What Flies, and When?
By Connor Truman
Too many times have I been on the water with one of the boys and been asked “what should I use” and to be fair its a very valid question. We all know if the fish are rising and eating on the surface we should probably use a dry fly; if there is a sucker spawn or smelt run happening, you always try and match the hatch. The difficulty comes on the days where no such events are happening. Here’s my process for selecting flies for these more difficult situations. Keep in mind this will mostly focus on catching trout in Yellowstone National Park.
First, you must identify what species you are targeting. If you are targeting bass, you’re most likely using a foam popper, Clouser minnow or some other sort of large attractor fly. When targeting Trout in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, you will primarily be using dry flies and nymphs. If you like throwing streamers like me, you will have an assortment of them, as well. Most of my nymphs and dries are size 8 through 18.
An important factor to note is your water conditions. If the water is high and dirty, I usually start with something that will be visible, such as a jig style pheasant tail with an orange bead or a pink bead hare's ear - usually, both having some flash on them. Something with a little flash will help entice the fish and penetrate the murky water. Both of these flies on the larger side of 8-12. When the water is clear, I’ll downsize and choose a fly that looks more natural. I tend to lean towards size 14-18 and usually a fly that's a little slimmer like a perdigon or frenchie. Personally, I still use lots of flashy beads like orange, pink and brass.
For quick reference:
Clear water - Small natural colored dries and nymphs
Dirty water - Larger bright colored attractor nymphs or streamers
As every fisherman has heard many times over, match the hatch. Meaning use a fly that matches the bugs the fish are already eating! If you see fish rising and eating caddis, you should use a caddis. If they are eating mayflies, tie on a mayfly imitation. When it comes to matching the hatch with nymphs, you have a few options. Flip rocks and see what’s currently in the water. This helps give you an idea of what bugs are potential food if you don't see any rising. If you see bugs flying everywhere but none rising, I like to use either an emerger or a nymph that match the bugs flying around. I will set my indicator lower on the line so they rest higher up in the water to make the flies look as if they are moving to the top.
Now, there is a chance you match the hatch perfectly and the fish may still not bite.
When this happens, I will break out my confidence flies - these are your tried and true flies. An olive wooly bugger with some flash in the tail and an orange beaded hares ear with a soft hackle collar are my go to. Being confident in your flies will assist in good casts and making the most out of each drift.
Finally, time of year plays a big factor in my fly selection. I won’t be using big hoppers in late May while fishing in Yellowstone. Talking to your local fly shop or even googling the hatches for the time of year will be very beneficial. The basics in YNP are small nymphs and dry flies for the spring followed by the big hoppers and salmon flies as you get into summer. Later into fall as the larger trout become more active, you can use bigger streamers for the more aggressive and typically larger fish.
With these few tips, you should be able to catch some fish. As always, stop in at the local fly shops such as Big Sky Anglers in West Yellowstone, Northfork Angler and Wyoming Trout Guides in Cody, or go check out our article on some of my personal favorite flies.
