Which dry fly patterns are actually needed?

[Bamboozle]

When I fish the same hatch at the same place, often on the same pools which I do frequently with Sulphurs & Tricos, the fishing typically gets tougher if I use the same fly day after day.

While I haven't written a book or have any science to back it up, I attribute that to the fish being so used to the real flies they have been eating for the last week(s) that they key into different things on the naturals to illicit an "it's OK" strike.

I can't say WHY going from a thorax to a parachute or vice versa is the ticket, but that and working VERY hard on my presentation is usually required to have the same success I had on the first night of the hatch.

 

[shortrod]

I haven’t fished hatches
Long enough to experiment but do you guys think the fish become pickier(needing a better imitation) or more
Something that is different from what
Is being regularly tossed at them?

It depends. The one variable that I am sure matters is the number of times a fish has been caught/stuck by a pattern. The time span may also be a factor.

Put another way, it is all conditioning. Lets say you have an insatiable desire to eat cookies. You are stationed on a conveyor belt bringing you cookies. Sometimes when you eat a cookie, you get an electrical shock. How many shocks do you take before you quit eating cookies? If you look close at the cookies and notice that the cookies that deliver shocks do look different. What do you do?

This doesn't mean that Bam's idea above is wrong, it could well be another factor.

The above statements are in general. If you add a hatch, it greatly helps the angler. The fish is being conditioned to eat the same thing over and over. When we make a good presentation of an imitation that has proven to be effective, the odds are very good that the fish will take the fly.

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

Truth is the only pattern that's needed is the one you don't have.

 

[dryflyguy]

When I fish the same hatch at the same place, often on the same pools which I do frequently with Sulphurs & Tricos, the fishing typically gets tougher if I use the same fly day after day.

While I haven't written a book or have any science to back it up, I attribute that to the fish being so used to the real flies they have been eating for the last week(s) that they key into different things on the naturals to illicit an "it's OK" strike.

I can't say WHY going from a thorax to a parachute or vice versa is the ticket, but that and working VERY hard on my presentation is usually required to have the same success I had on the first night of the hatch.

The fish dont really like being caught.
And get wary about rising to the same flies

If I do well on a particular pool, and go back the next day - I never do as well as I did the first day.
Instead of slow confident sips, the fish start making splashy rises.
Whether they just start being more careful, or switching to emergers - I'm not sure.
But definitely harder to catch.

So, I rarely fish the same spot 2 days in a row.
More fun to move around and try different spots anyway

 

[afishinado]

Fly patterns or one thing, but also consider your presentation, or more precisely whether your fly is drifting in a natural manner like the naturals. Trout may tolerate a little drag in the drift of the fly initially, by after being stung a time or two by flies dragging a bit, they likely will avoid any fly not quite drifting like the real actual bugs on the surface.

I've seen many, many times where two FFers fish the exact same imitations, and one angler kills 'em on top while the other guy gets blanked. The moral of the story.....don't be "the other guy".

 

[Bamboozle]

The fish dont really like being caught.
And get wary about rising to the same flies

If I do well on a particular pool, and go back the next day - I never do as well as I did the first day.
Instead of slow confident sips, the fish start making splashy rises.
Whether they just start being more careful, or switching to emergers - I'm not sure.
But definitely harder to catch.

So, I rarely fish the same spot 2 days in a row.
More fun to move around and try different spots anyway

I agree, but there are some sections of wild trout streams I fish where despite their proximity to populated areas, I can actually be alone during Sulphurs & Tricos.

At one creek in particular, I've been fishing the same stretch, starting and ending at the same spot for decades. Every time I go I catch a BUNCH of fish, including one or two bruisers almost every year.

In all honesty the ONLY hatches of importance at these places ARE Sulphurs & Tricos, but I catch fish all day any other time in those same pools on stuff like terrestrials, midges, and attractor nymphs. It's only during those two hatches when after a few days, I have to work a little harder.

For that minor inconvenience, I'll put up with some fussy fish which keeps me on my toes...

The reality is, fishing where I do and having spent MOST of my life fishing during NO hatches, I actually prefer prospecting for fish when nothing appears to be hatching versus fishing during a hatch...

At times it can be easier and almost always, not as frustrating... 😉

 

[Sylvaneous]

Jszczerba07 said:
Parachute
Catskill
Compara/sparkle dun
Missing link
Last chance cripple
Thorax style
Rabbit foot emerger
Breadline emerger

Yes, I concur. And 2 spinner types: Paraspinner (parachute with longer grizzly hackle) and a double wing spinner.

 

[gentleshepherd]

When I was 1st getting into fly fishing and tying, one of my mentors only fished a grey hackle peacock and usually outfished everyone nearby. It was his go to fly, if he did not catch anything he said it was time to go to home! LOL! Great guy, he died when I was in my 20s and now I'm approaching 70 and still honor him by trying a grey hackle peacock as my first fly of the season and have actually done quote well with it!

 

[RichFishbelt]

Alright, this is a bit of a complicated one, but I haven’t been able to find quite the detail I am looking for across books/the internet so here it is:

I am working on filling my boxes for spring. I’m trying to choose which flies I actually need to tie for hatches. To narrow it down, specifically mayfly dries/emergers, as there seem to be an endless number of patterns. How do you go about choosing which patterns make your box? Is there a set couple patterns that are adjusted size/color for different hatches, or do you use different patterns for different hatches? As much as I enjoy tying it doesn’t seem to make sense to have 5-6 dry fly/emergers patterns per hatch… or maybe it does?! For example, if you have a missing link or last chance cripple saved for selective fish, why not solely fish that pattern? Is there any point in having parachutes or Catskills if a more detailed fly will always have a better chance? I know they offer more visibility/flotation, but not in all cases. I’ll list some of the patterns I’ve been playing around with below, and maybe some of you have recommendations for which ones to keep tying and which ones are just adding more volume to my boxes, or maybe other pattern suggestions.

Parachute
Catskill
Compara/sparkle dun
Missing link
Last chance cripple
Thorax style
Rabbit foot emerger
Breadline emerger

I won’t be intimidated by a detailed response! I’ve been having an internal battle the past few months over this, but maybe I’m just overthinking it, so I’m curious to hear what you all have to think. Thanks

That should cover your needs for most any river or stream. Just make sure you have them in sizes 12 to 24.

 

[Wadinwally]

#1-I have found the having separate fly boxes for separate families of flys gives me the best stream side choices. In other words i have a caddis box and a Hendrickson box and a stonefly box and a Blue Wing olive box and a Sulfur box. In each box i have;Nymphs, emergers , duns and spinners in a variety of sizes depending on the water temp & the time of year In the stonefly box i include streamers like wooly buggers & muddlers& leeches. This allows me to be ready for whatever is going on at the stream pretty much all day/ everyday. However I also carry a box of junk flies:mops, squirmy wormies, egg patterns. I also carry 2 boxes of euro bead head nymphs which includes Frenchies, walts worms, perdigons, 2 bit hookers, plain pheasant tails, prince nymphs. I carry one box of just midges like drys 😛egs specials and griffiths gnats as well as many midge larva in black , red & white ribbed patterns. Hope this helps.

 

[Tigereye]

#1-I have found the having separate fly boxes for separate families of flys gives me the best stream side choices. In other words i have a caddis box and a Hendrickson box and a stonefly box and a Blue Wing olive box and a Sulfur box. In each box i have;Nymphs, emergers , duns and spinners in a variety of sizes depending on the water temp & the time of year In the stonefly box i include streamers like wooly buggers & muddlers& leeches. This allows me to be ready for whatever is going on at the stream pretty much all day/ everyday. However I also carry a box of junk flies:mops, squirmy wormies, egg patterns. I also carry 2 boxes of euro bead head nymphs which includes Frenchies, walts worms, perdigons, 2 bit hookers, plain pheasant tails, prince nymphs. I carry one box of just midges like drys 😛egs specials and griffiths gnats as well as many midge larva in black , red & white ribbed patterns. Hope this helps.

With all due respect, do you own a pack mule? Hoping you leave most of those boxes at the car and retrieve them if necessary. That's alot gear to be hauling. 😉