Beginner Fly Box

[shakey]

I always suggest that beginners stick to dry flies. It’s easier to catch a fish when you see it take your fly of course.

However, the beginner I am making up a fly box for, has a very skillful angler to teach them . So , they could probably use some wets too .

What wouldd you include in a beginner fly box?

I am thinking
Foam beetles and ants
EHK
Light cahills
Griffith gnats

Then
GRHE
PTSH
wooly worm
SJW
green,yellow, orange SH
Peacock and whatever hackle

Wooly bugger
Mickey Finn

 

[fritz]

Those seem to be all good picks.

How about some kind of stonefly imitation. Maybe a prince nymph?

 

[Tigereye]

Nailed it. An adams and royal Wolff would be 2 others, but certainly your list covers all the bases

 

[JerryC]

Overall, a good selection.
I would substitute a CDC and Elk for the Elk Hair Caddis.
Not sure about the Light Cahills, maybe a more generic mayfly pattern.
I fish SE Pa and I see more caddis and midges than mayflies. Maybe my timing is off.
I don't fish the Wooly Worm, SJW or Mickey Finn, so they wouldn't be in my beginner's box if I were making one up. I'd probably include some mop fly nymphs, size 12, rather than the SJW. A buck tail bait fish pattern rather the Micky Finn. Unweighted Wooly Bugger rather than the Wooly Worm. Definitely, some stonefly nymphs and dries.

 

[rrt]

Sulphur dry flies (since they hatch nearly everywhere)
Beadhead Hare's Ear nymph, no wing case necessary

 

[tomgamber]

Tigereye wrote:
Nailed it. An adams and royal Wolff would be 2 others, but certainly your list covers all the bases

Yeah, I don't even go to the grocery store without an Adams. Royal Wulff is the best "searching" pattern there is.

The other have to haves as mentioned: buggers, elk hair, beetle, ant, simple hopper (like Joe's), foam spider, maybe a green weenie or an egg pattern if you're not a purist.

I can use a bugger for almost anything subsurface. Then its pretty much size and color for any dry or nymph. without my glasses they all look alike. The bigger variety is in the terrestrials and how deep down that rabbit hole you want to go.

 

[shakey]

fritz wrote:
Those seem to be all good picks.

How about some kind of stonefly imitation. Maybe a prince nymph?

Great choice!!
When I was starting out, I caught more on a prince than anything.

Even when I stopped nymphing, I used a PN as a wet fly .

My wife ties a mean prince nymph

 

[shakey]

Tigereye wrote:
Nailed it. An adams and royal Wolff would be 2 others, but certainly your list covers all the bases

You know, that‘a two that def should have been on my original list!!

 

[larkmark]

I would include:
Adams in 14,16,18,20
Deer hair caddis
Cdc caddis
Sulphur
Rusty spinners in 18 and 20
Ants both floating and sinking
Olives in 18 and 20
Griffiths Gnats in 16 and 20
Black or olive wooly bugger
Prince, pheasant tail and hares ear nymphs
Zebra midge in black
And a couple green weenies

This is what I mainly fish. I do have some emergers and some tiny midges that are sort of used in special situations but I could easily get by with the list above. In fact the caddis and adams and gnat probably account for most of my fish in a year.

 

[Baron]

Caught allot on Prince and Zugbug. I have to chuckle though as larkmarks choices are almost exactly my summer bluegill choices. Just add Royal Wulff.

 

[larkmark]

Baron, I would just switch the Royal Wulff with a Patriot!

 

[ryansheehan]

When I was learning how to fly fish I spent 2 years fishing an elk hair caddis, in the winter I tied on a prince as a dropper. Can't go wrong with those two.

 

[larkmark]

That's a good way to start Ryan. I was just thinking that the first flies I learned to tie were caddis, ants and hares ear nymph. My tying and fishing went hand in hand. I know a guy who ties a caddis on at the beginning of season and it stays on for months. Looking at my boxes of 100s of flies I often think I should organize and go more minimal. A lot of times it isn't the fly but the presentation that is the problem.

 

[Baron]

larkmark wrote:
Baron, I would just switch the Royal Wulff with a Patriot!

I'll try it. Thanks. I also tie a poor version of the Pass Lake. It works.

 

[Baron]

larkmark wrote:
Baron, I would just switch the Royal Wulff with a Patriot!

I guess I've told this story before but I shouldn't hurt to tell it again. Way back in time, when I used to make fun of my friends that Fly Fished I ran into images of the Royal Coachmen and later a Royal Wulff. I had those images etched into my head as the most unique and beautiful flys I'd ever seen. Once I began FF I bought versions of the RW and quickly found it deadly for upper-sized Gills. Now I tie poor versions of them and will also learn the Patriot which is similar.
Thanks LM

 

[troutbert]

larkmark wrote:
Baron, I would just switch the Royal Wulff with a Patriot!

The Ausable Wulff is better than either.

 

[larkmark]

http://charlesmeck.com/a20000600.html

 

[Baron]

I use both Wullfss and if I notice a difference it it that the Royal is better come Sept and Oct.
The Patriot is very similar to the RW and Rcoachman.

Thanks for the article, very informative.

I cast them dry and let them sit. No paste on them. Eventually my slowly sinking leader drags them under. Retrieve slowly, slowly and bam thats when they hit. I also catch 10"/+ shiner on them. Go figure.

 

[larkmark]

The regular old Royal coachman is a great fly as a wet, dry or streamer. It has a certain ingredient that always seems to help any pattern, peacock herl.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Glad you mentioned that one larkmark. The first trout I caught on a dry was on a royal coachman, for stocked trout in particular I think twits a great pattern. The wings are easy to see and the trout seem to like it, I would support your thoughts on peacock herl.

For small stream fishing I am trying to move more towards a minimalist approach. Even though I carry way too many flies I constantly find myself going to sz 12 or 16 elk hair caddis in tan, black or green, parachute Adam's, stimulators, pt nymphs, prince nymphs, orange and green soft hackles and black/ olive wooly buggers to round it out.

If I had to pick 3 it would elk hair caddis, Adam's and wooly buggers.