mauser06

last year me and my dad tried flyfishing for our first time for trout in a creek..i fished for bass and panfish on lakes before and he decided to try for trout with me..i know all aobut matching the hatch and all that but we fish flyfishing only sections open year round..soon as the ice is off we start..really theres nothing hatching this time of year that i seen..i tried a pheasant tail last year but i think it was big and i tied it so it wasnt great looking..and i got a trout to cahse a bucktail of random colors i tied and he was ready to strike when a bigger one chased him...i think they seen me but i know he was going to bite until the big one chased him..but that was about the highlight of the day...seeing a few trout in a pool and having one chase it..this year i want to catch one!..i bought some saun jaun worms and some muddler minnows...what else should i BUY as a "universal" trout fly that they really seem to hit all the time?? i got a few diffrent dry flys in a few diffrent sizes i bought so i am good if something does hatch...also do i need strike indicators?? i drift fish worms and stuff pretty regularly and know a strike when i feel one..so do i really need one?? also do i need a real trout leader or can i use just a piece or 4 or 6lb mono?? my casts really arent far..the creeks are just 15ft across and pools arent hard to cast across....thanx for your help..i want to catch one this year! we had a blast just bein able to be on the water that time of year fishing and enjoyed the da fishing together...

basserman

mauser, Fly fishing can be aot of fun. I used to wade the streams with my grandfather in the late 60's and early 70's. At this time of year you need to use streamer type flys. Strike indicators are handy when you use sinking flys although I never used them much. We just tied a piece of white yarn on occassionaly. My favorite summertime flyes were very small. Grandpa called them his mosquito and black gnat patterns. They worked for us all summer. We also did not use the fancy tapered leaders in those days and used a very small metal eye loop inserted into the fly line. We just tied off to that with 4 to 6 lb. mono. Worked great. Nowdays they have all these advancements to help you out. One thing I learned vry quickly was when wading....wade upstream and cast upstream and work the fly back. Easy to work and you don't muddy your water then. Use the black gnat and tiny mosquito pattern and you won't go wrong. LOL

"Semper Fi" Mac!

wulff

Wolleybuggers,wolleybuggers and more wolleybuggers- great all-around pattern in various colors and tying styles. if you want to have some fun fish more smallies on your favorite warm water river with a sink tip line short leader and a olive bugger. you better hold on because you will be in for the time of your life.

mauser06

thanx for the replys..i will get some mosquito and black gnat patterns for or spring trips..but when its cold i dont think they will work to good..way to cold for any mosquito or gnat..around the end of april i start seeing them..and thats when i do alot of fishing...what size wolleybuggers and colors do you recomend for small brookies 10-12 inches big?? thanx alot

wulff

wollybuggers in size 10-12 in olive or black; try fishing for smallmouth with these patterns if you can you will have fun. you can also try a green weenie very effective here in the central part of PA

Jimmy S

Mauser...Like you, I also fish streams (NH) as soon as ice is out. I would encourage you to get a few hare' s ear nympths, beaded if possible. I fish with this fly almost exclusively in the early Spring, and it never fails. I never use dry flies or floating line but intermediate and sinking lines depending on where I plan to fish. Early season fly fishing in streams with a Hare' s Ear, to me, is definitely the way to go. Good Luck....Jimmy S

MattInNH

Mauser, I' ll second the wolleybuggers and the bead head hare' s ear, both are great all around flies. I generally go with darker colors on the bugger- brown, olive, black, etc.

You might also consider some REALLY small(sz 18-22 or smaller) griffith' s gnat dries. If you can find a spot where the sun' s hitting the water on a reasonably warm day you might find some very small gnats hatching. They' re basically impossible to see on the water(at least for me), but they' ll occasionally draw a strike when nothing else is working.

With the distances you' re casting you certainly don' t need a knotless tapered leader, but a tapered leader will help the dries turn over a little better. You can build one yourself by nail knotting a section of fairly stiff mono to the fly line and then blood knotting progressively lighter sections of mono to that. For example, you could nail knot 3' of 15lb to the flyline, then blood knot 3' of 10lb to that, and finally blood knot 3' of 5lb on the end. Presto, tapered leader. When the section of 5lb gets too short, just replace it.

stuckinthereeds

I' ll have to agree with a lot of what people are saying here. You might want to use beaded nymphs. Alot of flies right now are at the bottom of the rivers and streams.I also use a weight forward line. I have the great pleasure of fishing on the Missouri right now. Though it is colder than crud, I just put on my neoprene waders and hit the water. Some of the best flyfishing in Montana can be found in the winter as the crowed waters aren' t so crowded

Ruddyduck

ok for the beginer I' d recommend , golden stonefly and beadhead phesanttail nymphs and woolly buggers in black,brown and olive. For wets hare' s ear,leadwing coachman,yellow dun and a royal coachman. For drys, humphys in yellow and red,adams,cahill,henryville, blue dunn, quill patterns in reddish brown,black,cream, and dunn and a jassid.
Set your fly box up something like that and there will be no place in the east for trout that you won' t be prepared to fish.

jerseyhunter

Try a Pheasant Tail,Hare,s Ear or Caddis Nymphs with a sinkink tip line. Maybe a wet fly as an attractor or strike indicator such as Orange Fish Hawk,Royal Coachman,or Cambell' s Fancy. Being in the River with snow on the banks is the way to go. Cuts down on the crowds also. Remember if your not Bumpping the Bottom your not in the strike zone.