First Opening Day

[pmphil33]

This will be my first trout opening day and I wanted to see what the popular flies are for this specific day.

 

[buffalo7]

I can't tell you what the most popular flies are, but wooly buggers are always good to have, black has been good for me, a lot of people like olive, my favorite is a 2 tone, brown and orange but you can't buy them. One of the best opening days I had was with a Telico nymph, and a Gold Ribbed Hares Ear nymph is one I'd never be without. I'd use about size 12 or 14 on the nymphs. I useually tie my wooly buggers in size 8.

Hope you have good luck.

 

[pmphil33]

Thanks buffalo! I have a few black buggers in size 10 that I'll try. I'm learning nymphing so that I can use the hares ear nymphs that I have. I've always been interested in using egg patterns but I will use what works haha

 

[cjwilly]

u can fish just about anything the first few days on a stocked stream and catch fish. but wooley buggers are killer the first couple weeks. and flashy flies are always good for stocked fish. fish a big prince and a bugger and u'll have a field day.

 

[Fishidiot]

PMphil,
It depends on what sort of stream you're fishing. On opening day, I like to fish local streams that are stocked with trout and are not special regulation. Most of these streams are inhabited almost entirely with freshly stocked fish and aren't likely to have many wild or holdover fish. For a stream like this, I'll usually fish a bright colored streamer or a nymph set-up utilizing two flies: one would be a generic nymph like a Pheasant Tail and the other fly would be bright colored "junk" meaning an orange egg fly or red San Juan Worm or something similar. Fresh stockies like bright colored stuff. While it might be possible to see a hatch and rising fish (I always have dry flies with me) it's the exception to the rule down here in the SC part of the state on opening day.

 

[buffalo7]

pmphil33,

Those size 10 wooly buggers should do a great job, as I said that I tie them in size 8, I use them on bass, largmouth and smallmouth, I've cauht a lot of crapie on them, some channel Cats and hung carp on them where I might as well have a tank on the other end of the line.

 

[troutbert]

Try a white Wooly Bugger for fresh stockies. They like that fly and it is also easy to see in the water.

 

[pcray1231]

If its stocked with rainbows, egg patterns will work really well. If not, you might get a few on em but it won't be a great fly.

Buggers work on all types of fish.

 

[pmphil33]

Thanks everyone for the input. Looks like I have a few different options to go with.

 

[buffalo7]

pmphil33,

Someone was checking this thread out and asked me to post the 2 tone wooly bugger I was telling you about. I'll post it here so you can see it.

The pic on top is one with a bead head. I useualy tie them as weighted, lead wire on the hook shank instead of the bead. After wrapping the lead wire on shank and secureing it with thread, I tie a clump of orange marabu then a clump of brown marabu over top of it, then I tie in the hackle brown or the fly in the pic. has furnace hackle. Then I tie in orange chenile take a couple turns, tie off and cut, Then tie in brown chenile and wrap to the head and tie off and cut, then wrap the hackle and tie off.

The pic. below is a used one with all orange chanile. I'll still catch fish on it. It's no different than my secret fly I use in the 70s before the Wooly Bugger came out, except it was all black. I don't think the hackle makes a lot of difference.

 

[PaulG]

I'll go alone with troutbert. I like while buggers for those fresh stockies. I like krystal flash in mine.

PaulG

 

[buffalo7]

PaulG wrote:

I'll go alone with troutbert. I like while buggers for those fresh stockies. I like krystal flash in mine.

PaulG

I tied them with krystal flash before, it seemed to cut the tail action down.

 

[dreamsofstreams]

I like white estaz for the body, then just the marabou in the tail. The estaz gives you the flashiness of krystal, without impeding the tail action

 

[buffalo7]

dreamsofstreams wrote:
I like white estaz for the body, then just the marabou in the tail. The estaz gives you the flashiness of krystal, without impeding the tail action

That sounds good. I have purple chenile with built in flash that I did good with.

 

[PatriotFly26]

You guys are lucky, my opening day will still be below freezing, and pulling a trout out of the icey NY waters is a lot tougher in these conditions. Good luck all, and Fish On!