts to see what's out there" locations occur frequently.

So if you had one fly box, what would you pack in it?

I would have to take some Bailie's Black Spiders, Red Spiders and Dun Spiders all on size 14 2XShort hooks; Grey, Black, Olive and Brown Squirrel Flymphs on size 14 up eye hooks; some Pheasant Tail and Furnace Spiders on Size 14 and 16 2XShort hooks; and lastly some Greenwell's Glory Spiders in sizes 12 to 16 2XShort hooks.

I prefer the spiders and flymphs tied on light wire hooks to fish high in the water column. A bit of shot can get them down deeper if needed.

all softhackles and spiders with a couple of ants thrown in .

Nice thing about being a steelheader is I have one fly box for summer run steelhead and one box for winter run steelhead. The difference being the winter's flies are big, bright, and gawdy; the summer flies are small, dark, and buggy. Along with the one fly box I will carry a tip wallet, leader spool, nippers, and hook file. I need no more to hunt steelhead anywhere in the country.

When I have a situation like that, tiny stream wild brookies are usually the game, and lately, my go-to setup for that is a 6'9" 1wt. I wet wade in a pair of wet/dry barefooting shoes and only take 1 spool of tippet, floatant, nippers & hemos, and a single small, thin fly box. I sayall this because that has an impact on the fly selection I take. In this box (about 2x3") I carry 2 each of:

#14 orange stimulator
#16 elk hair caddis
#18 emergent sparkle caddis (olive)
#14 para-adams

#14 BHPT
#14 BH Prince

#10 hairwing streamer, olive

Along with this goes a small selection of winged wets in #8 to #10

Where I fish, (Pacific N/W trout waters) I would take;
Wet-
Black or Olive Wooly Buggers
Pheasant Tail Nymphs
Scuds
Copper Johns
Dries-
Parachute Adams
Elk Hair Caddis
X-Caddis
Royal Humpies

Go get 'em and let us know how you do.

Well ... about a half dozen
DDH leech
Ants
Adams
GRHE (gold bead head)
zonker
mickey finn

If I could only have one fly box, it would probably say Samsonite on the side. Weird thing is, it would probaby be void of dry flys.

This box, serves that purpose...

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/p1010849.jpg

PT/TB :p