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[#005028]I am looking to try to make sure my fly box has at least some of the flies I need.. most of what I have now are flies ppl here told me to make sure I have or I have heard about and went and bought.. or some very kind and generous fly tyers have sent them to me.. so here is my one big question...
My situation is that I am fishing socal waters.. primarily (only so far) still water lakes in the area and primarily from shore. so with that in mind... primary species are
I hear a lot about attractor flies and stimulator flies..
what is the difference between the two types of flies... and
realizing my fishing situation what specific attractor and/or stimulator flies should I have in my fly box...
I have been doing some reading on line but have found nothing specific to west coast (socal) so far... for example I have sound the adams, royal wulff and green humpy listed as attractors.. but .. I am not sure they are flies best suited for the socal area...
Thanks in advance for any assitance ... it is appreciated....
MacFly [ ]
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[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool] [b] This generic term is used to describe a number of flies that don't mimic an aquatic insect or marine organism. A good example is the Royal Coachman, which is a clever creation but doesn't imitate any known insect. Attractor flies create curiosity and are often used to draw fish near other flies fished on a dropper. Fly Fishing lakes /reservoirs in SoCal can be rather challenging at least for me as I don’t recall ever seeing a lot of insects floating around. Now if your friendly piece of water has areas where trees over hang or tall shrubs on the banks that’s where you might find terrestrials milling about. Might want to include some black ants, spiders flies etc in your box. I haven’t had much success using dry flies at Irvine Lake which is a reservoir. Some nymphs and streamers would also be worth while to have in your box. Might want to give a phone call to the lake or ask a local fly shop as to what they recommend. I don’t recall if you are a tuber macfly55 for that permit one to cover areas not reachable from shore. Like the over hanging trees. [/b][/size][/green][/font]
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In reading up on the flies we are referencing I had a feeling they may be either very close in use or one in the same.. and like I said I had seen the coachman, the green humpy and another one I cant remember.. my main concern was other than the humpy in different colors.. is there another fly of this sort....
I do have an assortment of nymphs.. and some terrestials such as an ant.. and a few others whose name I dont know but by looking at them I am sure they are a terrestial.. also have a good assortment of streamers either tied for me by generous people such as yourself and FG.. or I went out and purchased...
I also got an assortment of renegades in recently.. and am looking at buying some rusty spinners and lime trudes in the near future.. I will include the various colored humpy flies if they are good for the west coast....
For now I amstuck on the shore.. unless I rent a boat.. so that is what I am working from .. I hope to gain more freedom as experience and funds become available.. we will see on that one..
MacFly [cool]
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[black][size 3]Hey Mac,[/size][/black]
[size 3]I think that if you check it out, you'll find that a "stimulator" is one particular tie.[/size]
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[size 3]It's a large dry fly used to imitate a western adult stone fly.[/size]
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[size 3]Many people use it like they do hoppers, for a strike indicator.[/size]
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Saberfish,
Thank you.. since I was not sure I figured Id go to the experts on the board.. so am still hoping to get more infor.. in particular flies in either group that work on the west coast...
MacFly
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[black][size 3]Hey Mac,[/size][/black]
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[size 3]Like any other fishing situation, it's dependent upon the water you are going to fish. [/size]
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[size 3]Every body of water, strean, lake, pond, etc. has it's own entomoloty. [/size]
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[size 3]If I were going to fish a particular water, I would make a study of the hatches that relate to that water. You mentioned southern california. There are about 80 million fishing clubs in SoCal, any of them would have some type of internet site with hatch charts on it.[/size]
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[size 3]If not, go the web, and call up the body of water you want to fish, there should be either guides or bait shops that service that body of water. They should have information there.[/size]
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[size 3]What water are you most likely to fish?[/size]
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[cool][font "Poor Richard"][size 3][green]Perhaps I have a tendency to be too succinct. While the stimulator works as an attractor it can also represent a dry stonefly pattern. Don't think that I have any & if so need to tie a few as they don't look that difficult to tie. I think that we can at times get overwelmed with the variety of flies available one doesn't know where to start. Fishing on a river I am targeting the trout. Be it a cutt, bow or brown. On the lakes/reservoirs in SoCal there are trout, bass, pan fish you name it waiting to be feed. It's any body guess what is going to work on a given day. The bait shops can only advise you as to what they are hearing from their customers. Some customers are worried that if they tell them what the fish are hitting on there will be no more left when they come back. I remember my first trip to the Snake in Wy all the advise I received was bull. Even the fly stores [/green][/size][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][#008000][size 3]gave me bad info. Go figure.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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[#bf00bf]Very good advise Saberfish. Entomology is a big thing with fly fishing.[/#bf00bf]
[#bf00bf]You can rely on basics such as Scuds, snails, leeches and baitfish for just about any water, but there are also time slots for different feeding. [/#bf00bf]
[#bf00bf]Scuds will pretty much work year round and are a basic food source.[/#bf00bf]
[#bf00bf]Now, a Stimulator, I have always thought of as the fly itself or Sofa Pillows, which are for Stoneflies, Hoppers Crickets so on, where an attractor is more like you mention Dryrod, but I also concider an attractor as the BIGGER fly in a tandom rig, plus some flash. I will use attractors even in underwater fishing.[/#bf00bf]
[#bf00bf]A Chernobyl (spelling on that one) as a great ATTRACTOR[/#bf00bf].
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There are two resovoirs in my area that I fish..one is Lake Wohlford and the other is Lake Dixon...as DR just mentioned both have trout, bass, crappie, bluegill, channel and blue cats, and carp (at Wohlford anyway)... so I try a variety of flies ... usually a larger fly such as a wb with a smaller drop fly like a pt nymph or bwo.. I switch around often.. and make sure I dont stay in one place too long.. so far I have been skunked..
I do try to "read" the lake but still new to it.. I do try to notice what is in or around the water.. for example.. last year saw all sorts of dragon flies of three different colors (red, green, brown).. tried those flies but got nothing.. when I swithced to smaller pt nymphs and hares ear nymphs.. I caught a bunch of small bluegill...
The primary reason I ask questions like this is my being so new.. with so many flies to look at I dont want to get a bunch that would not work in my area on the best of fishing days.. plus some of the terms are confusin...attractors, stimulators.. etc... I figured my odds of catching a fish are increased if I have the flies that simulate what they are used to seeing and eating... :-)
any help inthis area is very much appreciated.....
MacFly[cool]
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[#0000bf]There is a small handbook put out called matching the hatch for the west. It will tell you what, & when hatches happen plus it tells you what fly is suppose to imitate the bug. [/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]There is a lot of different patterns to imitate Dragon or Damsel flies.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]As far as ending up with a lot of flies that DON'T work, welcome to fly fishing[laugh][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]The bad thing is with all the new tiers and the need to come up with something different, you can end up with 1,000's of different renditions on one fly.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Over time you will find what works and stick with that, but every day something comes out that you look at and say....hummmmm that could work.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]I know myself, there is three COLORS that work great on for example the Uinta lakes. Purple, Yellow and Orange, so I have come up with regular fly patterns in these colors and they work killer. (ex: an Orange Griffith Gnat)[/#0000bf]
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hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm so get the book to see what basics will work in the west and when.. then keep looking at the new variations and spending money on them.... sounds like fun to me.. not sure the wife will agree.. [laugh]
MacFly [cool]
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A fly is something you unzip before heading into the bushes to...wait I got  too. Here is a good starter selection for most western waters:
Nymphs:
hare's ear
pheasant tail
prince
chamois caddis
copper john
Streams
Olive Wooly Bugger
Muddler
Dry
Adams (parachute or regular)
x-caddis
Stimulator
mosquito
BWO
PDM
Others
Renegade
scud (olive or gray)
Royal wolf
Basic start, build from there. Seems like each water is unique in some respect, but these should get you started.
katghoti
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Thank you for the list.. that will come in handy.. in fact just looking at it I already have most of them in varying sizes.. so there goes my explanation as to why I keep getting skunked.. [sly]
I am also looking at getting some lime trudes, some various colored humpy (red green, yellow), rusty spinners and one other fly I dont remember.. but it is on my wish list.. LOL..
any other suggestions are welcome.. es[pecially in the attractor or simulator areana...
MacFly
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If you are fishing a Wohlford or Dixon, don't forget the good ole Clousers. Those are some of the better ones for the LMB over there.
There are also the Popper Flies and Pistol Petes. You need to think like the Bass to catch a Bass.
Even the Trout and Panfish there will hit on the Pete's. Brown, Black and Olive are the better local colors there just because of the staining of the water.
The leech imitations will also do well. Just get out the bunny fur and go to town there. [cool]
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I do have a variety of poppers in large and small. I also have two or three clousers in a couple of different colors. I have used them both.. alone and in a dropper rig. So again its looking like lack of the right flies is not my exscuse... maybe talent is.. lol....
btw. what is a pistol pete.. if I can find them on line I will order some in since you suggested them as good flies to have...
I do have some leech patterns and scuds that FG sent me as well. In fact the last time out I used the leeches, the clousers, the poppers usually with a pt nymph or hares ear onas a dropper....
I am thinking my main problem is the hatches and fishing from the shore. Several people told me that I need to get out onto the water so that I open up my options..
Thank you for the suggestions.. I will make sure I have what you suggest in my fly box....
MacFly [cool]
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Pistol Pete (also called a Hummer) is a woolly bugger with a propeller. I will make some up for you to try along with the new one I got for you to try. Like I said I I got to get some new material for this new fly, but it is cool. Can be the answer for the Carp also in the right color.
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so a bugger with a propeller.. hmmmmm now that is an interesting concept.. [laugh].. not to sound silly.. but is that in the same category as a rusty spinner??
..as always.. thank you... the flies and advice and most importantly the friendship you have given me are priceless and will always be appreciated...
MacFly
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[cool][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3] Don't have a Pistol Pete nor have I ever fished one. Would imagine the wt and propeller would buck the air when being cast. To cast would that require one to make a bigger casting loop?[/size][/green][/font] [center]
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Try very early in the day and Late in the afternoon. Around weed beds and over drop offs.
nymphs like pheasant tails, damsel fly or dragon fly nymphs use a very slow retrieve of just a few inches using a hand twist retrieve.
clouser - try slow retrieves and fast retrieves. try a steady retrieve and then a retrieve with a pause in it. Try a Switch up in you retrieve like having the rod off to you right side and then sudden switch to having the rod extended to your left side. The sudden change in direction may induce a strike by a fish that is following your fly.
Most important - the fly must be at the fishes depth.
But what do I know I have fished a lake only twice. Both times without success. But others have caught fish following my instructions. go figure.
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actually I do most of what you said but then again it never hurts to be reminded ...
as far as your record on a lake compared to the value of your advice.. well waht I can say for sure is that on a small (pond) on a golf course I used a popper and slow retrieves and caught a bass and a crappie.. and those two fish are what got me caught on to this sport.. so Id say your advice in tactics is right on... and I do thank you for the reminder....
MacFly [cool]
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