Box One | Box Two | Box Three | Box Four | Box Five | Graphic Caddis Pupa

BOX THREE
This box is smaller than the first two and contains all drys. One side is filled with B.C. Hoppers (#6-10). Spring through fall, I usually fish a Hopper-Copper-Dropper if there are no rising fish. The B.C. Hopper is buoyant and highly visible in all light conditions. The B.C. Hopper is not just a hopper, which most anglers think of as a fall pattern. The tan- and yellow-bodied versions catches hopper and Golden Stonefly eaters, and the orange-bodied pattern is a great Salmonfly imitation.

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The second side of this box contains a few of the mayflies that I might luck into such as Mahogany Duns and Green Drakes. If I know Green Drakes are hatching, I add a few reserves to my supply. The rest of side two consists of some Wulffs and various Kaufmann's Stimulators in different sizes and color combinations. The Stimulators and Wulffs are great searching, small-stream, and dry-dropper patterns.

I carry a minimal number of patterns, but I include many sizes of specific patterns depending on the insect each represents. For example, I carry Baetis mayflies ranging from #18 to #26, PMDs ranging from #16 to #20, and caddis from #16 to #20. Though I am aware of larger and smaller caddis, I don't encounter them enough to justify adding more fly boxes or bumping a row of flies that I use more often. I carry three large 18-compartment fly boxes in my kit bag loaded with flies to restock the smaller fly boxes I carry in my vest.

These are the patterns that I have the most faith in because they have been successful for me over the years. There are, however, many other good patterns for a given situation. The fly patterns I carry work well for me because I am confident in them. You just need to build up your boxes with your confidence patterns, develop a system for organizing your boxes that works well for you, and hope the planets line up on your next fishing trip.