Basic fly box checklist???

[raiderhunter]

So I was reading articles on the computer about the basic fly box and this was the list that they had:

DRY FLIES

EH Caddis; brown and olive colors; size 14 and 18
Adams; ; size 14, 16, & 18
BWO ; size 16, 18, & 20
Royal Wulff ; size 12 and 16
Griffith's Gnat size 20 and 22

NYMPHS

Hare's Ear 14 & 16
Pheasant Tail 16 & 18
Prince Nymph 14 & 16

OTHERS

Wolly Bugger black and Olive sizes 8 and 10
Mickey Fin sizes 6 and 10
Thunder Creek rust and white sizes 8 and 10


What would your basic fly box include?

[new2thefly]

The above plus:
Hoppers - light green, tan, black - each in sizes 14, 12, 10
Ants - black and red - size 14
Hair beetles - size 16

[mahanvey]

The above plus:
Gurglers - white, black each in sizes 12, 10

[JeffHamm]

Hmmm,

Spiders:
Pritt's water cricket, size 14
partridge & orange, size 14
Dark Betty, size 12
partridge & hare's ear, size 12
Baille's Black spider, size 14

Bumbles/Wingless Palmers/double hackles:
soldier palmer (size 12)
bibbio (size 12)
Fletcher's Fuzzy Wuzzy (size 8, 10)

Winged Wets:
March brown, size 12, 14
Parmachene Belle, size 12, 14
Bloody Butcher, size 10, 12
Greenwell's Glory, size 14
Mallard & Claret, size 10

Streamers/lures
Mickie Finn (size 10 2x long)
Hammlim Minnow (size 10 2x long)
Copper Dorathy (size 10 2x long)
Green Mock Pukeko (size 10)

nymphs:
pheasant tail nymph (size 12)
hare & copper (size 10)

- Jeff

[Lake Erie High Ball]

I like your picks. I would add a clouser minnow.

[Mark Vendon]

Hi raiderhunter,

To keep it simple, and stick to your list since it's pretty good. Dry's: Switch all the Adams to parachute Adams, just use grizzley for the parachute hackle. Split the EH Caddis to half CDC and Elk and the other half regular tied. You need a light colored dry fly like a Sulphur quill parachute, Ginger quill, PMD or PED type if your going for trout.
For your Other, I would switch the ThunderCreek with Clouser minnows tied small to large in a few ranges of colors. Thundercreeks are not that easy to tie correctly and are more involved. You could get more bang for your buck by going with a Clouser since you can use buck tail or synthetics, vary the weighted dumbell eyes, or use colored dumbell eyes. They are easier to tie wiith less steps.

Regards,
Mark

[Darryl]

I fish mostly Pennsylvania freestone and limestone streams. I carry three boxes: General Patterns, Imitator Patterns and a small box of midge patterns.
These are the patterns that are in my "general" fly box:

Dry Flies:
A.C. Caddis - sizes 14, 16, 18, 20
Elk Hair Caddis (in various colors) - sizes 14, 16, 18, 20
Stimulators (also in various colors) - sizes 12, 14, 16, 18
Hare's Ear Parachute - sizes 14, 16, 18, 20 & 22
Adams - sizes 14, 16, 18, 20, & 22
Royal Wulff - size 14
Cracklebacks (various colors) - sizes 14 & 16
Club Sandwich - sizes 10 & 12
Ants - sizes 16, 18, 20, 22
Rusty Spinner - 14, 16, 18, 20

Nymphs:
Hare's Ear - 14, 16, 18
Pheasant Tails - 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 & 24
Soft Hackle Hare's Ear - 14 & 16
Partridge & Starling Soft Hackle - 18, 20, 22
Various soft hackle wet flies - 14 & 16
Caddis larvae - 14, 16, 18
Prince Nymphs - 14, 16, 18

Streamers:
Woolly Buggers in various colors - 8 & 10
Light Spruce - 8 & 10
Clouser Minnows - 8 & 10

My Imitator box changes in content depending upon which month it is. Currently it contains mostly Sulphurs, Baetis, Cahills & Drakes in their approriate sizes with a fly to imitate each phase of the respective bug's life cycle (nymph, emerger, dun & spinner).

My midge box contains:

Griffith's Gnat - 18, 20, 22, 24 & 26
Black Beauty - 22, 24, 26
RS-2 - 22, 24, 26
WD-40 - 20, 22, 24, 26
A.K.'s Midge - 22, 24, 26
Brassie - 20, 22, 24, 26

[Joel D. Popham]

Raider,

I think that I have about 5 or 6 or 7 "sets" of flyboxes that are all a little different from each other. Each "set" or group of boxes consists of drys, nymphs, streamers, terrestrials, etc. The "sets" are for different times of the year (what hatches are going on), different streams, etc. I won't carry flies that might work in CO. if I am fishing here at home...I also always carry a large duffle bag with me containing different boxes of flies in case what I put in my fanny pack isn't working.

Your question is a good one, but there are a lot of variables...... Best Regards...

[JohnScott]

.... so my fly boxes tend to hold mostly brand new flies that I know I need for tomorrow for the place I am going to fish or leftovers from previous outings regardless of time or place.

Occasionally I will get some flies to test drive from a BB member ( thanks for the current batch, Warren ) so the fly boxes usually have some visitors staying there awaiting action where I think they will work.

T.C.T.K.s, rubber leg stonefly nymphs, brassies, some soft hackled and regular pheasant tail nymphs, and a few soft hackled and regular coppery johns ( sans wingcase and epoxy ) will do for most streams and rivers I fish around here.

Some Harrop's Henry's Fork caddis, parachute bwo's and PMDs, march browns, a few Griffith gnats, some renegades, and some emergers like Quigley cripples will usually be enough in the way of dry flies. Sometimes I'll tie up some parachute Adams or Wulff patterns or a humpy or two for small stream fishing.

Streamers are easy - I tie and carry one of my own, the PSC, and tote several other styles that have been sent to me for a work out. Haven't done all that much streamer fishing the past couple years.

Over the late spring and the summer and into the fall, JC's Salmonfly, LF's Golden Stone, and the FEB Hopper will likely be enough on most moving water around here. I also usually have a few Lizzie's Golden Stone along for the ride. For the fall, throw in a FEB October Caddis. This year, thinking about fishing some high mountain lakes, I need to come up with a good flying ant pattern. Got one in mine, just need to get down to the execution. A foam beetle will be added sooner rather than later.

I really am not much of a fly tier. If I didn't have the luxury of tying flies as I go, I probably would be lost, and frequently end up not having the best fly for the day and the place I'm fishing. Might even have to get one of those darned checklists ?!

John

[Steven]

Per the original list,

You could cover all mayflies (except for the hex) and midges with either an Adams (any way you want to tie it) or a Light Cahill in size 10 to 22.

You need terrestrials - ant, hopper, beetle.

Scuds.