Tying Fly Fishing
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What are the best flies to tie for fishing the south branch of the Ausable in Michigan.?
We will be fishing around Memorial day. We will be fishing the south branch to avoid the fishing pressure of the "Holy Waters". This will be my first time going and am interested to see what the best flies to tie are.
PS. I was looking more for dry flies but would love to hear any outstanding wet ones (want to catch fish). Fish on and thanks.
During spring, many of the hatching insects you'll encounter will be slightly larger in size than what you'd find during the fall through early spring.
Late May is prime time for Gray Drakes, Brown Drakes, and March Browns. These are usually in the #10-12 range. Trout also feed on Red Quills and Hendricksons during May, and those run in the #12-14 range. Sulphurs (#16-18) should get going about this time as conditions start to warm up. And don't forget caddis; they're a staple through the whole season.
To keep life less comlicated and the fishing productive and fun, I'd avoid worrying about matching the hatch. I'd take a few chunky patterns such as Humpys, Wulffs or Irresistibles to adequately represent the Drakes. A #14 parachute Adams should do fine for the Hendricksons/Red Quills. Light Cahills can do double duty for Sulphurs. I'd probably take a #16 in a parachute version for simplicity's sake.
Be sure to take some caddis patterns. Since the trout will be well accustomed to seeing caddis by Memorial Day, this represents your best opportunity to take trout on dries during any time of day except when trout are briefly keyed in on a particular mayfly hatch in progress. There are many great patterns to choose from. I like Goddard Caddis for their ability to fish well in fast and slow currents. A palmered pattern such as a Henryville or EHC can skate nicely, too.
You might find some terrestrial fishing opportunities. I'd take an ant pattern, probably a #14 or #16 black winged ant. This would fish well in the surface film or awash in the current. I wouldn't bother with beetles, since a Humpy will do double duty here. In fact, any of your Wulffs, Irresistibles or Humpys that you've brought for fishing as Drakes will get interest from terrestrial feeding trout. No hopper opportunities to worry about here at this time.
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