Your Confidence Box

[mic]

I just read a great article about a kid in a youth trout tournament. The kid picked a piece of water almost always overlooked. He belly crawled up to the water and picked up enough quality fish to win. The author and others asked to see his fly box. I don't remember the exact number but he only had a few different types. Now, I love an article that really makes you think about your approach, equipment, etc., and this one did. The author's point was pick just a few critical flies and really learn how to fish them. The author's point reminded me of my best friend's father. He sent him out on his first squirrel hunts with three rounds, and three rounds only. This approach didn't last long, but it was long enough to make him a thoughtful hunter and good shot.

So name your water and your confidence box. You get two dries, two wets, and one streamer. Now... you got the guts to try

Water: Blue Springs Creek

Dries: 14 Royal Coachman & 18 Griffin's Gnat

Wet: 16 Ice Scud and 16 Wet GRHE

Streamer: Olive Woolly

I'm hoping to give it a try on Sunday.

[stlfisher]

My starting five on any water:

#16 Caddis and #22 midge (various colors)

#16 grey scud and #16 prince nymph

#10 slumpbuster (various colors)

Cool topic!

[laker67]

My choice of water would be "any" trout water in misssouri or arkansas. Fly selection would be a grey sowbug and a tan sowbug, both on a size 14- 2487. If I had to throw a streamer in the mix, it would be leonard's hibernator, olive and black. My total fly box only consists of 4 different patterns.

[Addicted to Creeks]

Water: Current River

Dries: Adams and a Foam Hopper

Wet: Glo Bug on 1/80th oz jig head and San Juan Worm

Streamer: Clousers Minnow

BONUS ROUND (this time with a spinning rod)

Water: Salt River

Top Water: Baby Zara Spook

Mid: Beetle Spin and 1/4oz jig head with White Power Grub

Bottom: Gulp Crayfish in pumpkin seed

[mic]

My starting five on any water:

#16 Caddis and #22 midge (various colors)

#16 grey scud and #16 prince nymph

#10 slumpbuster (various colors)

Cool topic!

I'm not sure what the rules are... Should we add your color? I'm mean your could have a half a dozen different caddises when you add in color.

[stlfisher]

I'm not sure what the rules are... Should we add your color? I'm mean your could have a half a dozen different caddises when you add in color.

Mic, you are making me think to hard for a friday afternoon. j/k.

I'll tidy it up a bit.

Starting five:

#16 Elk hair Caddis/Green/Olive body, #22 Grey midge

#16 Grey Scud, #16 Prince Nymph

#10 Natural colored slumpbuster

[drew03cmc]

Warmwater or coldwater, it is the same.

My dries are a #12 Chernobyl and a #16 tan foam ant

My nymphs/wets are #12 rubber leg BH prince and a #12 partridge and orange

My streamer is a black #10 BH bugger

I will catch bass, bluegill, trout and anything else on these.

[mic]

Mic, you are making me think to hard for a friday afternoon. j/k.

It's good for...hope j/k isn't short for jerk.

[drew03cmc]

Mic, if I had to choose though, it would depend upon which waters, which fish, etc...I don't normally carry ANY dries or surface flies. I would actually substitute those two surface flies that I listed with BH san juan worms and a woolly worm in black with grizzly hackle.

[Kayser]

What were the rules of the tournament? Number of fish, or size, or total inches? That would definitely change what my selection would be. As would the water and the type of trout I'm chasing (stocked small, stocked keepers, wild? browns, bows, brookies?).

But for now,

Water: Current River

Fish: Park escapee bows, Resident stocked browns

Dries- #14 Tan Elk Hair Caddis, #8 Brown Stimulator

Nymphs- #12 BH Prince, #14 Pheasant Tail

Streamer- #8 Black Mohair

Mic, could you provide a link to the article? I think it would be a good read.