Basic fly box checklist???

[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.

[Gandolf]

Hi Raiderhunter,

I am assuming you are wanting to fish NW New Mexico. If that is the case, you have listed a good basic set of flies, but I would personally make some changes if it were me. I am also you are interested in an adequate minimal set of flies, ie: minimal cost.

I would replace the Adams with gray Wulffs, because they float better than the Adams. It amounts to a similar fly, color wise, that will fish for much the same insects, but will float better. That is important if you are wanting to fish streams with fairly quick water. I like to fish small streams, and if you have quick water the extra floatation is of benefit.

I would add a light color mayfly, something like a blond Wulff in sizes #14 to #18 or so. This will fish for the light color mayflies in NW New Mexico and Southern Colorado.

With the EHCs, you have two that will fish for darker caddis flies. For that reason, I would not go with the brown, and go with a tan, or light tan, EHC and an olive EHC. Just as good as the olive EHC is the deer hair caddis, which has an olive body and deer hair for the wing. Given the choice between the olive EHC and the deer hair caddis, I would probably go with the deer hair caddis, as it will likely do better for the darker caddis flies that have medium dun wings. Either the olive EHC or the deer hair caddis will fish for the same insects. Either way you have a fly for lighter color caddis flies (the tan or light tan EHC) and darker color caddis flies (the DHC or olive EHC.)

The truth is that the trout of NW NM and Southern Colorado are used to seeing caddis flies, as there are a lot of different species with similar colors, and they live pretty long compared to may flies. For that reason, I don't think the trout as as picky about caddis flies as they are about may flies. My first choice for a dry for a searching fly, if I have no idea about hatches up in NM, will be a tan EHC, in size 14 or 16, or perhaps a DHC.

I would also add a couple of stimulators to fish for stoneflies, and we have plenty of those up there. Starting in mid June you will have goldon stones, and a stimulator is a good match for those. I have had good success with what amounts to an orange stimulator in size 6 or 8. A friend who fished it more that I have said that a #10 or #12 orange stimulator would fish well for that stone, even though the size was quite a bit smaller. I would also add #12 and #14 yellow stimulators. If I had to pick single sizes, I would go with the #12 orange stimulator and the #14 yellow stimulator.

I would also add a larger nymph, to fish for the stonefly nymphs we have up there. I have had good success with a #8 golden stone nymph tied with Ronn Lucas Irridescent Dubbing in Golden stone color. However, stone nymphs are typically found in quick water, so a precise match isn't needed. John Gierach likes what amounts to a big gold ribbed hare's ear in the appropriate sizes to fish for either the golden stone or salmon fly nymphs.

I would tie these in #6 through #12 or so, preferrably, but not necessarily, on 3x long hooks. If you don't have the 3x long hooks, you could tie them on standard length hooks and the trout probably won't care. You can even tie them on standard dry fly hooks and I think you would do just fine. The fish are not nearly so picky are are the fisherman on nymphs.

Regards,

Gandolf

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Hmmmmm, Jeff Hamm musta been looking in my fly box. Our lists are almost indentical.

REE