HI: I’ll be fishing out West for the first time from August 14 to the 23. I believe we’ll be fishing the Yellowstone, Gallatin, Madison and a few of the spring creeks in Paradise Valley. I fugure that you men and women that fish these as your home waters would be able to give me some advice. I always tie too many flies for my trips and I’m trying to avoid that this time. Is it possible to narrow my choices down to say, maybe, 10 top flies including nymphs and dries. I’ve been told already that I should have PTs in sizes 20 and 22. I’ve already tied 1 1/2 doz. miracle midges in those sizes. I just don’t want to go overbaord like I usually manage.
Thanks for sharing,
Bruce
San juans in red and pink, I use 12-16’s. Thats my only recommendation. All others seem to be a day-to-day basis, but san juans always slay on the rivers around here.
For the yellowstone, definitely some big streamers. There are some monster fish in the yellowstone around livingston and one of my friends who guides it is always trying to get me to switch to big fat hairy streamers.
Check troutfitters.com 1-2 weeks before you leave for a fishing report and a fly recommendation, just keep in mind that they want to sell the flies, so they always list tons of different flies and sizes. They are an outfit out of Bozeman that I definitely recommend you stop by while you are around.
Also, for around that time I would always pack some hoppers with me. I am told that a parachute madame x will hook more fish than a gillnet some days on the yellowstone and the madison.
Elk Hair Caddis
If you’re going to try for any brookies in the spring creeks, definitely bring some royal wulffs. For whatever reason, they seem to love that red color.
Also, prince nymphs and PT nymphs do well.
And, of course, wooly buggers.
I’ve posted questions before about fishing out West, but now I’m trying to narrow my selection of flies down to what is necessary.
Thanks
I have done really well on the spring creeks there with a size 20 black WD40.
Best of luck.
If it were me, this is what I would bring (in order for each type nymph, dry, streamer):
- PT’s size 16-20, in natural and black
- Black Midges size 18-22
- San Juan Worms size 16, Red
- Yellow Sally / Golden Stone size 12-18
- RS2 size 16-20, tan, brown, black, grey, olive, and even red
- Elk Hair Caddis size 14-18, yellow and orange body (reverse tied might be a good idea)
- Terrestrials size 12-14, maybe some 10 (Hoppers, beetles, crickets, ants)
- Pale Morning Dun size 16-20
- Parachute Adams size 14-18
- BWO size 16-20
- Silver tungsten bead-head Wolly Buggers size 10-16, black/olive or brown/olive
I would also consider Copper Johns, WD40’s, Drakes, Tricos, and maybe even Salmonflies, but if I were to pick 10, that’s my list.
That’s a lot of different water; I’d hate to tie myself (no pun intended) down to just 10 dry flies, let alone nymphs, streamers, etc. Make sure you have something to cover the Spruce Fly “hatch” - #12-14 cream/tan EHC works. I’d also pack rusty spinners (#14-20), CDC & Elk, Iris Caddis, X2 Caddis, hoppers (flat and rough water varieties), beetles, crickets, ants (flying, too), Trude Coachman (in deference to Richard Parks), para-adams, sparkle duns, hairwing duns, Quigly cripples. Have fun, catch a bunch.
Regards,
Scott
I realize there’s probably going to be more than 10 flies I’ll need. I’m just trying to get a handle on the situation. I don’t want to tie 30 different patterns and end up using only 5 or 6. I carry way too many flies with me and I’m trying to narrow my selction.
Thanks for your input,
Bruce
ehc, sjw, ptn’s, tctk, rs2’s, bwo’s, and if you can find it, alder flies in everything from 12-18. Thats all I really ever carry unless I am hitting really big water. Wooley buggers work decent on the madison, but there will most likely be a hatch on, so they should be a low number searching pattern if anything.
That’s funny. I fished in the park last October and stopped in the shop. Of course I bought some trudes! And if you read his book, in almost every stream he mentions the trude as an effective pattern.
Bruce,
That makes good sense. First time I went out there, I did the same thing. Spent a lot of days fishing one or two flies, at least until evening (or early morning) when different stuff happened. Some places you can try 10 or more different flies before you figure out what they’re biting on, other streams you fish 10 different flies to figure out what they won’t take. You’ve received good advise from others on patterns; also on checking Troutfitters site - good shop, reports are light on the BS.
Don’t fish nymphs much but I’d definitely bring PTs 14-20 in variety of dress - standard, flashback, bead-head, soft-hackle; Copper Johns, Hares Ears, Prince, something big/black/rubber-legged. Actually, a variety of soft-hackles would be nice to have - they cover stages of caddis, mayfly hatches and can do good things.
For streamers, I’d have buggers (black, brown, olive), Marabou Muddlers with and without conehead, Double Bunnies.
One other general tying thing - for a lot of my dries, I try to incorporate foam or more hackle; many of the rivers are bigger than what I fish back east and this helps to keep them floating in rougher water.
Regards,
Scott
Thanks, Scott. That’s a great idea about adding foam to the dry flies. I’ll probably still have too many flies. Each time I speak to my buddy he adds more to the list. I always laugh to myself when I think of all the flies I carry with me compared to the few I actually use.
1)Elk Hare caddis 12-14-16
2)humpy yellow 12-14
3)stone fly 12-14
4)beadhead stone fly 16
5)yellow sally 14-12
6)green sparkle caddis emerger 18
7)SJ worm 14 red / natural
8) white mayfly 14
9) hopper 10
10) prince numph 16-18
I usually end up carrying way too many flies also. If I was going to bring along 10 types of flies these would be the ones. However I would stop iin the local shops and ask what is going on. So this collection would probably grow at that time.
lastchance,
At the bottom of the home page here at FAOL is a set of 42 links. Click on “Great Rivers” (6th from last) and look for the Madison and the Yellowstone. The Gallatin isn’t listed. When you get to your river of choice, scroll down to the end of the article and click on the link for “Flies.” That information could prove to be very helpful. 
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PMD sz 14 16 18
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Hopper patterns , at least 3 different colors
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Royal trude sz 14"ish"
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Elk hair caddis sz 12-18 (IN ALL COLORS!)
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BWOs sz 16-20
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Prince nymph sz 10-14
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Cased caddis sz 10-14
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Yellow sally sz 10-12
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PED or Light Hendrickson (I like the para versions) sz 16-20
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Clarks stone BIG! ( with rubber legs prefureably) sz 8-10
Try the big flies with a dropper, the Prince Nymph works well for me.
Might want to add an 11th fly, a may fly nymph pattern. A pheasant tail in a small size (“18ish”) or a small emerger type, both are killer as droppers.
Also the cased caddis with an emerger fished DEEP in a two or three nymph rig is good for the hot mid day times with no hatch on.
This list WILL get you by on most big western rivers.