Newbie Question: How many fly sizes & colors to tie for next season?

In article , Tom Nakashima
wrote:


You also might want to keep this in mind when selecting flies to use.
In order:
1. First think size
2. Then pattern
3. Then color
-tom

I think that this, like most of the things I've read on this thread, is
very good advice.

My suspicion is that, after going through the process that Wolfgang
described (I wouldn't try to avoid this - I think it's inevitable) that
you will end up with something around a dozen flies. Maybe six or eight
that you tend to pick first, and another six or eight that you have
with you because you know that sooner or later you're going to need
them.

From time to time, though, you'll call on all that knowledge you gained
when learning to tie flies, and think of the possibility that what you
really need is something that you once knew about, and even used to
fish with, and it did qute well at the time.

You can only be happy with those dozen when you know you have lots of
possibilities to fall back on.

And the only way to find out what those dozen are is the long process
of trying them out for yourself.

This is the fun of the thing

Lazarus

"Lazarus Cooke" wrote in message
news:121020072114288918%lazaruscooke@britishlibrar y.invalid...


From time to time, though, you'll call on all that knowledge you gained
when learning to tie flies, and think of the possibility that what you
really need is something that you once knew about, and even used to
fish with, and it did qute well at the time.

A most peculiar and annoying phenomenon. There are several patterns I used
to rely on quite heavily because they were very successful. Then they
stopped working pretty much entirely. I still carry them. Some day......

Wolfgang

"Lazarus Cooke" wrote in message
news:121020072114288918%lazaruscooke@britishlibrar y.invalid...
In article , Tom Nakashima
wrote:


You also might want to keep this in mind when selecting flies to use.
In order:
1. First think size
2. Then pattern
3. Then color
-tom

I think that this, like most of the things I've read on this thread, is
very good advice.


One thing I forgot to mention, is after my catch I always take a glance into
the fish's mouth before I release. I would say about 30% of the time I
found some type of feed.
-tom

I"m the OP. Thanks to everyone for their input. After considering
all of the information I think I have a list of flies to tie this
Winter. Some of these I've fished successfully with this season -- my
first season fly fishing. The patterns will almost all be from the
book "Trout Flies: The Tier's Reference" by Dave Hughes. A few of
these patterns are local ones that work around here, where I live.

Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Whitlock Fox Squirrel Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Herl Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Muskrat Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Scud Nymph (Regular & Beadhead) 16, 18 & 20
San Juan Worm Searching Nymph) 8 & 10
Elk Hair Caddis Dry Fly (Adult Caddis) 12, 16, 18
Adams Dry Fly (Searching Fly) 20 & smaller
Beetle Bug Searching Dry Fly 16
Serendipity Midge Pupa (Regular & Beadhead) 16-20
Griffith's Gnat Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Sangre De Cristo Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Lead-eyed Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Muddler Sculpin Minnow Streamer 2, 6, 10
Jim's Maribou Streamer Minnow 12, 14
Soft Hackle Wet 14, 16, 18
Jim's Gurgler (floating fun foam fly) 8, 12
Jim's Foam Spider 10
Foam Beetle Terrestrial 12, 16
Dave's Hopper 6,10

I can't wait to start tying :-)
Thanks again for all of the ROFF help!
p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

- Dave K.

"mdk77" wrote in message
oups.com...
I"m the OP. Thanks to everyone for their input. After considering
all of the information I think I have a list of flies to tie this
Winter. Some of these I've fished successfully with this season -- my
first season fly fishing. The patterns will almost all be from the
book "Trout Flies: The Tier's Reference" by Dave Hughes. A few of
these patterns are local ones that work around here, where I live.

Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Whitlock Fox Squirrel Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Herl Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Muskrat Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Scud Nymph (Regular & Beadhead) 16, 18 & 20
San Juan Worm Searching Nymph) 8 & 10
Elk Hair Caddis Dry Fly (Adult Caddis) 12, 16, 18
Adams Dry Fly (Searching Fly) 20 & smaller
Beetle Bug Searching Dry Fly 16
Serendipity Midge Pupa (Regular & Beadhead) 16-20
Griffith's Gnat Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Sangre De Cristo Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Lead-eyed Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Muddler Sculpin Minnow Streamer 2, 6, 10
Jim's Maribou Streamer Minnow 12, 14
Soft Hackle Wet 14, 16, 18
Jim's Gurgler (floating fun foam fly) 8, 12
Jim's Foam Spider 10
Foam Beetle Terrestrial 12, 16
Dave's Hopper 6,10

I can't wait to start tying :-)
Thanks again for all of the ROFF help!
p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

Don't forget the Pass Lake, in black, size 14. Six dozen for a start.

Wolfgang
well, hell, everybody should have SOMETHING that works.

p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

Thats right. A few weeks ago, I was on a river with a hex hatch going
on. I was throwing a small crawfish pattern that the fish were
hitting on the surface before it had a chance to sink. Crawdads don't
look a whole hell of alot like hex's, but the fish didn't care.
Frank Reid

"Frank Reid" wrote in message
Thats right. A few weeks ago, I was on a river with a hex hatch going
on. I was throwing a small crawfish pattern that the fish were
hitting on the surface before it had a chance to sink. Crawdads don't
look a whole hell of alot like hex's, but the fish didn't care.

I've seen your crawfish patterns. The fish are probably pleading
self-defense.

Joe F.

Thats right. A few weeks ago, I was on a river with a hex hatch going
on. I was throwing a small crawfish pattern that the fish were
hitting on the surface before it had a chance to sink. Crawdads don't
look a whole hell of alot like hex's, but the fish didn't care.

I've seen your crawfish patterns. The fish are probably pleading
self-defense.

Some just had heart attacks and went belly up.
Frank Reid

On Oct 19, 1:52 pm, Frank Reid wrote:
p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

Thats right. A few weeks ago, I was on a river with a hex hatch going
on. I was throwing a small crawfish pattern that the fish were
hitting on the surface before it had a chance to sink. Crawdads don't
look a whole hell of alot like hex's, but the fish didn't care.
Frank Reid

A week ago I took my young daughter fishing (warm water fishing with a
kids spinning rod). She was fishing live bait with a teeny tiny
yellow bobber. I noticed fish were hitting the bobber on the surface,
but not touching her bait. I asked her if she would like to fly fish,
and I let her use my fly rod. I tied a yellow terrestrial spider on
for her and she tore the bass and bluegill up. We could have caught a
100 of them, but I finally convinced her we had to get home or mom
would report us a missing-in-action.

The spider was the size and color of that teeny-tiny yellow bobber. I
think they would have gone after anything that size and color - with a
passion that day.

- Dave K.

"mdk77" wrote in message
oups.com...
snip
Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Whitlock Fox Squirrel Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Herl Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Muskrat Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Scud Nymph (Regular & Beadhead) 16, 18 & 20
San Juan Worm Searching Nymph) 8 & 10
Elk Hair Caddis Dry Fly (Adult Caddis) 12, 16, 18
Adams Dry Fly (Searching Fly) 20 & smaller
Beetle Bug Searching Dry Fly 16
Serendipity Midge Pupa (Regular & Beadhead) 16-20
Griffith's Gnat Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Sangre De Cristo Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Lead-eyed Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Muddler Sculpin Minnow Streamer 2, 6, 10
Jim's Maribou Streamer Minnow 12, 14
Soft Hackle Wet 14, 16, 18
Jim's Gurgler (floating fun foam fly) 8, 12
Jim's Foam Spider 10
Foam Beetle Terrestrial 12, 16
Dave's Hopper 6,10

I can't wait to start tying :-)
Thanks again for all of the ROFF help!
p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

- Dave K.

I notice that the only Mayfly imitation on the list is the Adams. If that is
the only Mayfly pattern you intend to cary I recommend that you carry them
in size 20 and larger. The Adams, though a great pattern, is a bitch to tie
in sizes smaller than 20 and has no advatange over much simpler patterns in
the smaller sizes. For that matter the Adams is most effective in size
18-14, depending on hatches.

Bob Weinberger