Berkshire Small Stream Fly Selection

[flyfishmanhattan]

A friend just rented a house in the Berkshires and wants me to take him out on some small streams. I do a lot of my fishing in NJ and downstate NY on small streams. Expect I'll be coming up in May.

www.wildtroutstreams.com suggested the following flies to fill a small fly box. Looks like a great selection for NJ streams, wonder if good for Berkshires (I'm going to buy him a box and flies and leave as a gift):

Dries
1. Caddis, tan (Goddard or elk hair caddis)
2. Caddis, black (all #18 – use for early season stonefly)
3. Adams, parachute
4. Sulphur, parachute
5. Royal Wulff
6. Ant, black
7. Hopper, parachute (#12 – 4 will fit)
8. Emergers: 2 caddis, 2 mayfly
Nymphs (#16 and #18, unless noted – all bead heads):
1. Pheasant tail
2. Flashback pheasant tail (+ 4 #20 to imitate small olives)
3. Gold ribbed hares ear, natural
4. Gold ribbed hares ear, black
5. Prince
6. Scuds, gray
7. Caddis pupae, #16 only: 4 tan, 4 olive
Streamers:
1. Wooly bugger, bead head, olive (#12)
2. Wooly bugger, bead head, black (#12)
3. Matuka, green/black/red (#12)
4. Hornburg, brown/yellow (#12)
Miscellaneous:
• Inch worm (green latex)
• Stone fly nymphs (2 large black and 2 golden medium)
• Griffiths Gnat
• Midge emerger, e.g. WD40
• Brassies (#22)

The site also has some stream maps for western MA which I've downloaded.

Ira

[jlibs]

Hello Ira,

Thanks for posting this info. It looks good. One of the BCFF recent meeting topics was focussed on the flies we use and how we fish them.

One of the many friendly debates that surfaced in the meeting was on how many fly patterns and various sizes do we need in our vest to be effective. I personally feel that only a handful of flies are needed such as the prince, gold bead hares ear, zug bug, etc., some old proven dries such as the elk hair caddis and BWO, etc. as well as some attractor streamers and wooly buggers. Certainly, later in the warmer summer months, terrestrials come in handy, but I still do not carry too many options (ants, grass hoppers, san juan worm, black nat).

What do you think? Do you feel you need all of the choices you list above? I'm sure they will all work, especially when fished correctly, but are they really needed? I seem to recall that I was in the minority at the meeting.

What do you think? My minbd can be changed and I am still learning. -Other BCFF members?

JLIBS

[Uplander]

jlibs said:

-Other BCFF members?

I only carry about 25 flies (multiple copies of about 5 or 6 patterns) with me, all dries, no terrestrials. Works for me.

[FishinCane]

I agree. As a minimum I could get by with:

Wooly Bugger (black or olive)
Copper John
Parachute Adams
Parachute Sulpher
Rusty Spinner
Griffiths Gnat

[flyfishmanhattan]

Part of the rationale for the broad selection was to have one box that could serve you for the entire year, and would give you a shot at catching a fish on a limestone as well as a freestone stream.

I think you could get away with fewer flies at any given time of year, and certainly fewer if you only fished freestones.

In NJ, anyway, the sulfers would be useless early season, along with the terrestrials, while the black caddis would be essential early, and useless late. In NJ, also, there's no closed season, so nymphs are essential from November through April (at least part of the day).

I know the Green River in Great Barrington has some limestone characteritics. Are most of the streams in the hills freestone? I'm looking forward to exploring some upland streams.

Ira

[jlibs]

Hi Ira,

I spend a lot of time on the Green down here in South County. Until the water gets too hot late in the summer, the Green is my "go to" river. Each brook, stream and river is very different here. I live nearly within walking distance of the Green, Housatonic, Alford brook, Seekonk Brook and the Willams River and they are all very, very different waters, and each section has its own special charecteristics too.

JLIBS

[flyfishmanhattan]

The Green. I've fished it a few times...often when it's too warm. Never had a great day, though once I picked up 6 fish or so in a few hours.

The sight of those big, hog brownies (do they come up from the Housie?) holding in the bridge pools is enough to get me there despite the difficulties. But they are so d**n spooky.

Never had any success with dries....

Mostly ran streamers through the bend pools.

Picked up the nicest fish nymphing the (few) deep runs.

Any suggestions?

[jlibs]

Look me up when you want to head out on the Green River. I keep a topo map and wade up from all of the bridges and access points from Great Barrington, Sheffield and Egremont. I have my favorite bends and holes too. The bend where the Green meets the Housy does have big browns, if you know where to access the area, and you can figure out what debris to avoid on the bottom so you don't lose a nymph, or two, on each cast.

JLIBS (Josh Liberman)