Today we continue our series of weekly posts straight from The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing – a new collection of 250 nuggets of fly fishing wisdom from Kirk Deeter and the late, great Charlie Meyers. We’re lucky enough to have gotten permission to post some excerpts from the book – read on!
Our tip for the day is about assembling a basic set of trout fly patterns.
If you find this kind of this useful, you can pick up your copy of The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing right here.
Lightening the Load
Considering the current proliferation of flies, it isn’t all that far-fetched to suggest that a well-supplied angler might need to rent a forklift to transport all his boxes to the water. Never have there been so many fine flies to entice both fish and fishermen. Anyone with a bit of imagination and a fat wallet can load up in a hurry.
Which basic patterns do we choose? The traditional Adams represents most dark-colored mayflies. A Pale Morning Dun pattern takes care of the lighter ones. Elkhair caddis in various sizes and shades cover the water for that species. Beneath the surface, a Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear nymph represents a variety of insects. Add a Pheasant Tail to mimic mayflies, a caddis larva, caddis emerger, and various sizes of stoneflies, and you’ve got what you need for most situations. An assortment of attractor patterns should handle the rest.
[…] Lighten the Load […]