Big fly patterns

[Steve Smith]

My son just got back from a flyfishing trip to the Yellowstone area in Wyoming. Some of his trip was free lance, and some guided. I’ve personally fished the northwest [Fall Creek and Deschutes], but never in the classic rivers in Wyoming and Montana. In any case, he brought me samples of the “hot” flys that were very productive for him… some provided by his guides. I wasn’t all that amazed by the patterns, but the sizes were in my opinion, enormous. The smallest of the samples is probably a 2X size 8 Madam X up to a size 6 EHC. To me, even fishing streamers on the Deschutes, any size 10 pattern was a very big fly. Just out of curiosity, do any here on OA commonly fish large patterns in say size 8 or bigger other than leech patterns? Is the concept big fly, big fish?

[Danoinark]

Steve, outside of a larger hook for a streamer, ie Wooley, a size 16 is big for me on Taney. I was fishing size 18 soft hackles yesterday between outlets 1 and 2 catching a few small rainbows. I switched to a size 16 Triple Threat Caddis and got my biggest fish of the afternoon, a 14 incher. So I don't know. Think I will experiement...Dano

[damselfly]

Had an interesting experience at bennett one day....a friend and I were fishing down by the spring.....catching fish here and there....there was a very tall eldery man catching fish on every other cast.....he was walking down from the spring casting to the opposite bank in between the anglers standing in the current. we got to talking to him as he came by, and he gave us couple of flies he was using......an #8 renegade.....#8 mind you....i couldn't believe it....sure enough,,,,that changed the catch rate that afternoon for us at the spring...and have fished it since with success there.

[motroutbum]

There is a guy that fishes that fly religously at taney with good success also.

[MTM]

I guided Yellowstone Park for many years. Smaller flies still work well there but all I can say is Dumb Cuthroats LOL Even if people don't want to admit it they are dumb for the most part. When I Guided for Lilley's in West Yellowstone some years back if a guide was going to be fishing Yellowstone lake for cutthroats and you asked him were he was going he would just say Walla Walla fishing. We all knew he was going to the lake and catching Cutthroats. This is because all they do for a fight is Wallow on the surface. No run's or jump's at all. If it were not for the current in the streams I doubt many would even fish for them. But the clients seemed to like it. Just my opinion LOL Ron

[Steve Smith]

Exactly on target Ron; the son fished the Yellowstone area and mostly caught cutthroat trout. The pattern types really didn't surprise me at all except they were all size 8 and larger. I mean, the size 6 elk hair cadis is huge compared to most flys we use for trout locally. In fact, one can walk through most of our local fly shops and you'd be hard pressed to find anything much over size 10 in any pattern. And, we talk a lot about patterns and techniques, but size usually doesn't enter most fishing conversations, or at least it doesn't register with me. I was just curious if others out there felt patterns size 10 and smaller are a fish or fisherman's preference? I know I tie a "big ugly" in a size 10 that can be deadly in the winter. It's just a overhackled crackleback that throws a big shadow on the water.