Friday Fly Day - Fly Fishing New Waters, What Flies Do I need?

So many anglers are at a loss when visiting new territory. What flies they will need and in which sizes being the foremost questions on their minds. Here’s a tip. The flies In your box will certainly do the job.

Whenever visiting a new river, and yes, there are many I have not fished, I generally reach for the stock standards…flies that work the world over, there’s a reason for that.

Mayflies are abundant in pretty much every flowing waterway here in NZ and are generally found in large numbers. This is why you’ll find most fly boxes are jammed packed with mayfly representations. And why not?

Most mayfly species are size 14-18, slim, dark and there enough of these to make fish eat even if they are feeding on other species.

Simply turn over a few rocks and match what you see from your fly box. Whenever I hit a new stream, here are the flies from the Manic Fly Collection I’d never be without...

Death Metal Pheasant Tail

Hare and Copper

CDC Stealth PT

Parachute Dad’s Favourite

Parachute Adams

As you can see, they’re all pretty similar apart from the tones. This allows you to play with ‘dark day, dark fly’ or ‘light riverbed, dark fly’ variables and have options. Trout will inspect anything if its presented right but make sure you have a few stonefly and caddis variations if needed and very most importantly, different weights. If those fish are anchored to the bottom, it often takes a surprising amount of weight to get down to them.

This is the season to explore. Don’t let uncertainty hold you back.