Hi guys,
I normally fish size 10-16 flies, but have a bundle of tmc 100’s in size 18. I find the hooks very small and am wondering what your favorite dry fly patterns are in smaller sizes. I have not gotten into the small stuff yet and am thinking this is a good way. Im looking forward to your answers.
Phil
Stuck in the shuck midge! Kills them when they are chasing hatching midges!
Blue-winged-olive in your favorite style.
#22 Griffith’s Gnat is my go to small fly
As Jay wrote, “Blue-winged-olive in your favorite style.” I, or rather I think the trout, prefer a medium color olive dubbed body, a medium dun hackle with just a shade lighter wing (poly or other synthetic). A comparadun is a close 2nd.
A Rusty Spinner is hard to beat too.
Allan
Some Griffith’s Gnats in size 18 are a stock item in one of my dry fly boxes.
But my “favorite” size 18 fly is a CDL ( Coq de Leon ) BWO. Follow the link to the FOTW article on tying it.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/041309fotw.php
John
My favorite in sz. 18 is a tan elk hair caddis
. But a close second is Rusty Biot Sulphur Spinners.Both are very effective where I fish.
An adams. If you don’t want to carry a lot of small flies it works as a general purpose attractor and for many hatches.
Griffith’s Gnat & Adams.
CDC & Elk in olive and tan. Covers most mayflies and caddis in that size.
Specifically a Sulphur Dun or same in emerger. Ditto a bwo.
BWO is probably my favorite in size 18.
CBC BWO. Awful hard to match that hatch with a monster 16. Olive dun thread, natural dun CDC wing, on a 900BL.
PS. There are places I fish where an 18 is a BIG fly.
In size #18, a Royal Wulff Cripple:
http://www.blue-ribbon-flies.com/shop/royal_wulff_cripple/
…or a Missng Link Caddis:
http://www.blue-ribbon-flies.com/images/made/images/callouts/Missing_Link_Olive_thumb_380_268.jpg
because both get away with imitating a lot of different May Flies and/or Caddis…an Olive Missing Link will clobber Trout during a BWO hatch…
PT/TB
Ditto on the Wulff Cripple, though you can skip the “royal” part. Just the peacock body is enough.
We sell over 100dz of these Purple Haze Cripples a year, about half in #18.
http://www.parksflyshop.com/images/general/flies/dries/hazecripple.jpg
Buy the TMC 921 dry fly hook (2XS 1XL) in a size 16. It will be the length of the TMC100 18 but with a wider gape. The TMC 921 size 18 will the length of a TMC 100 size 20, etc.
The TMC 921 (left) compared to a Mustad (center) and a Scud hook (right).
