Well, somebody's gotta get it started...

[d-mack]

Let's have a top three list for what fly you WON'T be without no matter what.

Mine is....
3. #16 parachute adams
2. #20 griffith's gnat
1. #14 BH Prince nymph

Here's why....

If you're any good, you can make an adams look like any type of small midge. Fish just eat 'em. Griffith's have peacock herl in 'em and fish LOVE peacock feathers. Lastly, well if you don't know why on the BH prince, you're not really a fly fisherman anyway so don't worry about it.
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[windknot]

As long as it has a propeller on the front and a treble hook on the back (to hold the power bait of course) I'm good to go.
P.S. Dont for get to soak the flies in smelly jelly.
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[ruger]

Finally, a place for us fly flingers to play w/o (hopefully) the condescending and elitist attitudes that prevail on another unnamed board (non-bft)[].

#1 size 16 GBHFB pheasant tail. Produces for me everywhere but the Green
#2 Size 18-10 renegade. Again big producer and easily modified or weighted.
#3 TIE. size 6 mudder minnow or size 18-12 "rockchuck"
Big browns love the mudder and the rockchuck is another easily modified generalist that always produces.
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[cat_man]

#18 Beadhead gold ribbed hair's ear (or beadhead pheasant tail)
Olive or black wooly bugger
#16 Adams
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[d-mack]

I'm Knot even going to touch that one. (I'm afraid wades2deep wil cut me off).
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[windknot]

wades2deep is who taught me everything I know.[sly]
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[HFT]

These pic's are my favorite fly's, the first two I will not go to the river without. The third I keep in the bed room. You know just in case I need it! Not!
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[d-mack]

Cool. What's he charging for a 15 second lesson these days? Or did you splurge and go for the 27 second lesson that includes casting and entomology.
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[d-mack]

That pattern is my favorite for fresh smoked trout.

OK I know that was bad....

Bad D-Mack Bad. No soup for you......2 years.
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[wades2deep]

Windknot obviously has a firm grasp on a couple of the most fundamental aspects of beginning flyfishing:

#1 Get chummy with someone who ties tons of flies - their leftovers and cast-offs are your personal treasure trove.

#2 As loudly as certain extended family members may pontificate upon their own legendary and almost God-like prowess with the long-stick, it's always wise and prudent to seek ideas, opinions, and considerations outside of the immediate gene pool. At the very minimum, check things out in the deep end.

#3 Automatic fly reels are frequently just that - an automatic and inopportune end to your fly fishing day. If it's got a clockspring and you gotta wind it up, it just doesn't belong on a fly rod.

W2D
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[DKSRenegade]

I need two lists. One for streams and rivers and one for lakes.
Streams:
1- Royal Wulff
2- Pheasant Tail
3- Renegade

Lakes:
1- Wllooy Buggers
2- Prince Nymph
3- Beaver Leach
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[EvilAsh]

So what's wrong with being condecending and an elitist?????
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[garbageman]

I too have a love of the bead head prince nymph, pmd's, and caddis flies, but my two absolute favorites are the lime trude ( Dry ) and the wd-40 or copper john ( nymph ). I have had more consistant success with those two flies than anything else. However, I am not what you'd consider an expert fly fisherman. On the bright side, I am extremely proficient in handing my fly in a tree, and snapping off the tippet.
GM
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[windknot]

As for #1. Well Duh

As for #2 im not sure if ive been ensulted or what
Can you use smoller werds?
As for #3 With out a auto real, who can I hold my PBR [crazy]
I guess I could get one of those bitchin cool hats that
hold two beers at the same time. Gosh that guy must
have been a freakin Elbert Eyenstien. [sly]
And besides I can't go in the deep end remember,
My toon leaks
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[RipNLips]

It's hard to pick just three for lakes AND streams like DKSRenegade said. In fact I like his list a lot. I'd have to throw in a scud however.
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[ruger]

[size 1]

[size 1]So what's wrong with being condecending and an elitist????? [/size]

[/size]
[size 1][size 2]IMHO, [/size]If someone wants to look down their nose at someone who doesn't toss pocket lint, then that's their issue. To me fishing is fishing and anyone who has turned it into something more than that has lost sight of why they fish in the first place. I sometimes see the attitudes of elitist flyfishers as analogous to the attitudes of some of the members of the local dominant religion. For unjustified and silly reasons they put on an attitude of superiority that only serves to alienate those around them and give ammunition to idiots like the fine mayor of SLC and others. In the end, what purpose does it serve? The biggest threat to our sport are not our fellow fishermen who obey the laws but use different techniques; it is all the threats to habitat that we are constantly battling. [/size]
[size 1]FISHING IS FISHING; if someone wants it to be more than that, they need to get a life![/size]
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[DKStroutfitter]

Ruger, you have a valid point. I started fly fishing about 25 years ago. At that time for some reason I felt like a fish should never again be caught on bait or spinners.
It took me a few years to realixe that fishing is just that.
There are many effective ways to catch a fish. I now use most of them. I now catch a lot more fish.
The biggest reason for my change of attitude was the difficulty that I was having getting my fly into my ice hole!![].
This will be a great place to exchange fly fishing information as long as we all remember to respect everyone else, if you know what I mean.
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[EvilAsh]

I guess I should have included the []
I don't really care how one fishes. As long as they're doing it legally in the area they're in, i.e. no bait in artificial only waters, pick up what the brought in, and one pet peeve of mine is watching someone try to yank a treble hook out of a gut caught fish and then throw it back in the water. To me that's lack of respect for the wildlife. I've fished all my life and my preference of fishing is with a fly rod.
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[campfire]

Sorry, but I need three lists:
Dry:
renegade
royal wolf
para adams

Nymph:
gold rib hare's ear
pheasant tail
red serendipity

Streamers:
Woolybuggers in different colors
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