Over the years, I have acquired a fair number of different fly patterns. Some I have come to depend on, while others, well, I guess I just sort of liked the way they looked. Like they say, some patterns catch fish, others catch fishermen. They are all lined up in little rows according to species, colour and size in each of my numerous fly boxes. I couldn’t really say for sure how many flies I have, but a rough ‘guesstimation’ would be well over a thousand. Some, I admit, I have never actually tried.
Choosing which pattern to use depends on a number of different factors, such as the type of waters one is fishing – lake or stream, whether the fish are feeding above or below the surface, the season and the species of fish one is after. Living where I do for the past 20 years, I have been, for the most part, a stillwater angler. Not that I don’t go steelheading and salmon fishing whenever I get the chance; I just seem to mostly fish small lakes. I enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with sitting in my boat, casting, waiting and thinking about either what seems important at the time or, sometimes, nothing much at all really.
Some of the patterns I have come to reel on when stillwater fishing are the Doc Spratley, which was developed some time back in the 1940s specifically for B.C.’s Interior lakes. It has proven to be one of the most productive patterns ever devised. Caddis patterns I rely on a lot are the Tom Thumb and Tent-wing Caddis, which consistently draw strikes on the surface, as well as Brian Chan’s Caddis Pupae which similarly draws strikes below the surface.
When I am fishing a lake I have never fished before, there are certain patterns that I use such as the Mohair Leech, which can be trolled around a lake to seek out hot spots where fish are either holding or actively feeding. The leech is truly a fly for all seasons. The Marabou Muddler is another one of my search patterns. It can take on a different life according to the type of water in which it is fished. Muddlers are equally effective in stillwater lakes, as well as fast-flowing streams and rivers. The Pheasant Tail, ’52 Buick and Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear are all patterns that seem to work for no other reason than they have just that right amount of ‘bugginess.’
Many B.C. Interior lakes contain gammarus shrimp, and no fly box should be without a good assortment of shrimp patterns. I prefer some sort of pregnant shrimp pattern. I am a catch-and-release angler, but when I do eat one of the fish I catch, my first choice is always a fish that has been feeding on shrimp. The trick with any of these patterns is to simply figure out which pattern works most effectively on any given day.
This past summer, however, I have been fishing rivers and streams exclusively and have had to learn how to cast a whole bunch of new fly patterns – big heavy patterns with rubber legs and weighted bodies. The learning curve has been pretty much straight upward all the way. Patterns like the Kaufmann Stimulator, Royal Wulff and the Tri-wing Sedge are all large caddis patterns that require a subtle presentation on the surface of the water. I think I managed to scare quite a few fish while learning to cast those big boys. Not to mention weighted patterns like the Zug Bug and Prince Nymph, which also presented a challenge. I am sure a number of fish thought a small airplane had crashed into their holding pool.
I suppose in time, and with enough opportunity, I will learn to cast these types of flies and, in time, some of them will become the patterns I rely on. Until then, I think the fish in the East Kootenay are pretty safe.