The Well-Equipped Fly Box

There’s a lot of disagreement over what constitutes a well-equipped fly box. Actually, most fly fishermen I know have six or eight well-equipped fly boxes, and complain that they need more. In the interest of brevity and economy, however, it’s possible to pare your supply down to a few patterns, in a variety of sizes, that will be effective for the majority of fly fishing situations. Here’s what I’d carry if I only had room for two small boxes of flies:

Box #1

 

Dry flies and poppers: Adams dry fly (sizes 14, 16, and 18); Hendrickson dry (sizes 12, 14, and 16); Light Cahill dry (sizes 12, 14, and 16); Royal Coachman dry (sizes 12, 14, and 16); Blue Dun dry (sizes 14, 16, and 18); Blue-Winged Olive dry (sizes 16-24); Elk-hair Caddis (sizes 8, 10, 12, and 14); black midge (sizes 18, 20, and 22); spent-wing midge (sizes 18, 20, and 22); Michigan Hopper (sizes 8 and 12); deerhair poppers in brown, black, and white (sizes 2, 6 and 10); cork poppers in black, white, yellow, and red (sizes 6 and 8).

Box #2

Nymphs, wet flies, and streamers: Hare’s Ear nymph (brown, olive, and black, sizes 8, 10, 12, and 14); stonefly nymphs (black and brown, sizes 6, 10, and 12); Pheasant Tail nymph (sizes 12, 14, and 16); Light Cahill nymph (sizes 12, 14, and 16); Hendrickson nymph (sizes 12 and 14); Black Gnat wet fly (sizes 10, 12, and 14); Coachman wet fly (sizes 10, 12, and 14); March Brown wet fly (sizes 10, 12, and 14). Streamers, in sizes 4 to 12, would include: Woolly Buggers (brown, black, and white), Spruce Flies, Black-Nosed Dace, Muddler Minnows, Maribou Muddlers (white, black, and yellow), Grey Ghosts, Black Ghosts, and Mickey Finns.

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