Must have flies in the box?

[SoLow]

What is your top 10 must have flies?
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[catfish77]

Very tough to answer with my five boxes of flies, but here I go:

Pheasant tail bead/no bead
Scuds/Sow Bug
Hare's ear
RS2 type emergers
BWO/parachute adams
PMD
Griffith's Knat
Elk Hair caddis
Hoppers
Ants



Jeez...I could go on and on, but there ya go

Justin
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[TS30]

Not necessarily in order, but you won't find me on the water this time of year without each of these!

Black seal bugger
Olive seal bugger
Dark Claret seal bugger
Stillwater nymph (olive with burnt orange tail)
Stillwater bug (all colors, but fiery brown is a great crawdad pattern IMO)
Shiner Minnow
Callabaetis nymph
Chub Minnow
Golden Olive Spectrumized damsel
Various Chironomid patterns

As you can probably tell, I strongly favor the Rickards type flies for stillwaters. What can I say? They work! But the damsel and chironomids can't be left at home this time of year!
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[Tarponjim]

I "must have" only 6, in assorted sizes and a couple different shades.

*Parachute Adams (grey, pmd, maybe some olives)
*Mayfly Emerger (fished in the film, with a small foam underwing for flotation)
*CDC Dun, (Just some CDC tied to the hook shank--thread body, no tail, no dubbing, no hackle, no nothing but some fuzz on a hook!)
*Spent Wing Mayfly (rusty, trico-black, and a few pale ones) The above CDC fly also fits this bill when wings are splayed.
*Elk Hair Caddis

These 5 cover most any midge, mayfly, or caddis situation, then I add :
*foam-bodied, rubber-legged hoppers. (Black and Tan to cover most "big bugs")

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Any additional flies are for a specific hatch on a specific day, that you don't see too often. (Adult stone flies, Green Drakes, Flavs, CDC caddis, other emergers, etc) Only when needed, but not in the everyday box. Might be an attractor or two tossed in just for fun (Humpy, Trude, etc) Beetles and Ants also have their moments, and are not far from the "must have" box, though not in it. During the warmer months, I also must have some adult damsel flies.

The first 6 are my only "Must Haves" though, day in and day out, anywhere and any time.
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