WRITING ON THE FLY
By George Liset

    I have been doing a lot of reading lately, in part due to the fact that we are finally having a typical New Hampshire winter. Last year at this time I had already been out fly fishing a number of times due to the unusually mild winter. Lake Winnipesaukee had not even iced over. Piles of ice fishing gear were sitting on showroom floors. With all the snow and extended cold temperatures, there is not much open water, so I read.

    As I was reading online, I came across an article titled “Top Six Tailwater Trouteries in Colorado,” by Pat Dorsay which was previously printed in Fly Fisherman magazine. I have never fly fished Colorado but I have been there a few times. Pat mentions the Arkansas River in Pueblo and the South Platte in Deckers, both places I have visited. It was an informative article, so I passed it on to my friend Mike who lives in Chicago. Mike’s son attended Colorado State University and was a fishing guide in between working in the environmental field.

    Mike said that he had fished the North Platte tailwaters at the Grey Reef. Mike said he got skunked but that his son and his friends caught some nice fish. Mike is a great guy, not wanting to show up his son in front of all his friends.

    That had me thinking about top ten lists. Top ten lists have more to do with personal preferences and experiences. I enjoy reading them and comparing them to my own lists. The most common top ten is usually my favorite “Flies.” Choosing a favorite fly has a lot to do with the type of water you fish. Big water? Small stream? Warm water or cold? The answer to those questions is the reason most fly fishers have more than one fly box, and the reason I have a truck load of them. There is nothing worse than not having the right fly.

    So, in a hypothetical situation, if someone said you were going to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere with a fly rod and you can only have one fly box with ten flies in which to catch a fish to survive, which flies would you choose? First of all, if I had to catch a fish to survive, I’d probably be a goner anyway. Staying positive, because that is important in a survival situation, I would choose the following.

    I would have two Wooly Buggers, one in green and one in black in size 12. Those flies can catch all kinds of fish. They have saved many a fishing trip. Then I would add a size 12 Hornberg in green. You can fish them on top of the water or sub surface. Big fish like them, at least that’s what my friends tell me. A Foam Hopper in size twelve and a Chernobyl Ant in a size eighteen are both all purpose flies.

    A Blue Wing Olive and an Elk Hair Caddis in size eighteen are always effective. A Bead Head Prince Nymph and a Bead Head Hare’s Ear nymph in size eighteen can be fished alone or as droppers. The Bead Head Marabou Leech in a size twelve is a great attractor fly. Throw in a Black Stonefly with rubber legs in a size 12. Of course you need one junk fly so I’ll add a San Juan Worm in a size sixteen.

    I guess that is eleven flies, but that is OK since in educational jargon, I’m using “New Math.” Eleven is the new ten. So there you have it. Have fun sharing it with your friends and know that the warm weather is around the corner, we hope.

 George Liset of Dover is an award-winning outdoor writer and avid fly fisherman who shares insights of his time on the water exploring New Hampshire streams and rivers as well of those around New England. George is a graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire. His column Writing on the Fly has been honored by the New England Press Association and the New Hampshire Press Association.