The Fish are Waiting; What Fly Do you Choose

You're on the water.  Ol' Trusty has new line and a fresh tippet.  You're ready to lock and load.  It's going to be a great day of fly fishing.  It's time to tie on the first fly of the day.  How do you choose?


1.  Size -- Nothing is more important.  The size should match what the average fish thinks is an average meal.  Big fish like big meals.  Hungry fish are more apt to hit anything. 

2. Action -- If whatever you are throwing has some kind of action, that can make it appear larger to a fish.  When used correctly, action does attract fish by itself, but the action may also make the fly look larger.

3. Color -- Generally, summertime calls for lighter colors.  As the weather cools, darker colors seem to work better.  This is a good rule to keep in mind, but also one of the first rules you should break. 

4. Realism -- Some flies look a lot closer to real food than others.  In my opinion, it does not matter at all if my flies look like food to me.  The question is whether it fools the fish.  I'm happy when they work, and I'm ready to move on when they do not. 

On a bad day, I will swap out flies until it's quitting time.  I'll try everything.  I'll even use flies that are not "appropriate" for the type of fish or conditions.

But I'll start with a plan and adjust as needed.