"Must have" flies

[No bites Mike]

I'm one of your newer members, and brand new to fly fishing. I have seen some very interesting "bead head" flies at the meetings but see very little of this type at local fly shops.

What fly patterns/types/colours would be considered "must haves" for a newbie?

[dave robinson]

Mike:

It would depnd on where and when you are fishing.

For the local ponds:

Bead head chironomid patterns like: Chromie, Snow Cone, Redd October, Christmas Chronie, Cardiff Special.

For streams for rockies, grayling and rainbows:

Bead head mayfly nymphs like: Orange Butt Pheasant Tail, Eevil Weevil, Prince

For the Bow:

Beadhead or cone head flies like: golden stone, wolly buggers in different colors.

You need to learn how to rig and fish these flies under a strike indicator.

[No bites Mike]

How about "traditional" flies (non-bead head)?

Any basic patterns/sizes/shapes to suggest?

[dave robinson]

Mike:

This REALLY depends on where and when you are going fishing.

There's thousands of patterns out there.

You should pick a few simple ones for each species of insect you might encounter.

Majors species of interest in Alberta are:

Mayflies - nymphs, emergers and duns

Caddisflies - Larvae, emergers and adults

Midges - Larvae. pupae, and emergers

Stoneflies - Nymphs and adults

Terrestrials - Ants, Beetles and grasshoppers.

Miscellaneous - Leeches, minows, backswimmers, scuds

You could spend a liftime playing with patterns for these.

What you need to do is figure out where you are going and when

then talk to someone knowledgable about what you shold try out.