If you’re anything like me, you love having a complete and organized fly box going into the fishing season.
Dreaming of warm days when bugs are hatching and trout are rising, I have been working on a “match the hatch” box this winter. I am filling it with flies to imitate the many hatches we see in the Greater Yellowstone fisheries. Whether it be green drakes, pmds, golden stones, or caddis, I want a working box I can carry throughout the hatch season that covers all the bases.
As I finish filling the fly box, I thought it would be fun to share my thought process behind the box and the fly patterns I used. Maybe this article inspires you on the vise or sparks ideas for your own fly boxes.
Match The Hatch Fly Box
I intend to use this fly box on the many Yellowstone Region fisheries famous for their abundant hatches and rising trout. Rivers like the Henry’s Fork, Missouri, Yellowstone, Firehole, Madison, and any other I may fish throughout the season. Historically, I carry multiple fly boxes, each for a specific hatch. For example, I have a fly box for caddis, one for drakes, another for pmds, and so on. This season, I hope to carry one or two fly boxes (if you’re a fly tyer, you know how hard this is) that cover all my bases while on the river.
As a hatch matching box, most flies I tied were dry flies. However, I did include a few nymphs for sight-fishing scenarios. In the past, I have had trouble with foam/plastic slot fly boxes for my dry flies. These fly boxes smush many of the materials used to float the flies, wasting the effort on the vise trying to make them pretty. To solve this, I purchased a compartment fly box. It works very well for big and small dry flies, and I am excited to get it out on the water.
So, what flies did I include in the hatch matching fly box? The fly box consists of various colors, sizes, and life stages for many hatches in the Yellowstone Region. Some of these flies have been my go-to patterns for years, while others are entirely new to me.
The flies included in my “match the hatch” fly box are as follows:
Last Chance Cripple Green Drake (size 10)
Green Drake CDC Cripple (Size 8)
Foam Hackle Spinner Green Drake (Size 8 and 10)
DJL Green Drake (Size 12)
Henrys Fork Foam Golden Stone (Size 10)
Flav Cripple (Size 14)
PMD Sparkle Dun (Size 16)
Olive X-Caddis (Size 14)
Tan X2 Caddis (Size 14)
Foam Beetle (Size 14)
Foam Hackle Spinner Gray Drake (Size 12)
Harrop’s CDC Para Spinner Callibaetis (Size 14)
Harrop’s CDC Para Spinner Rusty (Size 14 and 16)
CDC Biot Rusty Spinner (Size 16)
Rusty Spinner (Size 16)
Hi-Vis Rusty Spinner Black (Size 16)
Last Chance Flav Cripple (Size 14)
Last Chance PMD Cripple (Size 16)
Galloup’s Bent Cripple Flav (Size 14)
Tan Iris Caddis (Size 14)
Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail Nymph (Size 14 and 16)
Partridge Caddis Soft Hackle (Size 14
While I am excited to fish all these flies this year, a few stand out. I go into detail on a few of my favorites below.
Last Chance Green Drake Cripple
The Last Chance Cripple, designed by Rene Harrop, has been my most productive mayfly imitation for the last few years. When I can’t get fish to eat, I tie on a last chance cripple. Trout tend to key on crippled duns during heavy hatches, so it’s paramount to have a few cripples in the box. This Green Drake always fishes well for me on the Henry’s Fork during its famed Green Drake hatch in the middle of June.
Sawyer's Pheasant Tail Nymph
While I didn’t include many nymphs in this box, sometimes, it is all you can get a fish to take. I was turned on to the Sawyer Pheasant Tail last year, and I had a productive summer using it when sight nymphing. It is lightly weighted, so it lands softly in flat water but is not heavy enough to sink straight to the bottom. This makes it perfect for dry dropper rigs or just solo. I fish it in flat, clear water when I can see the trout feeding. It has also proved productive in many stillwaters.
Harrop's CDC Para Spinner Rusty
This spinner was shown to me on the banks of Henry’s Fork last year, so I decided to tie a few up for the upcoming season. It is one of Harrop’s most popular patterns on the Henry’s Fork for imitating the flav spinners. I also tied it in a gray drake or callibaetis coloration. I’m excited to give it a go this year.
Foam Beetle
It is important to keep a few terrestrials on hand no matter the time of year. When confronted with a picky fish, a beetle or ant usually does the trick for me. This is especially true when I am fishing in the park for Yellowstone cutthroat. The park’s cutthroat rarely let a beetle float over their head. The black krystal flash used for the legs is my favorite detail on this fly.
Foam Hackle Spinner Gray Drake
I was somewhat unprepared amid a gray drake spinner fall on the Yellowstone River last summer. I had never encountered gray drakes before, so I never thought to tie any. While I was able to get by with some rusty spinners, I wish I had a few gray drakes in the box. When looking for a new dry fly pattern, there is no better place to ask than the crew at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone. The foam hackle spinner is a Craig Mathews tie and one I look forward to fishing this summer. I also did a few for the green drakes as well.
X2 Caddis
The X2 caddis is a new fly for me this year. After watching the Daufel brothers tie it in a fly tying demo, I figured I’d give it a try. They used caribou hair for the wing, though I just used X-caddis deer hair from Blue Ribbon Flies. I plan to have the X2 caddis for the prolific caddis hatches on the Madison River this summer.
Henry's Fork Golden Stone
This box wouldn’t be complete without a golden stone pattern. The Henry’s Fork stone has been my go-to stonefly for years and is responsible for many trout to hand. Golden stones are always flying around during the prime hatch season and a snack many trout can’t refuse. These are tied in a size ten and incorporate my favorite stonefly dubbing, the STS Trilobal Dubbing from Hareline.
I hope you enjoyed this detailed description of my hatch-matching box. Please reach out if you have any questions about the flies or further pattern suggestions. Like any fly tyer, I always look for another fly to add to the box.
As I add new hatches, many of these flies will be shared on the “Fly Box” page over the next few weeks. Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get updates on when new hatches are live.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you out there when the hatches start flying!
Nick
2 thoughts on “Match The Hatch Fly Box”
I’ve noticed on your list here that you have all big bugs and no small ones. 18-20’s.
Yes Dan. I plan to carry this box during June, July, and August on our many match the hatch rivers in the region. During this time frame, there are not many hatches that require smaller flies. Maybe a size 18 PMD or ant pattern would be beneficial to carry. Otherwise, our bugs are not that small and fish willing to feed on size 16 or bigger flies. Don’t get me wrong, I will have a few smaller flies on me if needed, but I don’t anticipate needing them too often. Who knows though, I may get stuck in a situation with too big of flies this year and rethink the fly box. That’s the fun in fly fishing, always learning.
Nick
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