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Last week, I offered some suggestions on assembling a basic assortment of nymph patterns for early-season trout in our region.
This week, I’ll present a similar discussion targeting dry-fly patterns. For many fly anglers, catching a trout on a dry fly, that is one that floats on the surface, trumps all other methods of fly-fishing, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Watching the surface of a trout pool come alive with fish feeding on an abundance of hatching mayflies or other aquatic insects can be a grand natural spectacle in itself. And fooling a few of those rising trout with a proper imitation can be especially satisfying.
Picking dry-fly imitations for specific insects can be a relatively simple matter, at least as far as mayflies are concerned, because there are plenty of standard imitations designed to mimic just about every mayfly that is likely to attract the interest of the trout. On the other hand, it is neither practical or necessary to carry thousands of flies to imitate every known species of mayfly. Most streams will hold a select few species of mayflies that regularly produce worthwhile fishing opportunities. Most species of mayflies tend to hatch at the same time each year, usually within a week or so one way or the other. Even the major hatches typically only last from a few days to a week, which further narrows the time frame a particular fly might be relevant. Therefore, a knowledgeable angler could tweak his fly selection to cover the bugs most likely to be present at a particular point in the season on the streams he fishes.
To cover most of the important mayfly hatches we are likely to encounter from now until the end of May, I would carry some Blue-Wing Olives in sizes 18 to 22; Quill Gordons in sizes 12 and 14; Blue Quills in sizes 14 and 16; Hendricksons and Red Quills in sizes 12 and 14; Sulphurs or Pale Evening Duns in sizes 14 and 16; March Browns in sizes 10 and 12: and Light Cahills in sizes 12 and 14. Of course, I always have some Adams in my box from size 10 to 20. The Adams is a great all-purpose pattern, one that doesn’t imitate anything in particular but looks like a lot of bugs in general. If nothing specific is hatching, and you want to do some prospecting with a dry fly, an Adams is a solid choice to begin with. In the larger sizes, however, it does make a passable imitation for the Slate Drake, which hatches on some area streams in late May.
Another tip would be to try some parachute-style flies for your mayfly imitations. I’ve found that parachutes look more natural and work better than standard dry fly patterns that employ a bushy collar of hackle wound around the hook. Mayflies just don’t look like that. On parachute flies, the hackle is wound around the base of the wing in a horizontal fashion to better simulate legs and to allow the fly to sit on the water more like the real insect, which I’m sure contributes to the overall effectiveness of parachute flies.
Caddisfly imitations are important to fly anglers on just about every trout stream in our region all season long. My favorite caddis dry flies have always been hair-wing patterns like the popular Elk-Hair Caddis. I carry four basic color combinations of caddis dry flies in sizes 14 and 16 that will cover many of the important caddis hatches encountered on many waters. The first has a black body and natural brown or gray wing. This imitates the Grannom caddis that has peaked or is winding down on some of our area streams. Next would be one with a tan wing and tan body as well as some with a tan wing and an olive body. Finally, I would include a caddis pattern with a light tan wing and cream body.
Including a few so-called attractor patterns in your fly inventory is also a good idea. Like the previously mentioned Adams, Wulffs, Humpys and Stimulators tied in various color combinations in sizes 12 to 16 are some of the best patterns for bringing up trout when nothing is hatching (which can be most of the time even on better streams). They also float extremely well, which makes them quite effective in faster runs and pocket water.
Sooner or later, most anglers will encounter a time when the trout are locked in on midges or other tiny bugs. I you want to play that game, have some flies from size 18 down to as small as your eyesight and patience will allow. The Griffith’s Gnat is a great all-around midge pattern. Add a few black, cream and brown midges to round out your selection of small stuff.