Pick Your Fly

[bluecollarbleached]

Ok, along the lines of fly selection, heres the question:

If you could pick 2 fly patterns for each season of the year (or month) including the winter months what would they be. Let's make this for the Northeast, trout fishing, and preferably in the NY, NJ, CT area. Yeah, I am milking you for information, what of it?

 

[Pete]

All seasons:

• Olive/Brown woolly bugger
  Soft hackle hare's ear

 

[BIGBOW]

Spring/Summer: nymphs: GRHE and PT (black stone a close 3rd)
dries: Adams, Elk Hair Caddis

Fall/Winter: same nymphs as above
streamers: Bugger, Gray Ghost
dries: black or zebra midge, BWO patterns (sporadic)

 

[JeffK]

Winter - Chamois worm and Zebra midge
Spring - Pheasant tail and Adams
Summer - sulphur sparkle dun and ant
Fall - Prince nymph and tan caddis emerger

 

[NJpatbee]

Spring - Nymphs - BHGRHE, BHPT
Dries - Quill Gordon, Brown/Tan Fluttering Caddis

Summer - Nymphs - BH Caddis Pupa, BHPT
Dries - Midges, Light Cahill

Fall - Nymphs - BH Caddis Pupa, BHGRHE
Dries - Brown/Rust Fluttering Caddis, Blue Winged Olive

Winter - N/A (too cold, too busy tying)

For the record, I would never be comfortable at any time of year with just a couple of patterns.

 

[emerger]

Black wooly bugger and a beadhead pheasant tail nymph.

 

[quality time]

Mine look pretty similar to Jeff's. I found it interesting that he would pick an ant pattern over a generic beetle pattern in the Summer. I guess what a lot of this boils down to is what patterns you have the most confidence in based on past experiences!

There is always a lot of talk about early black stones every Winter and early Spring. I really haven't had much luck with those patterns, and have much more confidence in green or brown/tan caddis larva patterns. If you ask me, I think the EBSs are over-rated.

Winter - Caddis Larva and Zebra Midges
Spring - Flashback BHPT and Flashback GRHE
Summer - BWOs and Beetles
Fall - Streamers and Caddis Emergers

 

[coolkyle]

Winter - Copper John and Glue Egg
Spring - Beadhead Rainbow Prince, Beadhead Kaufmann's Stone
Summer - Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis
Fall - Conehead Marabou Muddler, Parachute Adams

 

[Burtbords149]

Spring-Adams comparadun, BHPt
Summer-Adams Comparadun, Foam Beetle
Fall-Adams Comparadun, BHPT
Winter-Zebra Midge, BHPT (small sizes)

As you can see I put a lot of faith in a BHPT and an Adams Comparadun, just what has worked for me a lot

 

[AKSkim]

Better to pick you fly than your nose is what I always say.