Hi, all. My oldest son lives in the Porland area of Oregan. He has bait/spin fished all his life as he was growing up here in Idaho but, because I got into fly fishing after he was already married and gone, he was not introduced to it. However, he has recently expressed an interest in it and his wife wants to get him fly fishing equipment for his birthday in about a month. I’m going to give him a spare 5 wt rod and reel I’ve got but I would also like to give him a bunch of basic flies that would be useful for that area. I suspect they are pretty similar to what we use here in Idaho. All you Oregonian fresh water stream and river fishers, what would be your basic fly box set up of dries, wets and nymphs if you knew when you got started what you know now?
I don’t know the fly fishing streams in that area very well but I would expect he will stay pretty close to Portland. Maybe the Deschutes, Wilson, Clackamas, Molalla, Trask, etc. Probably the rivers and streams west of Mt. Hood or the coastal streams in the mountains west of Portland. He doesn’t have a boat so it would have to be something wadeable. Maybe I should also be asking what’s close that would be good for a beginner.
soft hackles, elk hair caddis, chronomids, stimulators and/or sofa pillows - tons of great information at Westfly.
hares ear nymphs, any and all nymphs will work.
Dry:
BWO, PMD, Parachute Adams, EHC, Stimulator, Griffith’s gnat, Ants
depending on exactly when and where he’s fishing add March brown, Green Drake, Calibaetis, Norm Woods Special, Hoppers.
when he gets a 6 weight clousers in chartreuse and white and brown and white, will give him lots of pleasure on smallies from the willamette and columbia. he might be able to do it on a 5 weight if he is a better caster then i.