Limiting your fly box

I’m sure that almost all of us have this in common - not only hundreds of flies in our fly boxes, but probably a hundred different patterns as well. I know that we’ve had discussions about “must have” flies in the past, but I want to resurrect that discussion just a bit.
So, here goes…

For trout fishers - if you had to limit your fly box to just 10 patterns total (traditional drys, nymphs, streamers, buggers, terrestrials, spinners, wets, emergers, etc), what would you pick?

In your response, please indicate where you fish (Eastern US, Western US, Kamloops, Catskills, mountain freestones, limestone creeks, spring creeks, tailwaters, etc… be as specific or as vague as you wish).

The genesis of this discussion this time around… a tying buddy suggested that we focus in on mastering just 10 patterns this year (multiple sizes are okay). Now, the real challenge will be not carrying dozens of different patterns, but this is what I’ll be tying exclusively (almost - I’ll still tie for swaps – and this doesn’t apply to smallmouth flies or saltwater files) this year for trout.

Region: Eastern US (VA, MD, WV mountain freestones and tailwaters mainly)

  1. Adams parachute
  2. Blue winged olive parachute
  3. Royal Wulff
  4. Elk Hair Caddis
  5. BH Pheasant Tail Nymph
  6. BH Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymph
  7. Prince Nymph
  8. Peacock/Grizzley Woolly Bugger
  9. Deer Hair Hopper
  10. Lt. Cahill wet/emerger

This was a tough exercise for me, because it leaves out some go-to flies like an ant, sulpher, san juan worm, Mr. Rapidan, March Brown, caddis nymphs, stimulator, etc…

So, if you could only tie/carry 10 fly patterns, what would they be?

If I had to
Adams
Elk Hair caddis
wooly bugger
PT
Hare’s ear
copper john
scud
bunny or pine squirrel leach
bullet headed muddler
pink squirrel

Vulture,

I trout fish in the lakes and rivers/streams of SW Colorado. These are what I actually carry with me EVRY day:

1)Dry fly/mayfly in brown, olive, and gray (all the same except color/size)

2)Dry fly/caddis in tan, olive, and yellow (again, all the same except color/size)

3)Semi Seal Leech

4)Peacock nymph (black tail, hearl on shank)

5)Chronimid bomber in black/red

6)Czeck style nymph

That’s it for me…never needed more, but I like to TIE more than that…

Buddy

  1. CDC & Elk
  2. Sawyer’s Killer Bug
    3 - 10 not needed

Edited to admit that I really only need one. Either one will do.

Western Rivers

Only ten? Man, that ain’t enough. :rolleyes:

  1. Parachute Adams
  2. Elk Hair Caddis
  3. Stimulator
  4. Foam Hopper
  5. San Juan Worm
  6. Lightning Bug
  7. Prince Nymph
  8. Copper John
  9. Brassie
  10. Woolly Bugger

I need more flies…:smiley:

Larry —sagefisher—

  1. parachute adams
  2. patriot
  3. ausable wulff
  4. royal pmx
  5. griffiths gnat
  6. bhpt
  7. hares ear
  8. zug bug
  9. olive/white clouser
  10. woolly bugger

For tailwater trout, most of the flies I use are soft hackles. Orange and partridges, to be specific.

I fish western and central Pennsylvania exclusively. Here would be my ten patterns:

1.) Parachute Hare’s Ear. This is my “go-to” fly. I carry this one in sizes 14, 16, 18 & 20. It probably works just as well as an Adams, but for some reason the Parachute Hare’s Ear looks more “fishy” to me and I fish it with more confidence than I fish an Adams.

2.) Elk Hair Caddis. I fish these in sizes #14 to #20. I prefer mine tied with a peacock hurl body rather than dubbed.

3.) Stimulator. I tye these in sizes #10 through #18 (Indeed tying an #18 Stimulator is a little tricky but not impossible). Not only is this a great fly for imitating stoneflies, it will also do as a grasshopper in a pinch and it’s probably my absolute favorite fly to drop a nymph off of.

4.) Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle. This is my “go-to” nymph pattern. I tye them in #14 through #18, most often in natural, brown and olive.

5.) Pheasant Tail Nymph.

6.) Griffith’s Gnat. This is a great midge / midge cluster pattern. I fish them in #16 through size #24.

7.) Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail. This one will usually do it when the Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear mentioned above fails.

8.) Woolly Bugger.

9.) Royal Wulff. It’s an ancient pattern but it’s still one of the best searching patterns out there.

10.) Crackleback. This is a great fly from the late Ed Story of Feathercraft. It can be fished in many ways - dry, emerger or wet. Probably the most versatile fly I carry and easy to tye as well.

-Darryl

Let’s see if I can get them all for my East TN fishing:

Fishing for stripers in local tailwaters that don’t have trout:

  1. Clouser minnow, in Chartreuse/White, sizes 6 - 2/0

Fishing for trout in local tailwaters that don’t have stripers:
2) Zebra midge
3) Brassie
4) Soft Hackle w/Thorax bead
5) Beadhead Sparkle Pheasant Tail

Fishing for mountain trout:
6) Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear
7) Stimulator
8) Copper John
9) Parachute Adams
10) Elk Hair Caddis

Yeah, that list will do pretty nicely most of the time.

This is for Eastern Canada. My list would have to go in this particular order ** Keep in mind I love Fishing Dries** :

1.) Mosquito in #12, 14, maybe even a 16.
2.) White Wulff in #10 and 14
3.) Yellow “Stimie” Stimulator in #10 and 12
4.) Elk Hair Caddis in #10, 12, and 14
5.) Griffiths Gnat in #10 and 12
6.) White Cahill in #12
7.) Micro Bugger in #12 and 14
8.) Green Twisted Qua in #8 and 12 Let me know and I post a Tutorials/recipe. Unrecognised but Deadly.
9.) Pheseant Tail Nymph in #12
10.) Foam Beetle in #10 Scud

My favorite pool here is filled with hungry Brookies that are most of the time NOT picky at all. There are times where there was some rough going but sooner or later one of those flies fooled a few.

Whatchu talkin bout Willis?

Don’t you guys know that the hot fly of the day is the one laying at home on the bench? I am not going to play this silly game. I am taking every fly I own. That is, as long as I can carry the darned things.

fishbum logic,

fishbum

Ten is tough. For the Eastern Sierra of California my list would be

1.Woolly bugger (black)
2.Brassie (copper)
3.Parachute adams
4.Royal Wulff
5.LaFontaine Emergent Sparkle Pupa (lt. olive body)
6.Cutter?s E/C Caddis
7.Bird?s Nest (dark tan)
8.Griffiths Gnat
9.Bead Head Prince
10.White and Partridge Soft Hackl

I’d feel short handed without a hopper, a spinner, another streamer and another emerger but could be very successful with these. Of course I would need them in a range of sizes. The Griffiths Gnat can be modified on stream to be an emerger or even a nymph, the E/C Caddis modified to be a may fly emerger, and the woolly bugger tied full and incorporating white rubber legs then trimmed to a slimmer or shorter profile or remove the rubber legs if needed. The rubber legs could be colored with a marker if needed. The White and Partridge Soft Hackle would be colored with a marker as needed too, not actually fished in the white version. The Bird’s Nest can be coated in floatant powder and sunk with split shot to create an emergent caddis. This wings can ge trimmed from the Emergent Sparkle Pupa to the same result. The tail, wings, and hackle of the Royal Wulff could be trimmed to make a barely passable ant.

Adirondacks and catskills of NY, MA berkshires and northern CT

  1. PT nymph
  2. Prince Nymph
  3. PT softhackle with a glass bead head
  4. Bunny Strip
  5. Classic Stone Nymph
  6. EHC without hackle
  7. Poly wing spinner
  8. Comparadun
  9. Fur Ant
  10. My hair wing hopper

With a bunch of different colors and sizes, I could probably fish anywhere in the country and feel comfortable. With 10 patterns, it’s easy. Now getting by with 10 flies, that would be a tough one.

Southeastern US (Ga. and Tn., mainly the Hiawassee, Ocoee, Jacks and Conasauga Rivers)

  1. Black Wulf
  2. Grey Wulf
  3. Chenobyle Ant
  4. Woolly-Bugger
  5. Clouser Minnow
  6. Pheasant-Tail Nympth
  7. Stimulator
  8. Scud
  9. Zebra Midge
  10. Elk Hair Caddis

Western Rivers-----Madison

  1. Egans Rainbow Warrior
  2. BH Pheasant Tail including flashback
  3. Natural and olive BH Haresear
  4. Soft Hackle - various colors (olive, red, orange, white, brown, yellow)
  5. Iris Caddis
  6. PMD Dry
  7. Stimulator
  8. Prince Nymph (whitefish slayer)
  9. CH Wolly Bugger
  10. Slumpbuster

New Zealand and Nova Scotia:

1.) Wickhams’ Fancy - Dry
2.) Pheasant Tail Nymph - Nymph
3.) Hare & Copper - Nymph
4.) Water Cricket - spider/soft hackle
5.) Dark Betty - spider/soft hackle
6.) Parmachene Belle - wet
7.) Royal Coachman - wet
8.) Jerry Madiddler - wet
9.) Mallard & Claret - wet
10) Hammlim Minnow - hairwing streamer

This was hard. I think if I had to do this for an extended period of time I would collapse. The stress of just knowing that I have other patterns tied and ready to go, but not on me, would be too much. Where’s that Greenwell’s Glory? I’ve not included a Soldier Palmer or bibio, no palmered wingless wets at all! What tha? Where’s my Invicta? This will just not do!

  • Jeff
  1. PTN
  2. GRHE
  3. elk hair caddis
  4. zebra midge
  5. stimulator
  6. pine squirrel leech
  7. foam hopper
  8. ant
  9. crackleback
  10. adams dry

I fish mainly Freestone rivers in Northern Idaho, a couple of Spring creeks in Washington, and small lakes in Washington from a pontoon boat. If I had all of the following in one box, that box would be all I needed. I take more, but these are all I generally use.

[ul]
[li]EHC[/li][li]PMD[/li][li]BWO[/li][li]Royal Coachman[/li][li]X-Caddis[/li][li]Renegade[/li][li]Soft Hackle[/li][li]PTN[/li][li]Small Leeches[/li][*]Wooly Bugger[/ul]

Midwest; Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennesee

  1. Olive Soft Hackle
  2. BH Pheasant Tail
  3. BH Hares Ear
  4. Elk Hair Caddis
  5. Olive Wooly Bugger
  6. Griffiths Gnat
  7. Glass Bead Midge
  8. BH Caddis Pupa
  9. Zebra Midge
  10. San Juan Worm

Northeast US:

Pheasant tail 10-20
Golden stone nymph 6-8-10 (I use a simple pattern a guide once taught me
Usual (yellow) 10 -18
Usual (pinkish fur) 12-16
Usual (tan or brownish) 10-14
Isonychia parachute 10-12-14
Peacock nymph 10-12
Walts cripple bwo 14-20
Walts cripple sulphur 12-20
Walts cripple isonychia 10-14
Schenks white minnow 6
Gartside softhackle streamer 4-6 white and yellow
fb hares ear 10-14
Rackelhanen 12-18 in gray, brown, tan, cream
Zoo cougar 4
Yellow stimulator 8
that does it for me
Ulrik