What's your selection look like?

[pikefisher69]

When you go fishing, do you like to carry a large selection of different flies with you? Or do you like to carry a lot of a limited selection of patterns? I personally like to carry a lot of a limited selection of patterns that work where I fish. I almost exclusively fish RS-2's, Adams, EHC's, and Hoppers. Those are what work in the very few trout streams in SE Wisconsin. I don't believe I've gone nymphing on the streams I fish before, even though I love GRHE's in Montana.

 

[siege]

I carry what I know will work, plus some flies I want to try out to see if they will work better than my old standbys.
I carry enough of each pattern, so that if I get that " huge hit " and my tippet gets broken, I have the ammo to go back after that bad boy.
I also carry enough of each pattern so that I can share what's working with my fishing partner( s). After all, you have to ride home with those guys !
Flies are light weight, and relatively inexpensive. There is no reason not to carry what you need to get the job done. Do I carry all my flies around all the time ? Not hardly ! But if we have waded two miles from the car, or floated an hour down stream, I still want to have what it takes with me to enjoy the rest of the trip.

 

[bigjim5589]

I like to have at minimum 3 of any pattern & size that I might use. However, it depends on the species I'm chasing. I don't fish for trout much, but trout flies generally are small & easy to carry quite a few. Frankly, even when I did fish for trout more often, I primarily used terrestrial, generic nymph & streamer patterns, so wasn't too concerned about whether or not I needed special patterns.

Panfish flies, I don't even worry about that. I have a couple of boxes that have all kinds of flies in them that will work on a variety of panfishes. One or two fly boxes is all I usually carry with me, and that will always be more flies than I'll need on a given day.

Big flies, like might be used for Stripers are a different matter. If I'm in a boat, I can have more flies with me, but on foot, I'll narrow it down. Still, I like to have at least a few of each that will cover the water column from top to bottom.

Bass flies, the same as with Striper flies. I carry plenty, and cover the water column. Bass are not usually particular, so I don't get too wrapped up in patterns for them either.

I admit, with some flies I'll carry, they're experiments and I may only have one of a pattern at times. I've yet to find that to be too much of a problem, unless it's something I can't remember how to duplicate.

I've posted pictures of some of my many fly boxes in several threads. Here's one of them: http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/flies/310217-members-fly-boxes.html

 

[von behr]

Similar to Siege, I like to have a variety of flies that I know will work at the chosen location, as well as a few back-up flies and patterns I would like to try.

As an example, here's my go-to box of surf flies:

Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Although I have another box of surf flies with some different patterns, I've found that the photo above depicts those flies I have identified as being the most effective where I fish. I rarely deviate from that selection of flies.

-VB

 

[comeonavs]

I'm a minimalist, I only carry about 30 patterns in my primary boxes, multiple sizes minimum a dozen each. Then I have my spare boxes with everything else.

"Hi my name is Brian and I am a addict"

Worst part is I could use one box 99% of the time and carry

1 doz- Size 18 hi vis parachute adams
1 doz- Size 20 BWO dry
1 doz- Size 20 PMD
1 doz various sizes PMX and Stimulators

Nypmhs

Rainbow Warrior size 18
Poison Tung size 18
Mercury Micro tube midges size 20 & 22
jujubee midges size 20 & 22
RS2 size 20 & 22
Hares Ear
Tungsten Surveyor size 16
Pheasant tail


However I insist on toting a little red wagon full of gear with me :rain:

 

[pszy22]

I fish primarily for trout on a large river which supports a very diverse number of prey species.

Unless I'm anticipating a specific hatch, I typically only carry two patterns. Both patterns are generic, they look a little bit like alot of different things. Based on how I fish them I can give the fish alot of different looks.

One is a fly I fish dry/damp, I carry multiple copies in several sizes, mostly #12s and #14s with a few #10s and #16s. I fish this pattern about 90% of the time. It's the rare occasion that I can't find a presentation that works.

If I go for more than 45 minutes or so without a fish on the dry, I'll switch over to my other pattern, which has a bead head and can therefore be fished deeper. I'll fish this pattern either dead drift, twitched or swung until I find something that clicks. If I don't move any fish after using the sunk fly for 45 minutes or so, I'll go back to the dry for another half hour, if nothing, I go home.

 

[bmxrider11976]

I carry one small box that fits in my back pocket normally. Typically consists of 6 different fly types, with a few of each in different sizes and colors. Wooly bugger, copper john, hare's ear, san juan, and rs2's about cover anything i could encounter on my streams. I travel REALLY light. No vest, jeans and a sweater, rubber boots, and a lanyard with tippet, clippers, and hemostats. Keeping my selection limited suits my style of fishing, and each of those flies can imitate innumerable amounts of aquatic critters.

 

[pikefisher69]

Cool to see some of your guys' ways of organization. I can't wait to get my fly box filled with some tried and true patterns, and some new patterns I saw on Orvis.

 

[thewalker1013]

It all depends on what I'm going after... I carry probably two each minimum of about 10 patterns when I bass fish, but when fishing the TX coast I'll have probably three each of of about 15 patterns.

When trout fishing, I always seem to not want to fool with selections for specific rivers, especially if I'm on a trip where I'm fishing a lot of different waters (spend about ten days every summer in CO hitting as much water as I can. I end up with four medium boxes that are all pretty darn full of flies (I think I estimated about 450). They all fit in a small pack, so really no trouble to be prepared to fish all day, from triple-nymph rigs, to laying down tiny dries, to hopper-dropper rigs, to big nasty articulated streamers. I really like being prepared when trout fishing, I find it to have the most variables. If in a boat or near the car (jumping along a road, perhaps), I'll keep three rods rigged and ready, and most times I'll take two rigged when wading far away from the car.

I don't live close to water anymore, when I go fishing I'm damn sure going to make sure I'm ready to do it right for whatever situation arises.

 

[baseman1]

I carry 3 large boxes full of streamers, large dry flies and then my buck bug box and then 1 medium with my smaller streamers and on small with my trout flies of both dry and wet patterns. They are in my vest at all times as we never know what we will be going after at that time.