your flybox for early spring

[ScottTaylor]

Hi Guys,

I just ordered some streamers and midges from an online source knowing that I will use a lot of both.

For Pa streams and the Gunpowder, I'd love to here what patterns you believe to be "must haves" for fishing in March-April. I am trying to keep it on the simple side with an emphasis on the basics...
Stoneflies? BWO's?
Thanks for any input.....
ST

 

[Swattie87]

For as many Little Black Stones as you see on the stream in early Spring, the fish generally don't seem very interested in them. The only change I make to my standard box for this time of year is maybe throw in a few extra BWO's. Still mainly a subsurface deal most of the time.

 

[dryflyguy]

Very simple for me:

BWO's - #16 and #18
stoneflies - #14 and #16
midges - #22 - #28

 

[JerryC]

Midges- #20-#24

CDC and Elk- #12-#16

Usuals- #12-#20

Soft Hackle PT nymphs- #16-#22

Green Weenies- #18-#22

 

[GenCon]

Hairs ear and pt nymphs.

GC

 

[whheff]

Little black stones 16-18
Zebra midges 18-24
Ptail size 14, 16, 18
Al's Rat 18-22
BWO's 18-20

 

[WildTigerTrout]

JerryC wrote:
Midges- #20-#24

CDC and Elk- #12-#16

Usuals- #12-#20

Soft Hackle PT nymphs- #16-#22

Green Weenies- #18-#22

I would like to see a size 22 green weenie. What hook do you use for that?

 

[martin0206]

I second Whheff's selections. I think you could fish everyday from here to the end of April with just those plus an olive woolly bugger to mix it up.

 

[krayfish]

#14-#16 PT nymph
#10 golden stone nymph
#16-#18 Olives dry
#16 olive / brown caddis dry
#16 caddis larva green, olive or tan
#20 muskrat nymph greased in film for midge hatches
#4 sculpin

You'd be good to go until sometime in May

 

[jeremymcon]

WildTigerTrout wrote:

JerryC wrote:
Midges- #20-#24

CDC and Elk- #12-#16

Usuals- #12-#20

Soft Hackle PT nymphs- #16-#22

Green Weenies- #18-#22

I would like to see a size 22 green weenie. What hook do you use for that?

+1

Also what kind of chinelle do you use on a size 22 green weenie? I feel like even ultra chinelle would be too thick for a size 22. My green weenies are usually more like 12-16.

 

[RCFetter]

JerryC wrote:

CDC and Elk- #12-#16

What is a "CDC and Elk"?

 

[Heritage-Angler]

My favorite fly.

 

[pcray1231]

I second Whheff's selections. I think you could fish everyday from here to the end of April with just those plus an olive woolly bugger to mix it up.

I'll second wheff's selections too for right now, but won't go as far as saying I'd make it to the end of April with just that. There are grannoms definitely before then. And Hendricksons. And March Browns.

And last year in late April there were an awful lot of Sulphers on the water.

 

[RCFetter]

Thanks HA. I thought CDC was a material but wasn't sure.

For other beginners, CDC is (from Wiki):

Cul De Canard (CDC) (French for "Duck bottom") are the feathers from the back of the of a duck directly around the preen gland; they are very buoyant due to preen oil produced by the preen gland. They are used when tying dry flies for fly fishing. They owe their buoyancy to their proximity to the ducks preen gland which secretes an oil distributed by the duck as a cleaning and waterproofing measure. It is unnecessary for the angler to add additional oil by way of floatant.



Here's a pic: