On the Fly: What makes a fly an old reliable?

With thousands of fly patterns available these days, finding ones you can rely on day in and day out becomes daunting. Every angler has those “confidence patterns” in their fly boxes that they can tend to bank on, but what makes a fly an old reliable? Obviously, the more you fish, the more you tend trust certain flies, but this can change from season to season and year to year. Every time we are consoling a guest who has lost their fly box, we remind them that this is their chance for “tabula rasa.” Their new box will be a clean slate, and hopefully filled with reliable flies versus all those oddballs in the corners that never get used.

Many flies catch fishermen, but not fish. When it comes to selecting flies, rely on those shop folks or guides you know and pump them for information. By keep a fishing journal, you’ll learn pretty quick what works and what doesn’t from your own experiences through the seasons. For this part of the fly fishing world, there are four things to consider in your fly patterns: size, shape, color and action. Trout get super focused on what food sources they are seeing the most and tend to ignore all else, therefore your fly has to be on the money. Some insects skate across the water and others drift with the current, so imparting some action to your fly (or not) can save your day, as well. When you fish a confidence fly, it translates down through the rod and line, and the fish seem to be more obliged to eat it.

Size and shape are the most important when the fish are super focused on a particular insect, especially when they are paying attention to a particular stage in the insect’s life cycle. Utilizing a throat pump can be extremely beneficial (if it is used properly), and nothing beats putting your scientist hat on and using your powers of observation streamside. Just sitting by the river, flipping over rocks or simply watching the action can be extremely helpful instead of flailing about, especially if you don’t know what the fish are focused on. The moral of this story is to rely on advice, pay attention to what works, and let the fish tell you what they want versus what you think they want. Fish with confidence!

This report is provided every week by Taylor Creek Fly Shops in Aspen and Basalt. Taylor Creek can be reached at 970-927-4374 or TaylorCreek.com.