Help identifying flies

[fmjnax]

A few weekends ago I came across a box of assorted flies and this past weekend I decided that I would go ahead and buy a cheap fly combo and try to learn to see if it was something I wanted to stick with.

I tried to cross-reference the flies but I just don't know what I'm looking at here. I was hoping that someone on here could help me identify at least some of them. Some appear to have never been used and others appear to be in fairly rough shape. I'm not the best with the camera. If the pictures are too large, I can resize them. Likewise, if you need more detail on some individual flies, I'll be happy to oblige. Any help is greatly appreciated!!! TIA!

http://imageshack.us/f/209/9box.jpg
http://imageshack.us/f/132/ztkp.jpg

*edit* I need to figure out how to post pictures, so for the time being I have just pasted the URL location.
*2nd edit* I figured it out.

 

[theboz]

First welcome to the forum. They look like the "made in Japan" fly assortment that comes in a round plastic box with clear top that you twist to get the fly out , it sells for $1.99. The only discernible pattern is the Black Gnat #10 and the Bivisible #9 ,the rest are basically non descript. Maybe # 8 could be a White Miller.
Good flies to throw at panfish as you learn the sport.

---------- Post added at 07:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------

Oh and # 16 might be a McGinty.

 

[siege]

Hi Fmjnax, and welcome. !
What part of the country are you in, and what kind of fishing is available to you ?
Do you know anyone who flyfishes, or is there a fly shop near you ?
A little hands on instruction goes a long way when you are first starting out. It could be the difference between a poor experience and a lifelong gratifying hobby and enjoyable obsession.
There might even be someone on the forum living close to where you fish. I hope you have a good time learning. Stay with it, and come back to the forum with questions, and a progress report !

 

[fmjnax]

Thanks boz. That's along the lines of what I was thinking as I was trying to cross-reference them online. They were all in a small Plano box stuck in to some white foam. I actually found a good stash of other gear with the flies and based on what I found and the location, I believe the flies are just your general assortment from a local big-box store (either Cabela's or Sportsman's Warehouse here). In those stores the flies seems to sell for about a buck a piece, but some are a bit pricier.

My cheap Pfluegar combo that I bought came with 5 assorted flies. I've already managed to "whip" 3 of them off into oblivion and I didn't want to use any good flies to practice with as I am sure I will whip more off. This was one of the reason for wanting to identify the flies. Are there any of these flies that maybe I shouldn't practice with over the others (such as the ones you were able to discern)? I mostly fish for trout here in Colorado, but have warm-water ponds that I can practice at.

---------- Post added at 08:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 PM ----------

Hi Fmjnax, and welcome. !
What part of the country are you in, and what kind of fishing is available to you ?
Do you know anyone who flyfishes, or is there a fly shop near you ?
A little hands on instruction goes a long way when you are first starting out. It could be the difference between a poor experience and a lifelong gratifying hobby an obsession.

I guess you posted as I was typing the other reply. I'm in Western Colorado and mainly fish for trout, but have warm-water ponds around home to practice at. I know there's one fly shop but they seem snobby and not really interested in teaching a beginner a thing or two (I've already tried). I've been watching videos and reading material (mainly Orvis) to try and learn. My gear is cheap and, well, crappy, but if I can get the hang of casting then I will buy something that might actually allow me to land a fish.

Oh, and I notice you are in SE Idaho. I was born in Burley and raised in Pocatello. I wish I could get back there, but there's just not too many IT opportunities there. Island Park and the Henry's Fork is my absolute favorite place to be, especially for fishing (I pulled out a 12 pound Rainbow when I was 11 years old) and we try to go there for a week or two every year.

 

[stenacron]

My gear is cheap and, well, crappy, but if I can get the hang of casting then I will buy something that might actually allow me to land a fish.

My set-up was a Berkley 6/7 WT, 8'-6" foam-handled fly rod that cost me $15 at Kmart... the reel was $10 Martin single action... fished it for years with assorted Fairplay fly lines (~$15 ea). I landed everything from bluegill to steelhead with that rod (my only fly rod) for about 10 years. Oh how the gang at Manchester Pool on Walnut Creek would roll their eyes when a steelhead made a run against that 105+ dBA click drag! :icon_lol:

Unfortunately Boz is spot on regarding your flies... the real value with fly assortments like that stops at the container that they come in. The good news is that a handful of reliable patterns will put you into fish and you can build the collection as you go until you come to that fork in the road one day - keep buying or tie your own?

Assuming you will be fishing freestone trout rivers (and not tailwaters) to start out, lay down a couple bucks on the following flies (qty 3-4 each) to get out of the starting blocks;
--#16 beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph
--#12 beadhead Prince Nymph
--#16 Parachute Adams (dry fly)
--#8 Olive Wooly Bugger (streamer)
--#14 tan Elk Hair Caddis (dry fly)

Best bet for landing fish your first time out IMO... get to the stream early and fish the Pheasant Tail nymph about 2' under a small strike indicator. Fish up and across stream, make short casts, fish a short line, and work the pocket water around riffles (most anglers still overlook pocket water - sad but true).

The Adams and EH Caddis are two of the most popular dry fly patterns in history... the Adams especially looks like a little of everything, but specifically like nothing... which is a good thing. You can blind fish these dries and probably pick a few fish up just working the likely holding areas. Could be tough sledding during major hatch activity though as fish can get selective real quick.

The Wooly Bugger is a must have, regardless of your experience. When you've caught enough fish to the point where you're bored and you just want to get some quality bird watching in as you work back to your car... tie on the Wooly Bugger cast it cross stream and let it drift down and sweep across. Keep moving, keep casting, land fish... that's how it usually goes under the right conditions. The Bugger is a good fly to fish at last light too when the big browns are on the prowl.

Once you get a few trout under your belt and start learning a little line management... you'll be ready to take the next steps.

 

[theboz]

Don't use flies to practice use a piece of yarn. If your snapping them slow down even though it looks like casting motion is like a bullwhop it's not. Like you have already heard a little lesson can't hurt.
When I used to give casting lessons (quickie ones before a booked stream session) I always asked the guys if they played any basketball. I'd tell them to think of when they made their jump shot and how there was that hesitation in mid air before the shot. This is what you do on your backcast a slight hesitation letting your line straighten out behind you before the foward cast. Saves a lot of flys!

 

[fq13]

Welcome to the sport! Sorry you have douches at your local shop. Here's a bit of advice I'd give. Its not about flies as the selection mentioned above can't be beat for a basic western trout starter (and the wooly buggers and prince nymphs (bead head) will work fine on bluegill.
The tip I have is to learn to read the water. After bass fishing and saltwater fishing in the South I was at sea looking at a trout stream. The first couple of times I dove from DC to WVa to fish I got nada. Then I found a book in the outfitters I worked at called "Reading the Water". It was a revelation.
The cliff notes version is that trout are lazy. They want to be in calm water waiting for the food to come to them. So, you'll find them on the edges. Slicks behind rocks, or where the current between eddies and the main flow meet, the drop offs to pools, holding beneath undercut banks, or behind driftwood etc. Once you know where to look, it becomes relatively easy. You just need to do two things. 1, put your fly there so it floats with the current rather than getting behind a belly of line, and 2, pick the right fly.

Now there's volumes to learn about both, but as a beginner I got into a whole lot of trout by doing what was advised in the posts above. Making short casts, and using high percentage flies like the Adams. I'd be SOL in a hatch, but on any given day? There were fish to be had.

If you want the book and have an E reader like a Kindle or Nexus its 11 bucks and worth it if you're trying to teach yourself.
Here's the URL.
Good luck!

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Water-Hughes-Fishing-Library/dp/0811722635"]Reading The Water (David Hughes Fishing Library): Dave Hughes: 9780811722636: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y%2BT3bg0ML.@@AMEPARAM@@51Y%2BT3bg0ML[/ame]

 

[fmjnax]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the replies!

I've stopped using the flies as practice after I noticed (what I now know to be indicators) in the rest of the found gear. Quite a bit heavier than a fly, I know, but I think it's helping me. I think the wife has some yarn that I will try out for a more realistic fly weight.

My plan is to tie my own flies. I may be a stranger to actually fly fishing, but that's about where it ends. When I lived in Texas I tied some of my own jigs and bugs for crappie and bass and I have also tied a few trout flies back in high school. I've also been fishing for trout for the past 25 years or so and have even fished flies on a spinning rod a couple of times. I guess that puts me just a touch ahead of the curve for a typical beginner. I just have to stick with it.