How many steelhead flies do you really need?

[skyriver]

I just did a summer steelhead fly reorg. Haha! Out of all these, 80 made it into my old faithful Perrine #95 box. 80 should be enough considering I'll probably only fish 3 or 4 all fall.

Got your top-water section, white wings, orange wings, hair wings, dark wings, red (if you know, you know), some blues, some purples (including the infamous egg-sucking leech), a few Popsicles because...well, duh. And 2 big black & green for the random school of kings. Which one will get tried 1st....

 

[charles sullivan]

Dry flies go through 1st.

Nice ties!

 

[RCF]

None. I donated all mine to a steelhead fly swap as a surprise gift to the participants that was held spring 2022 here on PNWFF.

 

[skyriver]

Dry flies go through 1st.

Nice ties!

I agree about dries first. If it's 1st light and I know I'm the 1st one through, I'll go with a Steelhead Caddis, Bomber or one of Todd Hirano's Lil Wangs.
Then hit it again with a hair wing wet like Bennett's Last Light or an Evening Coachman. Later in the morning I stick to the tried and true like Green Butt Skunk or a Mack's Canyon.

I only tied about half of these. You can probably guess which half. Haha!

 

[Millsfly]

ahh, double it

 

[SculpinSwinger]

None. I donated all mine to a steelhead fly swap as a surprise gift to the participants that was held spring 2022 here on PNWFF.

Thank you, I received one or two of those!

 

[JACKspASS]

3 flies, 4 of each in your box for a standard outing. Back at the ranch, 7,000 on standby

 

[DerekWhipple]

Spade (black and black/orange), Muddler (brown and purple), and some kind of more impressionistic october caddis pupae, all on heavy irons. Then a couple hundred other flies back in the car.

 

[skyriver]

So I see I'm not the only one that has 3 or 4 favorites (I believe us steelheaders call those confidence flies), but has a 100 back at the truck, camp or home. I feel more "normal" now.

 

[albula]

To answer the original question "how many steelhead flies do you need".... one more.

 

[RCF]

To answer the original question "how many steelhead flies do you need".... one more.

Actually just 1 : The 'confidence fly' you caught your last steelhead on... Isn't that what we all start with? JK!

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

I usually carry a lot less for summer than I do for winter....

 

[Salmo_g]

I've gone fishing with as few as one fly, but that was an accident. Sometimes I fish for days with a single fly. Other days I break sunk flies off on snags, or occasionally I break a hook or otherwise mess up a fly when my backcast or D-loop dropped too low. With loss or breakage as an ever present risk when fishing, it's good practice for me to bring along a few extras.

It will be a cold day in Hell when I go through a run 3 times with 3 different fly patterns. Neither my confidence nor self respect ever drop that low. If I fish through once with a dry fly (skater), it's because I'd like to hook a fish on top. Therefore it would be counter-productive to go through the run again with a different fly pattern and method. That would sorta' be like if I went through the run first with a dry fly and didn't hook up, deciding to go through the pool again with dynamite and see if that works any better.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

That would sorta' be like if I went through the run first with a dry fly and didn't hook up, deciding to go through the pool again with dynamite and see if that works any better.

Spoiler alert, the dynamite does work better.

 

[RCF]

Spoiler alert, the dynamite does work better.

and adds a whole new definition to a fishing hole... Amazing how much rivers and streams change weekly...

 

[skyriver]

I've gone fishing with as few as one fly, but that was an accident. Sometimes I fish for days with a single fly. Other days I break sunk flies off on snags, or occasionally I break a hook or otherwise mess up a fly when my backcast or D-loop dropped too low. With loss or breakage as an ever present risk when fishing, it's good practice for me to bring along a few extras.

It will be a cold day in Hell when I go through a run 3 times with 3 different fly patterns. Neither my confidence nor self respect ever drop that low. If I fish through once with a dry fly (skater), it's because I'd like to hook a fish on top. Therefore it would be counter-productive to go through the run again with a different fly pattern and method. That would sorta' be like if I went through the run first with a dry fly and didn't hook up, deciding to go through the pool again with dynamite and see if that works any better.

Haha! I did not mean I hit a run 3 times. Twice, max.

Your logic escalates quickly! "Once more with a classic wet fly or dynamite?" Hmm, let's see.

To even hit it twice it has to be a great run and only if I have the time. Usually that would mean I've walked into a great run or nobody dropped in behind me on a productive roadside run.
If I'm floating it's getting 1 pass. Gotta keep the schedule! BTW, no dynamite onboard.

 

[Flymph]

none

 

[mcswny]

Spoiler alert, the dynamite does work better.

I’m pretty sure they used to dynamite “lee’s pool” on the n umpqua before he started protecting it

 

[SurfnFish]

If we flipped the question to 'if you could have only one''... on the Big D it would be a black articulated leech

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

I’m pretty sure they used to dynamite “lee’s pool” on the n umpqua before he started protecting it

Yep. 1992 was the last time it was TNT'd.