Choosing the Right Fly

[Boomer]

What process do people go through when choosing what fly to use? I’m interested to see the variety of ways of choosing. Don’t be afraid to get too wordy either. Typically all I do for fly selection is I pick up rocks and see what is crawling on the bottom and see if anything is catching a fish’s attention on the surface. I’ll also check hatch charts but even then I feel like Idk what stage of hatch I should be trying to mimic. Looking for any input. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tigereye]

Like you state, check online hatch charts to see what to expect, when and what sizes. They are available for just about all streams in PA and if not, a nearby stream's chart will have similar hatches:

When approcahing stream, easy days are when you see hatching flies and fish taking them. A No Brainer. Dry Fly

If they are refusing your dry, think emerger in surface film.

Still no takers, think spinners. You should be able to tell stage by rise form.

If Flies are hatching and no risers, think wet flies on swing. If nothing there, tie wet fly or emerger off the hook bend as a dropper.

If still not catching fish, start fishing a 2 nymph rig. Depending on your nymphing style, the nymph should be your deepest fly and a wet fly as a dropper a bit higher than normally rigged.

No activity visable,---- I fish how I feel like fishing for the day. If I have to catch a fish I will rig a nymph rig. If it is a leasurely day, a swung wet fly or an attractor dry fly is a relaxing way to fish.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

For me it's about seeing where the sun's reflection is on the water. I need something I can see.

 

[csoult]

It’s more about the drift than anything. But choose something that is active at the time

 

[Acristickid]

The amount of flies that are out there- in books, on the Internet , in conversations with other anglers certainly boggles the mind .

The simplest thing you can do is find (like others have mentioned) a hatch chart for that stream , search the Internet , talking with local anglers any local fly shop about what bugs that water has.

I still think it’s funny that Angler’s walk around with backpacks filled with six fly boxes. For example if I’m going to Spring Creek in February or March probably going to take a variety of midges - nymphs, emergers dry flies also the same for olives. These are the two bugs that hatch at that time on that water. There is no need to carry a variety of sulfurs there is no need to take a variety of green drakes etc for bugs that are either aren’t on that stream or not hatching anywhere near that time of year.

Also if staying with the example of Spring Creek you may want to take scud/sowing as a general nymph that’s present in the stream , if the water was higher and or off color I would probably use streamers or buggers , so you could probably add those and I think simply in that example you would be covered.

I would just take my example and apply it to whatever water you’re going to at whatever time of year you’re going there and you could certainly limit it down the amount of bugs that flies that you would need. In the cooler months in the winter late fall early spring most of the action is going to be during the warmest part of the day (usually flies are darker and during warmer months the flies get a lighter color) in the hot months June July August it’s going to be late evening early morning. I would say rather than saying what do I need to cover all my bases it’s more like what can I eliminate because you know certain things aren’t going to be needed.

It’s certainly taken me years to understand a lot of the bugs in the lifecycles etc. and certain waters but it really doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult you could break it down to do something pretty simple.

 

[Out4Trout]

I say you can never go wrong with a Wooly Bugger to start out. I love to fish dry flies (who doesn't), but usually hit the stream with a Wooly. If I see surface action, I will quickly change to a dry and to me I find its more important to match the size than the exact insect. I find trout key in on the size of the hatch more than the exact colors so I look for light or dark depending on the hatch and them try my best to match the size. This theory has work well for me over the years.

Tight Lines !!

 

[troutless]

I carry a hand seine its great for getting an idea of all the small stuff thats hatching.

 

[Boomer]

Love the responses. I hope more keep coming. Thanks for the input so far. Definitely reinforces the stuff I already knew and changed the way I thought about things I thought I knew.

 

[MKern]

Most of the stuff you find when flipping rocks is green, brown, or greenish brown.

Trout see in 2 dimensions. So standard PT/Hare's ear patterns typically represent mayfly species, and caddis represent, well, caddis.

Getting a good drift is by far more important than fly selection or size.

I just caught fish this weekend with flies I like and were way too large for the insects hatching. Caught a pile of fish with the smallest being 14".

Just throw on a PT or Hare's ear and keep as much of your line off the water as you can. Find where the fish hangout and feed.

 

[afishinado]

MKern wrote:
Most of the stuff you find when flipping rocks is green, brown, or greenish brown.

Trout see in 2 dimensions. So standard PT/Hare's ear patterns typically represent mayfly species, and caddis represent, well, caddis.

Getting a good drift is by far more important than fly selection or size.

I just caught fish this weekend with flies I like and were way too large for the insects hatching. Caught a pile of fish with the smallest being 14".

Just throw on a PT or Hare's ear and keep as much of your line off the water as you can. Find where the fish hangout and feed.

The last line says it all! If you do just that^, no doubt, you will catch fish.

BTW > PT = pheasant tail