I spent today guiding Colorado resident, Doug. This was
Doug’s first time fishing the Snake despite many visits to
Jackson. He did a fantastic job learning the ins and outs of tight-
line nymphing and was rewarded with a lot of fish. Here are a
few pictures. Nice work Doug!
Over the years, many of my clients have asked to buy
flies from me; ensuring they get patterns that work and that
are tied to hold up to numerous fish. This winter I decided to
put together a box of my favorite flies. I consider this to be a
great all around collection of patterns that will work well on
the waters in and around Jackson Hole. Each box (I chose to
use Cliff’s Bugger Beast Jr., a cool fly box made right here in
Wyoming) comes with 80 flies, but can accommodate many
more.
Each box (10″x6.5″x2.75″) includes 2 of the following:
Hare’s Ears, Royal Wulffs, Parachute Adams, PMD Sparkle
Duns, PMD Grey Drakes, Double Humpies, Stimulators, Elk
Hair Caddis, Goddard Caddis, X-Caddis, Yellow Stoneflies,
Yellow Sallies, Sofa Pillows, Skwala Stoneflies, Chernobyl
Ants, Turk’s Tarantulas, Parachute Hoppers, Dave’s Hoppers,
Grand Hoppers, Beatles, Pink Chernobyls, Wooly Buggers
(black and yellow), Muddler Minnows, Rabbit Streamers,
Montana nymphs, Yellow Stonefly nymphs, Pheasant Tails,
Hare’s Ear’s, Black Hare’s Ears, Red Copper Johns, Copper
Johns, Zebra Midges, Peacock Soft Hackle, Hare’s Ear Soft
Hackle, Zug Bugs, Rubber Leg Prince Nymphs, Brassies,
Griffin’s Gnats, parachute BWOs.
Cost for box and 80 flies: $300
If you’d like a box of my hand-tied flies for your upcoming
trip to Jackson, or as a souvenir, give me a call. I’m also
happy to tie custom orders too. Just tell me what you need!
Many times clients ask me what flies I recommend for fishing our many waters here in Jackson Hole. Take a walk into one of the fly shops in town, or thumb through your most recent fly fishing catalogue and you’ll see hundreds of different flies to choose from. And while I carry many different patterns in my fly boxes, there are several flies that I wouldn’t be caught without. Below is my list of go to flies. Whether you’re fishing on the Snake, or one of its tributaries, these are what I’d recommend carrying:
Stimulator size 8 and 10- can represent hoppers, stoneflies, etc.
Royal Wulff size 12- a great attractor dry fly.
Parachute Adams, size 10-20- a size 14 will get you through most situations.
Black Wooly Bugger– size 8- can represent stonefly nymphs, leeches, etc.
Parachute Hare’s Ear– size 10-18- size 12 is great and can represent several of our mayflies, also a good all-around searching pattern.
PMD Sparkle Dun– size 14- a great pattern for PMD hatches and can represent several of the insect stages.
Double Humpy– size 8- great dry fly attractor. Can be used to represent stoneflies, hoppers.
Copper John– size 14- fish it by itself, or as a dropper
Hopper (Dave’s, parachute, grand, etc.) size 6-10- fish key in on these during the summer.
Chernobyl Ant– size 8- I like to tie mine with a tan underbody, but other colors work great too. One of the go-to summer patterns around here.
Pheasant Tail nymph– size 12- 18- A great all around nymph to have in your box. Different sizes will represent several of our mayfly species; for instance try a size 18 or 20 during a Blue Wing Olive hatch.
Grey Drake Sparkle Dun– size 10- The Green River and Flat Creek have great Grey Drake hatches. The sparkle dun is a favorite of mine to fish when these large mayflies are on the water.
So there you have it, my favorites. I realize I left some great patterns off the list, but I think these 12 patterns will get you through almost any situation out here. For those of you in need of flies, or looking for a souvenir to take home with you, check out a box of my hand-tied flies.
It’s fitting that with the spring time change comes sunshine and good fishing on the Snake! The past few days here in Jackson Hole have been beautiful, with temperatures in the high forties and blue skies. This weather has been great to fish in. We’ve spent time fishing some select spots on the Snake and have been rewarded with trout; taken both on dries and nymphs. Midges are hatching like crazy right now, evident by the HUGE piles of shucks on the banks as well as the hundreds of adults floating on the surface. Here are a few pictures from our outing.
Husks, bigger and thicker than my beard…
Yesterday, despite a winter storm warning, I took two hardy souls fishing on the Snake. Josh and Hanse were determined to fish; blizzard be damned! These guys worked the water hard with their double nymph rigs and were each rewarded with a few fish; and of course there was the colossal cutthroat that got away! (it’s not a fishing trip without one!) Here are a few pictures from our outing.
