I'm getting ready to tie some flies for a group of beginner flyfishers in the Seattle/Issaquah area (they'll most likely be using 5wt; WF floating lines). I'm trying to come up with a list of about a half dozen productive patterns for area fresh-water fishing for this time of year to stock them with, any suggestions? I immediately thought of the #12-14 Elk Hair Caddis, #10-14 bead-head Prince nymph, #8-10 Olive Willy, and #14-16 Quigley Cripple and possibly a chironomid pattern. Any suggestions and input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much!

Flygirl

Good start--for the chironimid pattern, go with a 14/16 parachute adams, perhaps...

Have had such luck with heavy muddlers that I consider them invaluable...ditto with black ants--though they have a small hatch window, black gnats can't be beat on some of my fave lakes this time of year and ants are a close approximation (and they're hella easy to tie...). Have been seeing some damselflies here and there...or was until the clouds rolled in. I also like fishing sparse no-hackles like olive-bodied paraduns, and softhackles with just a dab of yellow or orange rabbit dubbing between a sienna-threaded hook and pheasant "hackle"...fished both wet and dry, and excellent searching pattern to figure out what level they're taking at...

Sheesh--sorry for the lengthy reply--get me started and...steelie flies, anyone?

I'm assuming olive willy should read, olive woolly bugger, that's a good color/size for this time of year. By your choices, it looks like your talking about streams/rivers, but if you are also including still waters, a chironomid pattern is a must,[maybe a suspender chironomid too].An olive damselfly nymph, and a black leech, are 2 other lake patterns that to me are indespensible. As for other all-round patterns, I would consider a muddler, an ant, a cricket,and a sparkle pupae.

Don't forget a #8 orange stimulator for the October caddis showing soon

Gal, Consider the royal coachman or royal wulff both great may fly and search patterns, cool looking too.

flygirl, PLEASE get rid of the "olive willie". Christ, if I hear olive ***** willie one more time... aargh. Substitute parachute adams, please. At least your other patterns are original.

Flygirl,

Best for what? All around fishing? That might include the fall fishing for sea run cutts. I'd suggest adding the Muddler and an #8 Spade fly. That and the Elk Hair Caddis would get me thru cutthroat season. Have fun.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I am with rich on the stimulator and I would mix in a black marabou #8 for the river.

------------------
Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

Howdy,
#1 fly for searching(river Cutt's) for me is the Yellow Spider. Sea-run's seem like they have a collective intellegence sometimes because after a couple have been fooled, a lure will get ignored. Spruce size 8-6,Green Carey Special, Black Ant 12, Mosquito 14-12, and a Stimulater would round out my top six. This is the time to be on the lower river, I hope you have a lot of fun!

Thanks all for the suggestions of some great overall fly patterns, keep them coming! DanO, you were right on about my preference for rivers so thanks to you and to all those who recommended good lake patterns. The fishing agenda for the newbie crew has not been officially set, but they will in all likelyhood start out on stillwater and hopefully get to a local stream or river for at least one day sometime in mid-September. As you can see by SalmonTackler's response, I did indeed mean an Olive Willy--sorry you feel that way ST--on the few occasions I've fished lakes, the OW has been by far my most productive fly. But then I've had pretty good luck with parachute Adams and the very "cool looking" Royal Wulff, and those are easy flies to spot on the water, esp for beginners.

Anyone ever fish this area using a Madame X with nymph dropper or would the orange stimi be a better choice for a 2-fly rig to increase odds of someone catching something, or at least getting a nibble?
Thanks much!

flygirl

Flygirl, Patterns such as the sixpack and the peacock carey work at least as well as the O*** W****. Sorry if i offended any Olive Willy fans but I have seen many traditional patterns outfish that pattern time after time. For some reason this pattern has become popular and I can't understand it's popularity.

[This message has been edited by salmontackler (edited 08-31-2000).]

Flygirl, beginers will like fly fishing and casting a lot more if you stick with the basics I'd recomend against using a dropper and nymph that would be a trial in frrustration for someone just learning the ways of the line and rod.

Good advice Native, I should know better than to even think about starting newbies out with extra gizmos tied to their line. Guess I'm just overly enthusiastic in trying to up the odds of someone catching something! That was my hestitation about including a heavy muddler in the box, the first time I tried tossing around one of those with my 5wt was indeed an exercise in frustration. I wasn't following basic wetfly fishing P&P (Pick & Plop).

STackler--no worries about your opinion on the OW, I understand completely.

flygirl

I may be old, but you can still teach me new tricks- what is an olive willy?

Don't look SalmonTackler, Olive Willy info to follow...

DanO, The Olive Willy is a local pattern developed by William Servey in the 60's and designed for lake fishing. It's very similar to the Carey Special, with a spot of red. It was featured in the Spring '99 volume of Flyfishing and Tying Journal in an article by Deke Meyer titled "25 Hot Streamers for 1999". The recipe published there is as follows:

Hook: TMC5263, #8/12 or TMC300 #6
Thread: 6/0 black
Tail: Fluff from base of pheasant rump feather dyed yellow (one half shanklength)
Body: Medium olive chenille
Wing: Red rabbit fur, guard hairs remove(one half shank length)
Hackle: Pheasant rump feather dyed yellow (extends to tip of tail)

William introduced me to this fly several years ago when I stopped by a local fly shop to pick up supplies. In addition to the above, another variant he has is to use a red rocheille beadhead(the kind that has gold painted in the middle to make them more sparkly--you can find them at most craft stores) instead of the fur; it makes things alot easier to just buy the red Zonker strips for the fur, that way all you have to do is pinch off what you need. I think the beadhead version is used on overcast days. The chenille is a dark olive color, medium size.

As an aside, I've tied this on a TMC5263 #12 hook and substituted a med. olive new-age sparkle chenille and added both the red fur and bead head. When everything the guide told me to use failed on a section of the Clark Fork last September, I tied this on and caught one of the most beautiful cutthroats I had ever seen. Unfortunately, I lost that one fly when I got snagged on a branch. Haven't tried it out here yet. Guess all you need to do is add a bit more flash and then it can be used in the rivers too!

Probably told you more than you really wanted to know, but now you've got the complete story.

flygirl



[This message has been edited by Flygirl (edited 08-31-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Flygirl (edited 08-31-2000).]

LOL Flygirl. Cardiac arrest

Ive thought about the original question enough that I feel I would be remiss if I did not add to your list #14 PMD this can be used two fold as a may fly and under most conditions as a "little yellow stone fly" (Yellow Sally).

One of my favorite staple searching/off-hatch patterns is a #12 gold-bead head wooly bugger (black). I have great luck in both streams and rivers. Not much asthetically, but works well. Not a bad steelhead pattern either (but not one that use often for metalheads).

Better toss in a glo-bug pattern to upset the purists. I've started using them under an indicator lake fishing and have found its a great change up when the chironomids start to tail off. I tossed it on just as a joke one day at Dry Falls (pink size 12) and was nicely surpised. Since then, in every lake east or west of the Cascades it has produced well. Anyhow, its good for beginners to learn to tie thier own as simple as the pattern is. A good breather after learning to tie hair-wings.

Flygirl, on the contrary, thanks for all the info on the Olive Willy, with your info, I can picture just what it looks like. I still think you should add a woolly bugger to your list. Maybe size 10-14, a gold beadhead,peacock chennile, and furnace or black hackle. This classic fly would be good in lakes/streams, and is an easy tie,in case any of your "newbies" would care to try.