Lake fly boxes – What to have and how to keep them organised
Published: 7th February 2018 | Author: Guido VinckI really enjoy organising my lake fly boxes, sorting through the rubbish and filing flies away carefully in ordered groups, making for easy identification and allowing quick changes when required.
While grouping my flies I point out the difference between the various categories, breaking them down into Attractors, Nymphs, Dries, and Buzzers. These are the most important flies for any beginner, as I mention in my previous blog article. All my flies are organised neatly in Fulling Mill Fly Boxes, I particularly like the tournament slimline range as they stack perfectly in most tackle boxes.
Attractors
When heading to any stillwater or lake, you should ensure you have a good selection of lures. These three are the most productive patterns in my lake fly boxes along with being recommended by many other lake anglers.
- Cocktail Orange Blob – Size 10, 12; perfect as the top dropper for stockies.
- Cat’s Whisker/Bead eye – Size 10; a great point fly at any time of the year.
- Barbless Black Snake – Size 10cm; the perfect fly for fry feeders or big aggressive brown trout.
Nymphs
Through late spring into summer, nymphs are extremely effective. I tend to use these three nymph flies on one cast and leave them swing around with the wind.
- Original Diawl Bach – Size 10; use this as the top or middle dropper on the washing line.
- Nemo Pearl Cruncher – Size 10 or 12; when pin fry are around this is my go-to fly, ideal for late season fishing.
- Black Marabou Nymph – Size 10; a great all-purpose nymph that can be fished dead slow or at speed.
Dries
Dry fly fishing is one of the best past-times on the water. Watching trout sip flies from the surface, casting out and fooling them with artificial patterns can extremely rewarding. These highlighted patterns are must-haves in your lake fly boxes.
- CdC Hare Hopper – Size 12; this pattern can be fished as a top dropper, static or pulled for attraction.
- H/Ear & Green Drop Sedge – Size 12; best fished as a single fly during the evening hours, skate it across the surface for great chases.
- Shuttlecock Black – Size 12; a great fly in light wind, fish them into the wind lanes and wait for a subtle take.
Buzzers
Much the same as nymphs, buzzers need to be fished slowly. Cast out and fish slow for resident trout – ensure you use strong fluorocarbon as takes can be savage!
- 3D Glass Black Buzzer – Sizes 10/12; fish this fly through April and May during the buzzer bonanza!
- BM105 Brown Buzzer – Sizes 10/12; one of my best point flies fished through mid-May till July.
- Fluorescent Green Ribbed Olive Buzzer – Sizes 10/12; a great pattern fished under the bung.
One thing to remember that much of the trout’s diet is fairly delicate and that sparse patterns out-fish their gaudy cousins tenfold. There are also many traditional patterns in circulation that do catch fish and with modern day manmade materials, such as holographic tinsel and top quality fritz’s and feathers, these traditional patterns can be brought into the 21st century.
Fulling Mill offers you a wide range of splendid flies. Decent flies may cost a few pence more, but the result is often plenty more fish in the bag and lasted durability. Fulling Mill quality is difficult to beat that’s for sure.
![](javascript:sharePopup('https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.fullingmill.com/lake-fly-boxes-what-do-you-need/&picture=https://blog.fullingmill.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/fly-boxes1.jpg&title=Lake fly boxes – What to have and how to keep them organised"e=Lake fly boxes – What to have and how to keep them organised', 'Share with Facebook','600','400','100','300')){kind=link}