Hey folks I am building a rod to carry behind the seat of my pickup. Who would blame the preacher if he stopped while he was out visiting the widow ladies he stopped and fished a farm pond?
I also want to put together a box of flies to carry all the time.
What would you carry in your all purpose, one box, in a moments notice fly box?
My start…
Black, Olive and flashy white woolly buggers.
olive and natural GRHE’s 10, 12, 14
PTN’S 14, 16
Crappy Candy
Adams 12,14,16
Quill Body Calibettis Parachute 12, 14
Jelly beans
Dragon fly or damsel fly nymph are my top two choices I have used them almost year round with varying degrees of success but I always get fish on them. Or you could go a bit more traditional with BHPTN’s and/or HEN’s if you so choose they always seem to produce as well.
Steve
Wooley Buggers, OD green, black, brown sizes 8-12.
Clouser Minnows Green over white, Chartruese over white size 8-12.
Chernoblye Ants, black over yellow, size 10 and 8.
Mara-Blonde Streamer, Black over Chartruese, size 6-10.
Hard-Hackle Worm, purple, sizes 8 and 6.
Black Widow, sizes 8-12.
I think this selection would pretty much catch anything that swims (at least in fresh water), anywhere in the country.
I am a minister also, and I have a fly-rod, waders, boots and flies in the back of my Tracker at all times. I guess we’re all sort of like the character portrayed by Ward Bond in “The Quiet Man”, Father Lonnigan.
I love to fish for bluegills, so would have bluegill flies in my box. (These can also work for crappies and bass will take them too.) Bluegill flies are small and don’t take up much room. What you already have listed will work great, and I would add these to fill it out a bit.
Since you will only be fishing for short periods of time, only carry two flies each of a given pattern and size. You can refill the missing flies as needed.
I would add foam bluegill spiders in chartreuse, yellow, and peach.
Dries: Hexes, and some light color dry flies…maybe a Blond Wulff in size 12 to 18. Hoppers, beetles, and ants.
Sinking flies: Jitterbees, bully’s bluegill spiders, scuds, and finally a few wet flies such as the McGinty, black gnat, grey hackle peacock, and a few soft hackles.
The two box idea is a good one. To make the best of the “spare box” to keep you covered, divide the top water and sinking flies evenly between the two boxes.
I’d throw in some in-between sized poppers for both bass and gills. Also maybe some #10 soft hackles in bright and natural colors to suit the different moods of the gills. Inch for inch of space in a fly box, I can’t think of a better fly to carry than a simple soft hackle.
Gig… Yep, I’ve noticed that there seem to be a disproportionate number of clergy on the stream and at the farm ponds. Don’t know if that is a reflection on the Quiet Man or Rev. McClean (sp?) or has something to do with us.
Micropteris wrote:
<<< Fishing for something else??>>>
Hey now
I am a bit too young and too happily married for that. Although in my days as a young bachlor pastor, I would frequently schedule a visit with one of these old saints right around supper time. Never failed to get an invite. Even if I had to look haggerd and sickly to do it. 8)
I like the two box suggestion. And my nippers and a pair of forceps are on leather shoestring hanging from the rearveiw mirror.
Pastor Ed,
Thanks for giving me the mental picture of the day!
Your nippers and forceps hanging from your rearview mirror. Kind of a first aid kit (or minor surgery)
Have a great day!
Doug
Sounds like an Editor’s Fly Box, Pastor Ed. Here are my choices:
Bluegill: Hare n Copper, jitterbee, small peacock/green grizzly wooly bugger, gurgle pop, green meanie (with a red hackle at the head) and a gillbuster (black).
Bass: zoo couger, wigglebug, dahlberg diver (foam or hair), gillbuster in black, a dremel-created Hula Popper, clouser.
Crappie: Hare n copper, clouser (small and sparse), white bunny, white gillbuster, crappie candy.
Walleye: white gillbuster, white bunny, white clouser.
I have a lot of other stuff but these are the go-tos. JGW
I think you’ve got an excellent start with your box.
The one fly that screams out at me in addition to the
ones you mentioned is the scud. Fished in conjunction with many of the others, accounts for
probably 50% of my catches.G Warm regards, Jim
