How many flies?

[AlderBrookFarm]

I'm headed to Belize on Thursday for bonefish, permit & tarpon. The lodge gives you a list of recommended flies but no idea of how many flies to bring. Any suggestions?

[Marshrunner]

AlderBrook Farms,

Very good question. If you are traveling to a lodge you have never fished before, this can be a bit of a challenge. If you have a list of sure performers from the lodge or someone who has just been there, I would try to cull it down to the most promising two or three patterns so you can have a large enough selection of each pattern to cover the likely depth conditions you'll encounter and the size and color preferences the fish may be keying on. The challenge here is, even if you limit your self to taking a quantity of only three flies each of three weight variations, two size variations, and two color variations, you are already up to an incredible 36 flies for each pattern you want to carry.

That's why I tend to carry a large inventory of a small number of flies that I know produce well in the area--and I limit the number of experimental patterns to a few medium weight versions to try if the occasion arises.

I generally split the top patterns I carry, 20/60/20 between heavy lead eyes/medium bead chain eyes/no eyes or non sink eyes and I also split my pattern choice so I have about half suitable for bright days (not much inherent flash in the fly) and half (with brighter, shinier materials) for cloudy days.

For Belize I would lean to smaller flies, more greens and less pinks oranges than you are use to in the Bahamas. Also more small crabs. The Pops Bitters flies and Turneff Crabs have been quite good there over the years.

Lastly, I almost always carry a small tying kit, with the more common bf fly materials chenilles, diamond braid, craft fur, various eyes and hook sizes, etc., which allows me to tie a wide variety of "looks" onsite if the fish are especially picky and keying on some specific color size or shape I do not normally carry. Has saved me on a few trips.

Dick

[AlderBrookFarm]

When you said lean more to greens, what color green? Chartreuse, Olive, Kelly? The list supplied by Angler Adventures calls for Crazy Charlies, Clousers, Gotcha's, Simrams, Brewers amber shrimp and unweighted flies like mini puffs, bonefish special and bunny bones. I have some of all of them except the special and amber shrimp in the box right now, plus some Becks sili legs, small Del's, and a shrimp pattern I tie with wool. I was going to leave the tieing stuff home but now you have me thinkng :)

[Marshrunner]

Angler Adventur's list is an excellent general Southeast Atlantic and Caribbean pattern list.

Three people who have fished Belize a huge amount over the past decade and convinced me that green can be highly effective there are Craig Mathew, Tom McGuane, and Winston Moore. They use olive greens and emerald greens in patterns like the Sea Flea, Turneffe Crab, and Grassy Wonder--as well as occasional highlights of bright blue (Craig's Hermit Crab and Moore's Green Puff). All are in the Bonefish Fly Patterns book.

Since you are close to leaving, I'd either get Craig's fly shop (Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone MT) to overnight a few olive crabs and bitters patterns or just whip up some easy-to-tie pattern youself like the Mini Puff in a couple shades of green as a hedge. The Green Puff as I recall has a tail tied in at the bend of the hook of bright blue, flanked by a pair of grizzly hackle tips, and then a round olive puff-style head/body over small bead chain, finished with a nose of chartreuse thread.

Have a great trip.

Dick

[AlderBrookFarm]

Thank you very much. I had a mossy green chenille and tied up 1/2 dz puffs but with this info I'll tie a few more and throw in some blue.