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While every stream and lake has it nuances and every day can be quite a different day, there are a few fly patterns which work well pretty much all year long around in eastern Sierra fisheries. Here's a few to consider for your everyday fly box(es):
Dry Fly Selection
A great attractor pattern! I commonly use various of this pattern to mimic mayflies, midges, and midge clusters.
One of my favorite patterns. I carry elk hair, deer hair, and CDC variants.
My go-to pattern for mimicking very small natural insects, down to #22. I also carry some large sizes (#16-18) which I tie with a foam body.
My go-to pattern for stoneflies, salmonflies, and large caddisflies. I carry many different variants in a wide range of sizes, including variants with legs or with underwings.
A very verisible pattern. I commonly use Grizzly and Were variants to mimic medium-sized insects, in sizes #12-16. I like to the Gray variant, in grey or green, to mimic grey and green drakes, respectively.
Emerging Fly Selection
My favorite for picky fish.
A good pattern for mimicking emerging caddisflies and more.
My go-to pattern for fish eating emerging mayfiles as they reach the surface. They are, as the name implies, good for matching crippled mayflies. For smaller naturals, I favor varients with a CDC wing. For larger natures, I prefer those with an elk hair wing.
Nymph Selection
As most folks who know me know, I don't nymph. Staring at a bobber or sighter just ain't my thing. So you find a single nymph in my everyday fly boxes. But from time-to-time I help others get onto fish and when I do, I'll often put them on a bobber rig or a hopper/dropper rig.
The all-purpose nymph is a proven producer.
Simple and effective midge nymph.
A very fast sinking attractor pattern. Great leading fly to drag down unweighted wetflies.
Beaded or unbeaded, a great attractor pattern.
Productive year round in most local waters. Tie them big from Pyramid Lake, tie them small for headwater streams.
These patterns, especially those with beads, are fast sinking. This is very helpful on moving waters and/or impatient fishers.
Streamer Selection
A highly effective pattern for mimicking bait fish.
A go-to trout spey streamer pattern.
A very good leach immitation. Love the movement.
A great baitfish imitation.
The tried and true wooly bugger remains a favorite, whether beaded, weighted, or unweighted. The latter is one of my go-to trout spey pattern.
Wet Fly Selection
The original and its many varients are great wetfly patterns for area streams. I regularly fish the western variant.
Simple and effective. I carry these is in wide range of colors and sizes.
Very productive, need I say more?
Now I don't actually have all of these in my everyday boxes and neither should you. Trim down your everyday selection to that you'd consider using on most days out fishing. Being a dry fly nut myself, my everyday selection focuses on the dries and emergers. I augment my everyday selection with a small box specially built for the day based on hatch charts and other information for the water I'm fishing.
If you need more fly recommendations, I suggest you stop by a local fly shop and ask them what's working for where you are going... and purchase from them whatever they recommend.
Want to tie these yourself? Check out the fly patterns for these and much more at Steveojai's FlyFishingtheSierra.com.
This article was authored by Kurt Zeilenga. Suggestions on how to improve this article may be sent to info@ztrout.org.
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