Way Too Many

[JohnScott]

Taking off tomorrow morning for another couple days, maybe three, on some rivers and streams in the Central Mountains. Got to thinking how I usually haul around more, if not a lot more, if not many more than a lot more flies, than I really need.

Hope to fish the Big Lost, the North, East and West Forks of the Big Lost and maybe a couple creeks in the vicinity. Also thinking about heading over the Pioneer Mountains and dropping down into Sun Valley / Ketchum and then heading north to fish the Big Wood up in the forest section. Depending on how all that goes, will decide whether to find some more water for a third day, or head for home. The headwaters of the Salmon River in the Sawtooth Valley is an outside possibility for day three.

So ... I decided to take a couple dozen flies, all dries, comprising eight different patterns. Still wondering if that is WAY TOO MANY flies for a two or three day outing ??



While sorting out my stuff, I did run across a small foam hopper pattern that I decided to throw in the box after I took the picture.

Wondering what the box will look like when I get back.

[harleybob87]

Looks good to me but then what do I know I ain't the fish LOL. John you have chosen some very nice water and I wish you all the luck in the world. Wish i could join ya but I have to do that work thing. Will be up in Salmon next tues but have to cut firewood for the boy might just get some finshing in while I am there.

[Host Ray]

Too many flies??? I have that many flies on my drying patch. I keep another 2 or 3 thousand in my vest

[Marco]

Hey JS,
You've just (possibly) mapped MY own fishin itinerary for this coming fall ( late Sept). I've made a pact with my wife about payback for an all by my lonesome fishin outing. While we're in Jackson, I'll split for parts unknown ( most likely YOUR almost exact route) starting with the South Fork and fish till I drop for about 4 days. Payback will be that ,upon my return, I'll have to take her to all the galleries, restaurants and tourist traps in an near Jackson for an equal number of days. The way I calculate, I'm WAAAAY ahead in that bargain.
I'm keeping the pic of your fly selection on my list. I'd really like to know how and where they produced for you . Maybe we can "hook up" and pop a cork or two.

Mark
PS: Maybe even the ID Fish-In for a day or so















Mark

[Big Bad Wulff]

Lots of BIG stuff there.

[Mike Thomas]

Hey John, good luck with the trip, as for the number of flies I usualy take that many drys on a day trip plus that many again of Wets and Nymphs plus a good number of emergers! I admire your restraint.
All the best.
Mike.

[flybinder]

Have a ball, Sir John! The absolute, BEST, of luck on your trip!
I, too, have that many flies on my drying patch, alone.
I'd have to empty my vest, to actually find out how many fly boxes I carry, but I'm afraid it'd never reload the same way, again, and then I'd have 2-3 fly boxes with no place for them to go!?!
(hope there aren't too many trees where you're headed!?)

[Wild One]

John, I like the selection there. Man, I haven't seen or fished a Renegade in years! That one great, forgotten pattern.

PLEASE make sure you have extra and double extra batteries for your camera. Maybe an extra memory card while you're at it. We'll be expecting a long, DETAILED TR.

[Eight Thumbs]

John,

I admire your courage and restraint in both the number and selection of flies for your trip, particularly if you are going to be totally away from your tying bench or a fly shop. I can only conclude that (1) your casting skills must be finely honed and far superior to mine or (2) the laurel and rhododendron bushes in your area haven't developed the taste for flies that the bushes in my area have. I could lose that many flies in one day. Good luck and have a great trip. 8T

[JohnScott]

YEP !

Yesterday, I fished for about six hours, about evenly split between a section of the North Fork of the Big Lost and a section of the East Fork of the Big Lost.

This is what the fly box looked like last night.



Today, I fished a different section of the East Fork for a couple hours, a short section of the West Fork for about an hour, and another section of the North Fork for a couple hours, for a total of about five hours.

This is what the fly box looked like when I got home.



For whatever reason, I developed the habit of not putting used flies back in the rippled section, in this type of fly box, and always put them in the flat side to dry and to inspect before deciding to use them again, or rebuild them.

Yesterday, I lost three flies while catching something over thirty fish. One I lost when a 12" bow wiggled at the wrong time while I had the 5X tippet firmly in grasp. One I lost when I caught some streamside vegetation just as I was starting the backcast. The other one was kind of a fluke - I had a solid hit and when I set the hook, it released and the hook, tippet, leader and line came firing back at me. I didn't loose the fly, but it was stuck firmly in the mesh of my chest pack and was destroyed when I removed it. All three of these were lost at the best spot I fished, on the upper East Fork.

Today, I lost one fly while catching just shy of thirty fish. It also was kind of a fluke - I was just goofing off measuring some casts, not even fishing, and I shot a bit too much line across the East Fork into the brush on the far side of the river.

Out of the original two dozen, I brought back TWENTY. A few of them will probably be "rebuilt" but I think the rest of them can go back to the useable side of the box. The four that are gone, along with a number of the used ones, accounted for about sixty fish in just over eleven hours of fishing - mostly rainbows, several cutthroat and a few brookies.

Yep - WAY TOO MANY.