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Li'lDave

Your fly for new "trout" waters

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So. You're off to a stream, river or lake you haven't fished before, but you know that there are browns and possibly rainbows present.

 

I would like to know what single dry fly, and what single nymph/wet you would make sure is in your box to explore these new waters? (Please make sure you state your preference of still or running water).

 

e.g I have no idea about lakes, but... if I was to head to a new stream I would have a red tag for a dry, and probably a bead-headed brown nymph of some sort.

 

Many thanks

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Last winter was my first season of really fishing for trout. They're all stockers in a small community pond so I don't know if my picks are really relevant.

 

Anywho, in still water I would choose an elk hair Caddis for the dry and a bead-head pheasant tail for the wet. Those two really produced well in this little pond. If I were heading to a stream I'd probably go with a parachute Adams and a small woolly bugger. Hoping to get a chance to try my picks on some wild trout this summer.

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I would have an Adams parachute in sizes 12, 14, and 16 for a dry fly. A bead head pheasant tail nymph in the same sizes and my own wet fly (see my avatar) in red, green, black sizes 14 and 16. Of course, black, olive, and brown wooly buggers in sizes 8, 10, and 12 plus some classic streamers (Mickey Finn, Edson Dark Tiger,Muddler Minnow, and Black Nose Dace) in sizes 8 and 12.

 

I know this list is a little more expansive than your request - the absolute "must have" is listed first in each style.

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For a dry it would be a yellow bodied adams.

For nymph/wet, it would be a woolly bugger. For a 2nd pick it would be a gold ribbed hares ear.

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For a dry, a Renegade in size 16. That could be my choice for wet, but since you're allowing me a second fly, it would be hard to start with anything other than a Partridge and Orange.

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On rivers I would take my favorite variations of an elk hair caddis and hare's ear nymph.

On stillwater I'd take a biot bodied parachute and a hare's ear soft hackle.

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Thanks so far.

 

This is gold. Looking forward to more responses

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No question that on rivers a BH Flashback Pheasant Tail would be my first choice, while on stillwaters I love to use a #12 Mayer's Mini Leech. Leeches performance on stillwaters is nothing short of amazing.

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Black tailed, peacock herl bodied with grizzly hen hackle Woolly Buggers of various sizes and weights will get both species almost anywhere. It's a matter of depth and retrieve for lakes and I suppose the same can be said for streams.

 

Most lakes have Chironamid midges, a small Adams can suffice but better is a Griffiths Gnat. And for Emergers in the summer season at headed into nightfall, Hexagenia is a good bet.

 

I would never go stream fishing for brookies without small Muddlers and soft hackles, I rarely use dry flies there but do on rivers.For rivers it's some iteration of Royal Coachman, March browns or Blue Winged Olives Sometime Mahogany Duns depending where it is. You can always grease up a Muddler and float it too, it can pass for a big caddis or a hopper.

 

So a good bet for most places is a small muddler, the Woolly bugger mentioned above, Griffiths Gnat, BWO, and Parchute Adams or Royal Coachman. Not to mention Chironamid emergers.

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Bugger white, bugger black, egg, squirmy worms, ozark marabou streamer. Dry fly?

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Adams dry fly, #12-18

 

Hare's Ear soft hackle, #14-16

 

Actually, my go-to for any new water is almost always a #6 or #8 streamer, but you asked about dries and wets. :)

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Parachute Adams in sizes 8 - 22, black wooly bugger from size 12 - 4.

 

A parachute adams can imitate an emerger, a dun or a spinner. Cut off the tail and bend the hook and it becomes a Klinkhammer/emerger imitation. Cut off the post and it becomes a spinner. In small sizes it imitates a midge.

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Dry fly for streams- CDC and Elk

 

Nymph- Beadhead PT Nymph Soft hackle

 

Don't fish lakes for trout to often. Depends on whether I see caddis on the water or just midge activity. CDC and Elk or the Wissahickon Midge. Last time I fished a lake with trout in it and fish were rising I ended up catching a half dozen Golden Shiners 10-12 inches long.

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