Tips For a Total beginner

[Ryan R]

My first tip would be don't bother too much with matching the hatch right away. Keep it simple and you'll learn much faster and be more productive. Only about 5, 6 yrs ago I started out flyfishing on those same rivers. Parachute Adams dry flies (assortment of 14s, 16s, & 18s), Tan Elk Hair caddis dries (assortment of 14s, 16s, even a few 18s), Black and olive woolly buggers (assortment of 6s, 8s,10s), Pheasant tail & Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear nymphs in 14s, 16s, & a few 18s), & maybe a few Lafontaine sparkle caddis pupas (good for tandem rigs tied on the hook bend of an Elk Hair caddis dry- great for triggering strikes.) These should be your bread & butter flies that you will build your foundation on and slowly branch out to a wider selection of flies as your education and confidence grows.

The parachute Adams is a great attractor pattern but it also mimics so many different mayflies that it makes a great choice for leanring to dry fly fish. Whenever caddis are out and about, you can't really go wrong with a tan elk hair. And woolly buggers are easy to use and just catch tons of trout (and smallmouth bass)- cast them out across and quartering downstream from you and use variations of a strip, strip, pause retrieve.