Fishscape Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I'm curious to how many flies most people carry. Also, it would help if you provide some idea where you fish. Me: Bow, Crowsnest, Oldman and tribs, central AB brown trout streams. 1 SA box ~400 nymphs, 1 box stonefly nymphs, 1 box stonefly adults, 2 boxes streamers, 1 box general mayfly and caddis adults, 1 box mayfly emergers, couple miscellaneous smaller boxes of what I think might be hatching. One terrestrial box. I might leave 2 or 3 behind on any given day, but I almost always have at least 4 full boxes. Seems like a lot. Quote
monger Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 Always WAY too many! Last lake I went to I had about 9 boxes of flies with me. I used 1 fly. But there are days when a guy needs to look in a number of different boxes to try and improve the odds. 1 Quote
somereddeerguy Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 usually i carry way too much, the last year and a bit ive started focusing on cutting back! got so tired of luggin all that stuff through bush and trees! i struggled cutting back at first cuz im a packrack but once u get used to it and are catching fish its nice being free of all those boxes! i suggest cutting to two boxes, it challenged me to really pay attention to the waters i was fishign and help learn and predict bug hatches and patterns etc. to be honest tho i still carry a giant soft bag with thousands of flies in the truck so i guess that makes it easier if i cant match the hatch, knowing i can run back to the truck! Quote
Taco Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 Way too friggin' many! Showed up at a reservoir today carryin' maybe 4-500 flies and 2 rods. Changed flies once on each rod and caught a couple dozen fish on a single generic searching pattern in 3 hrs. 1 Quote
bigalcal Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I carry 2 x 2-sided boxes of dry flies, 1 box of big dry's, a small box of nymphs and a small box of teeny tiny emergers in the fall. Lot's!! Quote
fishinglibin Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I carry enough which is too many, and have seen guys who don't take a bunch of boxes, but travel with a small brief case. Funny but true. Quote
SilverDoctor Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 Depends where I am fishing, species after and what mood I'm in. For a Brookie trip a small box in my shirt pocket will do. For more Technical presentations, its my 4 compartment Richardson box with ore complete bug stages. Quote
126barnes Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 Too many, of the wrong kind! P Fixed that for you Quote
sldrose Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 too many, but never enough of the ones they're taking Quote
Crowsnest Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 Way too friggin' many! Showed up at a reservoir today carryin' maybe 4-500 flies and 2 rods. Changed flies once on each rod and caught a couple dozen fish on a single generic searching pattern in 3 hrs. sounds like you got the "friggin lakes" thing figured out Quote
osprey Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I'm with Monger and Taco on this, I always have too many but I kinda like it. It happens because I often tie up extra in anticipation of a trip and just in case some one else needs the particular fly that seems to be working at that time. When I was younger there were lots of times I didn't have a type of fly that was working and better equipped fishers helped me out. It's always nice to pay it forward. Sometimes it's nice just to try different stuff and see if it works. Quote
Taco Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 sounds like you got the "friggin lakes" thing figured out Ah hell,.. don't think I've got anything figgered when it comes to friggin lakes, i think it just happened... you know, like *hit happens....may need more flies though. Quote
troutguy Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 I carry a stmmy, a bugger, and a hair's ear if they don't work I use my Folger's fly box. Quote
DonAndersen Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Barely enough to get by. <> 2500 when in the lake vest and a further 1500+ in the flowing water vest + the back up boxes at camp and I've gotta tie this morning. Got fish yesterday on a fly that needs further "adjustment". The weighting is not quite right. Don Quote
alan2 Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 I know I carry way more than I actually need or use. Maybe a couple of hundred. Rather than keep trying a wide assortment, I'm more likely to walk to a different spot that might hopefully harbour less choosey fish if the first 10 flies don't work. Quote
reevesr1 Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Way, way too many. What I find the funniest is when I'm going thru my giant catch all box of fishing crap, find some random package of flies I have not even opened, look at them and think "what the hell are these supposed to be?" Quote
ÜberFly Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 I guess you have to stop tying (or buying) when you drink Rick!! Way, way too many. What I find the funniest is when I'm going thru my giant catch all box of fishing crap, find some random package of flies I have not even opened, look at them and think "what the hell are these supposed to be?" Quote
troutlover Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 I have found that I used to have way to many but as I have gained experience I have the patterns I trust and if I cant catch with the flies I have then its not the fly that ive got wrong. I carry a fly for all stages of each bug and several sizes of each. Streamers I have 5 patterns I love and trust. So at any given time I have 5 boxes and carry around over 1000 flies that's the best I can narrow it down . I have probably 2000 flies in a bag in my basement collecting dust that I have lost their place in my box. Quote
Sean84 Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 WOW I thought I carried alot, but I guess not. I probably have maybe 80 in my vest at most and Keep a larger box of them, maybe another 200, on reserve close by. Although there have been a few times I've only had one type of fly that was working and swam, climbed and searched for the fly whenever it got stuck somewhere. Quote
Nachako Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Wow ! I guess Barry Mitchell article called simplifly ( can't remember what year ) in the Alberta Fishing Guide had a bigger effect on me than most. Which basically said that you only needed 6 patterns in different sizes and colours. Quote
Teck71 Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 4 fly boxes with about 300 to 400 flies amongst them. but about 1000 more in the truck. I am usually down south old man and crow area in the summer. but this year my goal is to work out my 4 wt more and visit mostly small water and dry flies. we will see how that goes as the summer progresses. Quote
SilverDoctor Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I went for a minimalist approach years ago, 6 flies. And after watching a big Brown feeding on PMD's that I had left at home I changed my mind on that silly thought and theory. I like to go loaded for bear. Now my minimum is one large window box, two small dry window box's and a streamer box in my vest or my full Richardson 1 Quote
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