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3. 5 must have flies.

If you could only have 5 flies in your box, what would they be. I'm looking for all around trout box. I would like to limit your choices to 2 drys, and 2 wets, and 1 your choice. My choices would be: Adams size 14, Mosquito size 12. Gold Ribbed Hares Ear size 12, Olive Caddis/Black Ostrich Hurl head size 16. and Blue-Winged Olive size 14. Thanks for all the responces.

I've caught alot of trout on a small black ant, size 16. Weighted black leech patterns work well too. If its 5 or 6, no big deal. We all would like to hear peoples favorite patterns, and the go to flies. Maybe a fly or two that you would have in your survival kit.

When do you mostly fish and what type of water?

Mostly spring and summer. Small streams.

Here's my best go at it...
1. Adams/Parachute Adams #12-22
2. Elk Hair Caddis #12-16
3. Ausable Wulff #12-14
4. BH Hare's Ear Nymph #16-20
5. BH Pheasant Tail Nymph, same sizes
6. Woolly Buggers
7. Glo-bugs

Okay, so I went two over. I couldn't cut it down further than that, because I just couldn't imagine going on a trout stream without any of those. But those seven patterns are all I usually carry on familiar waters, outside of hopper season. That's not including a few of my own creations, most of which are streamers that I don't have names for.

Definitely!!

green weenie

Yes, those are pretty great. Can't believe I forgot those.

Elk hair caddis is a good one too.

My selection would all be wet flies, so I'll give you three.


Black Gnat


Leisenring Spider


Partridge and Olive Emerger

Mark

Interesting choices. I like your leisenring spider.

Well it is hard for me to narrow it down to five especially since when I get out on the water I probably have at least a couple of whatever flies are emerging on that day in various life cycle stages and at least two sizes.

Dries -

Adams #12 - #20
EHC olive body/Brown wing #12 - #20

Wets -

Black Wooly Bugger #2 - #10
Hares Ear nymph - (dark natural) #10 - #18

My choice fly is Gray over white Clouser #1 - #6

Gotta have some wet black ants in the box.

Love all three of the wet flies Mark posted; I should have more wets in my box - I do really enjoy fishing them. I've had a lot of success in the past with one that he didn't list: the March Brown Spider.

A very simple #18 BHPT (no legs) is one I tend to do well with, quite often.

Shawnny's Gold Rush.

Last few trips back to central PA I've done well with a small baetis emerger pattern that I got from Steve at FFP years ago:

http://www.flyfishersparadise.com/fly-tying/baetis-emerger-bwo

I need to boost my wet fly selection also. Looks like the Adams and wooly buggers are must haves.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I have never caught a trout on a soft hackle fly!

I tie some every year and they look pretty and when nothing is rising I put one on once in awhile but I don't know how to fish it. Do you fish it like a nymph? Cast a little up and across and mend to get a good drift or do you just throw it across and let it swing down in front of you and strip it back?

YES. Exactly. Wbranch, The thing is, wingless wets are so versatile, you can fish it by any of those methods. Most fishermen like to fish them on the swing. Take a look at this:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part402.php

The techniques described in the article will work with wingless wets as well.
There are also some great upstream techniques which work as well as dry fly fishing, and as exciting because you can see the fly being taken by the fish.

Mark

For Dries id go a 14-16 adams, and a small 18-22 knat pattarn.
For Wets id go a hares ear and small pheasant tail.
For my other option id go with a woolly bugger of any color.

Its funny, i've been fly-fishing for over 25 years, and the Adams is my favorite to tie, and the best dry fly that I catch fish with. I've never talked to anyone else in these years about must haves. #1 on the list so far, is going to be the Adams..size 12-20. wide range of sizes, and I know there are differences in patterns. Hackle tip wing, hair wing, etc. Patterns and close sizes is what i'm looking for. Wooley Buggers and Hairs Ears might come in 2nd. Theres lots more ideas out there. We would all love to hear it. Thanks,,Jason

Talking about Wooley Buggers. My favorite pattern, colors, variation..is I like to add weight to it. I like to wrap some lead wire around the hook. I tie them will all black string, body, hackle, and the variation is, I like to cut the hackle down to about 1/8 inch, and add a 2 inch tail of black ostrich herl. It simulates a leech. I've caught tons of fish on it. I fish it like a jig, pull and strip.

Yes, Adams are definitely the one fly to have...I've probably caught more fish on those than all other dry flies combined, except Ausable Wulffs. And Ausable Wulffs are an odd case with me. Despite them not being even really being one of the most effective dries for the waters I fish, I usually find myself turning to them. I guess the only good reason I have is that whenever I use them, I'm reminded of the great times I've spent in the Adirondack high peaks, and they are really pretty flies and easy to see on the water. I sometimes have what other people would consider to be pretty odd ways of figuring out what fly to use, and often it doesn't have much to do with whether I think it will catch fish.

See why I'll never be that great of a fly fisherman? But I enjoy it, so it doesn't matter.