Picking a fly selection

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

We have a member in Pakistan that wants to start fly fishing. Apparently there is no fly fishing there now. I have been helping him with gear but he wants to know what flies he should buy. There are both lakes and rivers that hold trout up to several pounds.

Does any body have any suggestions on fly patterns. Keep in mind he has to order from the US or other places outside of Pakistan. Postage cost is important. I don't want to load him up with a bunch of flies that may not work for him. So just a few patterns in surface and subsurfaces. He will be using a 9' 5wt. Now that I am writing this maybe a 6wt would be a better choice.

Frank

 

[tob1]

Some Grey Adams and Klinkhammer on surface are some all purpose flies.
LaFountanie Sparkle pupa in surface and deep sparkle pupa under surface are some nice patterns.
tob1

 

[mcnerney]

How about hare's ear nymph, pheasant tail nymph and prince nymph! Maybe some of the same in bead heads.

Larry

 

[peregrines]

Frank,

This is the website for the Pakistan Game Fish Assoc. They have a forum and lot’s of info that might be helpful for him. Some fly fishers there he could hook up with, and group trips, and suggestions on where to go:

Official Website of The Pakistan Game Fish Association | PGFA

As far as flies, just a wild guess.... but I'm guessing if there's not a lot of fly fishing then patterns don't need to be too fancy. And maybe the flies should be easy to fish if he's a beginner

For fast flowing streams, coming out of the Himalayas:

high floating, easy to see dries like Royal Wulffs, Black Elk Hair Caddis in 14 and 16, Goddard Caddis 12, Grasshopper or unweighted Muddler Minnow 10

sub surface: Black Gnat Wet Fly 14, Bead Head Prince Nymph 12, Partridge and Peacock Soft Hackle 14

Lakes:
Surface: Parachute Adams 14 or Blue Wing Olive 16, and something light colored like a Light Cahill or Sulphur Comparadun in 16

Subsurface (some weighted, some not)
Hares Ear Nymph 14, Pheasant Tail Nymph 16, Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle 14

and for big trout in lakes and maybe even mahseer or snakeheads
Bead Head Wooly Bugger in black and/or olive 8, Black Marabou Muddler 6 or 4, White Zonker 6

Just guessing, but something like an assortment of the above might be a good place to start to cover a lot of different bases and offer some variety, and may catch him some fish insh'allah.

Good luck to him. It would be great to have him join the forum, would love to hear stories about his adventures over there.

peregrines

 

[MikeG]

Why not as a show of good favor, tie a bunch of patterns/collect some patterns from the members and send him some? That is what we do on my buddies website. Someone who just gets in will wind up getting a couple of flies. Especially if they live in areas where flies are hard to come by. Just a thought. :army:

 

[Faisal]

I am indeed grateful for all of you for giving the valued suggestions and to give a glimpse of some of the fishing conditions in pakistan, here is the link which you may find useful while appraising the flies/nymphs/streamers tobe used in Pakistan.


Pakistan

Regards,



Faisal

 

[mcnerney]

Faisal

Thank you for posting the link. That was indeed an interesting story. Looks like you have some very good fishing destinations to choose from.

Larry

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Faisal,

Thanks for the photos of your trip. It does look like you have some very good water to fish. I can't wait for you to try your hand at fly fishing.

Frank

 

[Ard]

Hi Frank,

I would stick with size 12, 14, & 16 and lean towards patterns that are good floaters. They probably don't have a selection of fly floatants either.

Does he indicate what species of aquatic or terrestrial insects need to be represented? Or their size.

Once given those criteria I would be happy to contribute my personal favorite patterns.

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Hardyreels,

He is totally new to fly fishing and won't know what he needs. I don't think the insects there are any different than other large rivers in the US.

Frank

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

i've never been to pakistan but I would say a good old fashioned wooly bugger or clouser minnow would work anywhere in the world. the basic attractor nymphs like a hares ear or pheasent tail should also work? ask him what kind of bugs fly around and to go from there. are there mayflies? moths, dragonflies, even a regular housefly could work? anything that he sees around that be used as top water? bees? ants? crickets, hoppers, scorpions? I am thinking it might be desert like there? I have no clue.