I try not to fish flies smaller than what's rquired. That said, there are occasions when it is necessary to go very small. A couple of years ago, a friend and I encountered a Caenis spinner fall at Lake Lenice when the fish were very selctively sipping tiny spent spinners that were no more than size 24 and 26. Of course neither one of us had anything that small or of the right color. During the next week I tied up what will probably be a lifetime supply in those sizes. Naturally, I have yet to run across that particular set of circumstances again.

Early Baetis hatches on the Yakima can present a similar predicamaent. Occasionally, Baetis imitations larger than the prevailing 20-22 naturals will be ignored even though the fish are perfectly willing to hit a size 6 or 8 Skwala imitation; go figure. In the rivers, in the fall, I've found sea-run cutthroat will sometimes get quite selectively keyed in on very small Baetis making for some of the most challenging and downright enjoyable fishing that the Northwest has to offer.