southernflyangler.com

l over the last few months I have been slowly shedding gear trying to get down to the bare minimum I need to fish the small free stoners around here. It's a lot like the NC/TN mountains where there aren't any real steady hatches. I end up fishing EHC, Stimulators and some type of Adams with a PT (black, olive or natural). So yesterday I even left the fly box in the truck... I put a few of each pattern on the drying patch and off I went. It worked out pretty good. I got all browns and no bows. This stream usually gives a good mix but not this trip.

Just the lanyard and a couple things in my pocket:

Trout late June 18 by rjeeves, on Flickr

Brown
Trout late June 18 by rjeeves, on Flickr

Brown
Trout late June 18 by rjeeves, on Flickr

Sweet, Rob! I'm down to carrying a little sling pack with all I need. No more 50 pound vest (unless I'm on tailwaters).

10-4 on that Rob. My vest hangs in the Tahoe. I take a few patterns such as Tellico,Yellow wing prince,Fluff cat nymph,Thunderhead and Lime/Dun EHC. Plus fly grease and foreceps. Maybe a spool of tippet if I am going to get far from the truck.

Lighter is mo betta

JT

Yeah man I just started thinking why do I need so many patterns when I catch most of my fish on 3 or 4 dries and 3 or 4 nymphs. Honestly if I can’t get strikes on these flies on the small free stoners it’s me not the fly. It does happen once in a while I mean it’s fishing ... what do ya want right? So about 20 years of fly fishing has taught me something I guess.

Yep. For me -- Thunderhead, EHC, Stimi / Prince, Hare's Ear, PT.