In order to get by a summer of fly fishing for trout in the Western US, there are some essential items that an angler will need to get by. ...
In order to get by a summer of fly fishing for trout in the Western US, there are some essential items that an angler will need to get by. Here are the basics that will help you have a successful summer of trout fishing.
There are several ways to go about organizing fly boxes. Some anglers prefer to have a "day pack" of flies in one box: dries/nymphs, maybe a few streamers, all organized on one box. It is a quick and simple way to keep your flies available in a small package. The pros include easy access, less stuff to lose and/or dig through to find that one thing. One major drawback is that there is a limitation to the number of flies that you can take. If you are like me, you might own several thousand flies and have to sort through them and choose flies for each particular day of fishing beforehand. If you have your local stream dialed in and know what hatches are happening and what bugs you need, this might be a great option.
Another option is to have several boxes. I have a lot of fly boxes. Beyond all the steelhead, bass and miscellaneous boxes, they are pretty specific. I have a stonefly box, a nymph box, a dry fly box, a foam fly box, and one daypack that has some classics for quick trips to the creek. So a day of trout fishing in the summer might include four fly boxes stuffed into my pack. The obvious drawback is that I might have to take four boxes out of my pack to find that one fly. More to lose, more space taken up, less room in the pack for other stuff. The re-organization is tough, because if I have to open that one box to get a new fly, the old fly usually goes into whatever box is open, not the correct box...
A third option is the guide box. One giant box filled with everything that you might need. This is great if you have a boat, or a large backpack, but not easy to deal with when hiking around the creeks. That is the method that I used when guiding out of a drift boat.
We will start with Stoneflies. Golden Stones, Salmonflies and Yellow Sallies are vital food sources for trout. This is often the first major hatch that occurs after it gets warm enough to call it summer, from May through July. Goldens and Salmonflies often hatch congruently, but the Goldens can often follow the Salmonflies and they tend to last longer into the summer. Yellow Sallies (Little Yellow Stones) can hatch all summer long. Many guides will claim that a trout will eat a Stonefly over a Mayfly or Caddisfly any day, and there should be a few of each in your box. Some of us will happily fish a Golden Stone pattern all summer until running into a hatch that diverts the attention of trout. They have the advantage of easy to see, and takes from them tend to be aggressive, less slurping and more grabbing.
Another bonus is that many stonefly patterns are also considered "attractors" that will work all summer, regardless of the amount of stoneflies in the area.
See all Salmon/Golden patterns here
Mayflies are another crucial food source for trout. Cold clean water leads to big Mayfly hatches. Mayflies will hatch all summer on many rivers in the west, especially up in the Rockies. Many of the classic western rivers like the South Fork Snake, Madison and Henry's Fork have prolific hatches, and mayflies are the primary food source during July and August. There are plenty of anglers taht can shout out Latin names of insects including family, order, and class. What an angler really needs to know is:
What size is the mayfly?
What color is the mayfly?
If you can match your fly to those two qualities, then you will more than likely be in good shape.
Hint: A selection of Sharpie markers is not a bad idea to have. When I guided in Idaho, we were just starting to get into a Green Drake hatch. We did not have any Green Drake nymphs in the lodge, they had been back-ordered and we needed them NOW. Our boss gave us all a pile of #10 Beadhead Hare's Ears and an olive colored Sharpie. We colored them up when we tied them on. It worked very well. The hatch only lasts a couple of days, so when it was over, we still had some perfectly usable Hare's Ear nymphs in natural color, which is much more useful than the Green Drakes after the hatch is over.
There are Brown and Grey Drakes as well, but in all my years of fishing, I have not run into any significant hatches where I needed to have them. That does not mean you wouldn't want to have a few in case, but I don't have much beyond a few Extended Body Parachute Adasms.
Caddisflies can hatch thick enough to drive an angler mad. Setting up a camp on the Deschutes in the summer can lead to constant mouthfuls of caddis, caddis in your food, caddis in you eyes, caddis in your ears, caddis in the lanterns, water bottles, coffee and everything else. Fish that are eating caddis can be spooky, but there are often several sizes and colors hatching at once, so an angler doesn't always have to be perfect in matching the hatch, they just have to be stealthy and have their casting skills on point.
Caddis Larva
Caddis Pupa
Green Rockworm
Cased Caddis
Prince Nymph - I think this is usually called an attractor, but many anglers do well with it when fish are eating a lot of caddis larva.
Very important! Take note: Fish eat terrestrials. Beetles, ants and grasshoppers are hearty food sources that make for vicious strikes when trout turn on to them. Hoppers are usually the go-to because they are big, and big flies can produce big fish! Plus the hopper-dropper combo is really deadly. Throw a beadhead pheasant tail under a big foam dry, and you have a bonafide fish catching machine.
Ants/Beetles/Sow Bugs - never a bad option when you don't know what else they are eating
Leaders/Tippet
Use high quality leaders that are built for what you are doing. Please read our article about that here
I like to use a 7.5' 2x or 3x leaders for Hopper/Dropper rigs, and a 9' 4x leaders for most other applications. Many anglers swear that fish can tell the difference between 4x and 5x tippet, and that they will only eat a fly with 5x or smaller. I don't know about that. We suggest 3x-5x tippet to keep in your pack (6x or smaller if you like to flirt with the devil).
Fly Boxes
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| Many anglers separate boxes by the types of flies in them |
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| Load it up however you see fit, just load it up |
Another option is to have several boxes. I have a lot of fly boxes. Beyond all the steelhead, bass and miscellaneous boxes, they are pretty specific. I have a stonefly box, a nymph box, a dry fly box, a foam fly box, and one daypack that has some classics for quick trips to the creek. So a day of trout fishing in the summer might include four fly boxes stuffed into my pack. The obvious drawback is that I might have to take four boxes out of my pack to find that one fly. More to lose, more space taken up, less room in the pack for other stuff. The re-organization is tough, because if I have to open that one box to get a new fly, the old fly usually goes into whatever box is open, not the correct box...
A third option is the guide box. One giant box filled with everything that you might need. This is great if you have a boat, or a large backpack, but not easy to deal with when hiking around the creeks. That is the method that I used when guiding out of a drift boat.
Flies
So what flies would I need to get by for a summer of fishing?Stoneflies
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| Stoneflies often signal the start of summer! |
Another bonus is that many stonefly patterns are also considered "attractors" that will work all summer, regardless of the amount of stoneflies in the area.
See all Salmon/Golden patterns here
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| Norm Woods Special is a classic Salmonfly pattern |
Salmonflies - Sizes 4-8
Golden Stones - Sizes 6-10
Yellow Sallies - Sizes 12-16
Dries: These are our favorites, you don't need all of them, but it is good to get a range of sizes and
color variations.
color variations.
Nymphs
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| Mayflies can hatch all summer long on lakes and streams |
What size is the mayfly?
What color is the mayfly?
If you can match your fly to those two qualities, then you will more than likely be in good shape.
I am not an entomologist, but I can tell what color and size a mayfly is when I see them hatching. I want to cover my bases with the relevant colors and sizes. What I tend to see is mayflies hatching in sizes 12-18 and in the following colors: Yellow, Green, Cream, Grey, Olive, Adams, Purple, Pink, Orange, and Mahogany (brown). There are, of course, extreme variations in color, but we just try to get close. I have found that getting close with size is more important than matching color exactly, but that is just one angler's observation.
Many guys stick to one or two styles of dry flies. There is an Adams style, a parachute style, emerger style, comparadun style, and a cripple style, just to name the more popular styles. I prefer to fish parachutes over standard Adams style flies, and I love a good cripple pattern as well. Here are all of our Mayfly Dry Flies
Popular Adams style flies
Adams
Pink Cahill
Pale Morning Dun
Sulphur Dun
Purple Adams
Mahogany Dun
Popular parachute style flies
Parachute Adams
Parachute PMD
Parachute Sulphur
Purple Haze
Parachute Mahogany
Cripples
Last Chance Cripple
PMD Cripple
Callibaetis Cripple
Purple Haze Cripple
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| Adams is a classic |
Adams
Pink Cahill
Pale Morning Dun
Sulphur Dun
Purple Adams
Mahogany Dun
Popular parachute style flies
Parachute Adams
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| Parachute- improvement on a classic |
Parachute Sulphur
Purple Haze
Parachute Mahogany
Cripples
Last Chance Cripple
PMD Cripple
Callibaetis Cripple
Purple Haze Cripple
Nymphs
There are hundreds of different mayfly nymph patterns. Some work all year, some work on one river and not another. If we really want to catch the most fish, getting the nymphs dialed in is very important. An angler can go crazy collecting nymphs and thinking that there is one magic nymph that will solve all of their problems. My strategy is to have the ones that have always worked for me and try out a few that look like they would... Here are our most proven winners:
There are hundreds of different mayfly nymph patterns. Some work all year, some work on one river and not another. If we really want to catch the most fish, getting the nymphs dialed in is very important. An angler can go crazy collecting nymphs and thinking that there is one magic nymph that will solve all of their problems. My strategy is to have the ones that have always worked for me and try out a few that look like they would... Here are our most proven winners:
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| Flashback pheasant tail- a must have! |
Green Drakes
Many rivers get a nice Green Drake hatch, usually early summer. It might only last three days and only go for a few hours each day, but you should have a few flies for it just in case...
Many rivers get a nice Green Drake hatch, usually early summer. It might only last three days and only go for a few hours each day, but you should have a few flies for it just in case...
Hint: A selection of Sharpie markers is not a bad idea to have. When I guided in Idaho, we were just starting to get into a Green Drake hatch. We did not have any Green Drake nymphs in the lodge, they had been back-ordered and we needed them NOW. Our boss gave us all a pile of #10 Beadhead Hare's Ears and an olive colored Sharpie. We colored them up when we tied them on. It worked very well. The hatch only lasts a couple of days, so when it was over, we still had some perfectly usable Hare's Ear nymphs in natural color, which is much more useful than the Green Drakes after the hatch is over.
There are Brown and Grey Drakes as well, but in all my years of fishing, I have not run into any significant hatches where I needed to have them. That does not mean you wouldn't want to have a few in case, but I don't have much beyond a few Extended Body Parachute Adasms.
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| Caddis start hatching as soon as the snow starts melting! |
Dries
Elk Hair Caddis has always done well for me, but there are many great caddis patterns out there. I think covering the following colors and sizes in whatever pattern you choose should get you started.
Black #16-20 - the little black ones tend to hatch really thick and are often the most prevalent. Sometimes they are more grey than black, but usually small and dark is the most widespread.
Brown #14-18 - these are the second most common caddis that we run into after the darker grey or black ones.
Grey #16-18
Brown #14-18 - these are the second most common caddis that we run into after the darker grey or black ones.
Grey #16-18
Olive #12-16
Yellow #12-16
Other productive patterns include Humpy, Cutter Caddis, Caveman Caddis, Cripple Caddis and X-Caddis.
Nymphs
Caddis nymphs can come in an amazing variety. Again, not an entomologist. From my understanding, there are two basic stages of the nymph: The Larva is the "worm stage" and the Pupa is a secondary stage, where things can vary a little bit more.
The larva are often green, chartreuse or yellow. Caddis Larva is a great imitation, and the only one that I have really ever used.
Caddis pupa can be case builders, where they use sticks and rocks to build cases. The can also be net builders, where they attache themselves to a rock or stick underwater and let food drift into a web. They can also take residence inside hollow sticks or tubes, as well as be free-living on the bottom of the river. This means that caddis nymphs can vary greatly, but it also means that any of them will work in a pinch because they are usually all prevalent in most rivers in good numbers.
Favorites include: Caddis nymphs can come in an amazing variety. Again, not an entomologist. From my understanding, there are two basic stages of the nymph: The Larva is the "worm stage" and the Pupa is a secondary stage, where things can vary a little bit more.
The larva are often green, chartreuse or yellow. Caddis Larva is a great imitation, and the only one that I have really ever used.
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| Caddis larva build cases of rocks |
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| Cased Caddis looks like the real deal |
Caddis Pupa
Green Rockworm
Cased Caddis
Prince Nymph - I think this is usually called an attractor, but many anglers do well with it when fish are eating a lot of caddis larva.
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| Hoppers! That's like a whole pizza to a trout. |
Foam Hoppers - Get some foam to float those beadheads
Traditional style hoppers work really well also, but don't float a nymph as well.
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| Ants are a nice snack for a trout |
Worms and Shrimp and such...
Scuds (freshwater shrimp) and worms are also great additions to a box. Many rivers are so flush with insect life that the fish don't key in on these things during the summer, but that is not a rule. A San Juan Worm behind a Pat's Rubber Leg under an indicator is the go-to setup for tons of anglers during the late spring before summer hatches really start moving. Worms are very important when the water is high. Just like when earthworms come above ground during a good rain, high water brings out the worms in the river. Rivers with a lot of mud tend to have a lot of scuds, and many rivers below dams will have Mysis Shrimp that come through the dam.Small Stuff
Hopefully you don't have to go small during the summer. There are plenty of rivers where Trico Hatches will seem to go on forever and it is nearly impossible to get a fish to choose your fly over the thousands of other choices. Many of us choose to fish when and where the fish are eating bigger insects. If you choose to chase Tricos, congrats, you have more patience than most. Find the smallest trico patterns you can and practice your zen casting moments.
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| Summer fishing, keep it simple. Waders not always needed! |
Other Essentials
So you will need more than flies to get through a summer. Here are some other things that need to go into your pack or vest:Tools and Gadgets
We prefer Loon Rogue Scissor Foreceps, but many guys like having a separate nipper and clamp.Floatant
We prefer Hi-Rise, it is the best that any of us have used, but opinions are a dime a dozen. Most anglers use a silicon-based floatant like Hi-Rise, Aquel or Gink, but there are also other styles out there that server a similar purpose.Leaders/Tippet
Use high quality leaders that are built for what you are doing. Please read our article about that here
I like to use a 7.5' 2x or 3x leaders for Hopper/Dropper rigs, and a 9' 4x leaders for most other applications. Many anglers swear that fish can tell the difference between 4x and 5x tippet, and that they will only eat a fly with 5x or smaller. I don't know about that. We suggest 3x-5x tippet to keep in your pack (6x or smaller if you like to flirt with the devil).
Indicators - cause sometimes you do need them
Split shot - if you don't use tungsten beadhead nymphs
Split shot - if you don't use tungsten beadhead nymphs
Net - because you don't need one until you do.
Waders and boots - sometimes they are optional. Many of us around here wear our wading boots, but also wear thick Neoprene socks that help fill out the boots and keep our feet warm when we are wading in cold water all day.
As always, please feel free to give us a call, email or live chat and we will happily discuss anything about fishing that you may have questions about.
Andrew Perrault
-Fishing, usually not catching
Waders and boots - sometimes they are optional. Many of us around here wear our wading boots, but also wear thick Neoprene socks that help fill out the boots and keep our feet warm when we are wading in cold water all day.
As always, please feel free to give us a call, email or live chat and we will happily discuss anything about fishing that you may have questions about.
-Fishing, usually not catching
