How many dry fly patterns?

[LongLineRelease]

How many dry fly patterns to you typically carry for major hatches and what are they? I mean, say for sulphurs or green drakes, or Baetis: do you carry Catskills, parachutes, comparaduns, polywing spinners, hen wing spinners, etc etc.

I keep tying different patterns to try and wonder how many are too many. Entertain my curiosity guys.

 

[moon1284]

I have a lot of confidence in my flies. Usually just a comparadun with a couple different body colors and maybe a sparkle dun.

 

[dryflyguy]

I tie what's kind of a cross between a catskill and thorax pattern. And it works great everywhere I go. Probably catch 95% of my fish on it.

I do carry some parachutes, comparaduns, and klinkhammers.
Using them only occasionally - usually just when I miss a fish on my main pattern, and need to try something different.

As for spinners: I use mostly polywings. Although for very picky fish - like the trout in the delaware river - I used patterns with wings cut from micro web. They're more realistic looking.

 

[redietz]

The answer depends on a couple of factors:

For me, I only use a dry during a hatch if a wet fly in the film isn't working, so a high riding Catskill style is all I really need. If you prefer to fish dries for as many phases of the hatch as possible, you might also want something partly submerged like a Klinkhammer for emergers, something that rides low like parachute or Comparadun for cripples, and something that lies flat for spent spinners. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

It also depends on the particular hatch, and where you're fishing it. Sulfurs last long enough through the season that it pays to have a variety in pattern styles (say both a parachute and a Comparadun for low riders) in case the fish get wise to one pattern after a couple of months on a heavily fished stream. If you're fishing over Hendricksons, which usually only last a couple weeks, in lightly fished waters, you don't need as great a variety.

 

[afishinado]

LongLineRelease wrote:
How many dry fly patterns to you typically carry for major hatches and what are they? I mean, say for sulphurs or green drakes, or Baetis: do you carry Catskills, parachutes, comparaduns, polywing spinners, hen wing spinners, etc etc.

I keep tying different patterns to try and wonder how many are too many. Entertain my curiosity guys.

Great question ^.

And some really good responses in the posts above.

There's really no answer to the question because on certain days in certain places with certain fish and for certain hatches, some flies work well while others do not.

For some reason you will probably find one pattern works better than another under certain conditions, but often things change.

It all comes with experience on the water, so carry different patterns for hatches and try each one.

That's what makes the puzzle of fly-fishing so much fun, especially when fishing a hatch situation.

But never forget that stealth and employing good technique almost always trump fly pattern to fool a fish.

Good stuff...good luck and have fun>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Dave_W]

LongLineRelease wrote:
How many dry fly patterns to you typically carry for major hatches and what are they?

I'm not sure off the top of my mind - however, it's a lot - perhaps 20 different patterns(?). I carry a lot of flies.

Some folks arrange their fly boxes seasonally so don't typically have sulfurs in the fall or terrestrials in spring. I carry my trout flies all year and have patterns for all the major PA hatches and some generic stuff; also a lot of terrestrials which aren't typically associated with hatches but often work well during hatches (and some terrestrials "hatch" - think of flying ants).

 

[MKern]

I only carry a basic parachute in a couple different color schemes: A generic mayfly and a closer representation of a sulphur.

I also carry ants.

 

[jifigz]

I'm a very basic fisherman. I believe that location and presentation is more important than the fly/lure most of the time. Now, with that said, I carry few dry flies. I keep my selection sparse on all flies. I just basically carry a few different color of parachute style flies and some parachute ants and some stimulators and elk hair Caddis..

 

[CLSports]

I have tied thousands of flies and probably use 1% of them. I am always prepared though!

 

[BoulderWorks]

I carry flies that pertain to the particular fishery and hatch cycle that exists during that timeframe. This includes Emergers, Cripples, Duns, Spinners. (Nymphs as well):

Emergers: 9 variations
Cripples: 2 variations
Duns: 24 variations
Spinners: 6 variations
Nymphs: 7 variations

This depends on the complexity of the hatch and the selectivity of the trout.

Here is an example of the emerger patterns I carry for the Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) hatch:

Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Soft Hackle
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Snow Shoe Rabbit Compara Dun Emerger w/Sparkle Shuck
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) CDC Compara Dun Emerger
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Splitsville CDC Compara Dun Emerger
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Stalcup Loop Wing Emerger
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Sparkle/Poly Loop Wing Emerger
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Stalcup RS-2 Emerger
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Air Head Emerger
Baetis Tricaudatus (Vagans) Halo Mayfly Emerger

 

[krayfish2]

I have one pattern for blue quill, hendrickson, Cahill, summer stenos or whatever. It's the same to me, just different sizes. Carry MB / fox pattern, ISO pattern and some rarely used sulphur patterns. A handful of spinner patterns too. Caddis is a different story.....tan, green and charcoal in energers, adults, crippled, pupa, etc.

Most stuff is w/o hackle. Usually cdc, ep fiber, snowshoe or poly. I fish very little that stands up in the air. If you get a good drift, you'll be amazed by what they eat. They're built for survival and they're not as smart as we give them credit for. Hell, during a sulphur hatch on very pressured fish, watched a guy catch a 20" fish on a #14 PURPLE CADDIS.

 

[Bruno]

CETs and comparaduns - in different flavors.

 

[govtmule]

For sulfur, olives, trikes (duns) etc I tie an emerger style pattern with a snowshoe wing ...which honestly I havent really seen before anywhere (perhaps I'm purposely blocking it out because I want all the credit!)..basically dun snowshoe tied in like spinner wings, then I lift the wings straight up and start wrapping around the base like you would on a post so it gets that V profile...very easy to tie ...sits flush....I also like comparaduns for bigger flies and parachutes but they take a while to tie for me..

 

[LongLineRelease]

Thanks for the fantastic replies. Keep them coming

 

[Tups]

Zero point zero. Ok I carry a pair of size 12 Stimulators, just in case. Rarely use them. I find wet flies tied fine and delicate to be more effective. There is nothing coarse in nature.

 

[Bamboozle]

Like most it seems, I use a single generic "style" and vary the colors & sizes to represent all the surface bugs I encounter.

For mayflies it is a thorax and for caddis & stoneflies it is an EWC. I also carry poly wing spinners & emergers for a few species.

What might be interesting to know is how long folks have been fly fishing because I have a feeling the less years you have been at it, the more patterns or styles you carry.

I know for me that was the case until I got older, wiser & lazier at the fly tying bench...;-)

 

[moon1284]

To me, comparadus are the easiest to tie and i tie them regularly from size 22 to size 10. I also like big stimulators. This spring on the upper delaware there was a nice rainbow feeding in flat water, my buddy got at least 30 good drifts over it with hendricksons, bwos, march browns, and various spinners. I took one case with a size 8 stimulator and caught the fish. That doesnt happen often but I have confidence in that fly and have done this a couple of times. So I guess I always carry a couple big stimulators too.

 

[MKern]

I used to try to match the hatch but I found it fruitless because of my own laziness.

I use the same 3 patterns 95% of the time and maybe another 6 patterns the rest.

I utilize a downs box system and used to carry 5 full trays. Now, I can get away with one tray on small trips or during winter/early spring or summer trips. I still carry more flies in during the peak season.

In reality, I could tie and use just a handful of patterns in one small fly box and be successful enough to keep fishing.

I used to work with a guy at a fly shop (old timer) and he would only ever take one pattern with him at a time. He would often change the pattern, but only ever that one. Most frequently it was a zugbug.

 

[Bamboozle]

MKern wrote:
I used to try to match the hatch but I found it fruitless because of my own laziness.

I use the same 3 patterns 95% of the time and maybe another 6 patterns the rest.

I utilize a downs box system and used to carry 5 full trays. Now, I can get away with one tray on small trips or during winter/early spring or summer trips. I still carry more flies in during the peak season.

In reality, I could tie and use just a handful of patterns in one small fly box and be successful enough to keep fishing.

I used to work with a guy at a fly shop (old timer) and he would only ever take one pattern with him at a time. He would often change the pattern, but only ever that one. Most frequently it was a zugbug.

I ascribe to the chow line mentality when fly fishing: "this ain't a diner, it's a chow line so you ain't getting what you want, you're getting what I feed you. Eat it & like it!"

After a few casts and adjustments they usually get the message. ;-)

 

[Tups]

Bamboozle. Since you asked, I have been at it for 34 years. I guess I average abt 40 days of trout fishing per year and 90 percent of the time I fish the same 3 or 4 soft hackle patterns. I have been doing it this way for about 15 years and catch many more trout than I ever did with dry flies. Over time I have learned what works best for me.