hey guys,
i want to put together a box that will work in August, or December … as of now, the only fly’s in the box are stone fly nymphs… what are some other bugs found year round? scuds perhaps? not sure what the life cycle is like for them… sculpins perhaps? again, not sure how active they are in the cooler months…
any suggestions would be fantastic… and usually spot on!
thanks guys,
spoof
Just check a hatch chart for waters near where you will be fishing and put your box together that way.
unfortunately, the chart only goes from apr. to oct… there’s not alot of die hards in my area… 
Gartside Sparrow light to dark, small to large.
Size 12 mohair leach with a red glass bead head. Works all year around for me. Not really a bug, bug a great year-round producer. Jim Smith
i thought about editing the post to say “what other creatures,” instead of bugs… why the red bead head?
thanks for the suggestions so far guys…
Scuds, Sow bugs, Simuliids and these guys:
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Midges-Fishing-Effective-Patterns/dp/1934753009
PT/TB
You could fish a Zebra Midge any day of the year and have a real good chance of catching a fish.; same for the Worm/IPW.
Regards,
Scott
I’ve caught on a Partridge and Orange in all twelve months.
Parachute Adams fished wet and any small wet fly. Pheasant tail nymphs as well.
Spoof85, I really can’t give a reason for adding the red bead head except it seems to make the fly even more productive in both warm and cold water. I use black rabbit fur for the tail and usually add 5-6 wraps of lead wire as an underbody to get it down in the water column a bit faster. Jim Smith
I second the PT, in various sizes and colors. A very small one in black with a silver wire rib makes an excellent midge larva imitation.
Joe
spoof85,
You have been given some good suggestions. The leech pattern that James suggested works for me year around. When I fly fish, I do not try to determine what particular hatch is going on. I just fly fish and the flies I use and create are just flies that produce for me just about anytime I want to go fishing no matter what month. In the Fall and Winter months, I try to use Streamer patterns and base the size of the Streamers to the size of the stream. Smaller streams produce smaller minnow patterns and other creatures. I am also very content with catching all species of fish with the fly rod and do not have particular patterns created just for trout only. I just love being on a river and catching “anything” and so my patterns are just patterns that “look” like something good to eat to all species of river fish. Here is a list of just some of the patterns I have with me all the time which work on my streams and may or may not work on your streams. You will just have to try them and see.
Streamers - Black Nose Dace and Mickey Finn
Buggers in size 10 & 12 - in Olive, Black and Brown - Peter Frailey’s Hare & Herl is a great small bugger pattern
Flymphs in size 12 - I always have Flymphs with me and they seldom ever let me down
Leech patterns in size 6 & 8 and in Olive and Black and always weighted with lead wire as an underbody
John Scott’s Pine Squirrel Cheater in Olive or Brown is another pattern that seldom lets me down and they are also weighted with an underbody of lead wire
Swinging soft hackle wet flies will produce year around for me here too.
I have faith in the above patterns. I try to match the tying thread color to the body colors and after whip finishing the fly, I always pick up another thread bobbin that has orange tying thread in it and do another whip finish over the whip finish so the fly heads are orange. The orange head may not make any difference to the fish, but, I have more confidence in it and that means I may fish it harder.
The above are just a few of what patterns I always have with me and I have confidence it them always producing something to “pull my string”. There are other patterns that I use, but, the above would be considered my “go to” patterns and they seldom let me down year around.
I have always been looked at as strange because I do not fish any pattern tied smaller than a size 14 and, so, most fly fishers are not impressed with any of my patterns, but, I never leave a river “skunked”. I fish my patterns hard and apply 100% of my time to presentation. When everyone else is using dry flies and midges in sizes 18 and smaller, I will still be fishing sizes 8, 10 and 12 and catching my share. I feel all patterns will work if you work on presentation and have confidence in the pattern you are using.
Good luck and most important, have fun and take time, while on the stream, to enjoy your surroundings.
I think Byron is on the mark with consulting a hatch chart for your area. For the months off the chart (Nov-Mar), I think PlanetTrouts suggestions of midges, scuds, and sowbugs are on the mark. A small (#16-18), dark Pheasant Tail or similar to imitate Blue Wing Olive nymphs and a cased (or peeking) caddis imitation also work well for me during the off months. I fish for trout on small spring creeks at a similar latitude here in SE MN and that’s what works for me.
I say scuds, sow bugs, blood midge, chironomids, Haresears, Copper Johns, Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, and CADDIS!
Perhaps the South Branch of the Root?
One of my favorite streams when I lived in the Midwest.
Hares ears, pheasant tails, and copper johns… soft hackles…
Spring, summer, and fall usually finds us pestering in ponds, streams, or lakes and we most generally use, have faith, and search any of our targets, warmwater or troutoids, with a two fly rig. One bug is always a small dark wooly bugger (black #10-#14) very similar to Rick’s Boa Leech, and a small surf candie type bug ( 1"-1 1/2" #10 white and pearl krystal flash). This seems to cover bugs and bait successfully, wherever and whenever, spring to fall, for us. Cannot answer winter…we are ususally trying to pester coastal steelhead and either NOTHING works consistently or EVERYTHING works inconsistently…for us.
…lee s.
Here’s a way to look at the original question that hasn’t been suggested yet. Just to repeat the question: “Suggestions for Year Round Flies”.
Answer: Just tye Light & Dark Hendricksons plus Rusty Spinners, all in sizes 12 - 20 and continue to travel all over so that you are constantly in tune with that and similar hatches! Now THAT would be a nice situation, LOL.
Allan
in the winter you have to travel to Patagonia or another reverse climate location.