Here we are! Almost the end of the year!
I mentioned in the last post that I would share my most used flies of 2023. I tried to keep my fly selection simple… or, at least “relatively simple.” I generally prefer to fish more traditional-style kebari in my practice, but I did try to get a little better at tight-line nymphing over the year. I can’t say I’m great at it, but I definitely understand it a bit better now. When it comes down to it, I still prefer to throw a kebari first.
Here are some of my most used patterns from 2023:
Ume Futsu
Starting with my most-fished pattern of the year, and the one that had the most recorded catches, this futsu pattern has played a key role in my success this year. I like to tie this one on a larger hook than I fished in the past. I think the “size 12” hook seemed to work best. The darker body, bright green head, and grizzly hackle seemed to be a favorite amongst rainbows on my favorite river. I generally dead drift this one closer to the surface, but still submerged a little - and will add in a bit of pon pon or sasoi depending on the conditions.
Ishigaki Kebari
The Ishigaki kebari is a classic, yet simple pattern that also performed well in the months of July and August. I used this one mostly on mid-sized creeks, and it never failed to get at least one strike. While it wasn’t one of my most-fished patterns, it was definitely consistent and had one of the best catch-per-use ratios. Again, this one was mostly dead drifted around structure in the creeks with a little bit of sasoi mixed in here and there. I have tried using several different hook styles with this pattern and still have yet to find one that I really like.
Yellow Oni Kebari
The next on the list for traditional-style kebari is this Yellow Oni Kebari. This one was fished more during the heavy runoff in the spring and early summer months, but also brought success in the late summer as well. This is the fly that I would impart the most movement into.
During the runoff I started off with casting it onto the surface with the hackle splayed out to see if any fish would come up for it before I added any animation. After that, I would generally try to sink it in the current and “swim” it in a direction using sasoi.
In the late summer, I found this one to work well with either a yokobiki presentation in a tail-out, or by adding a little weight into the system to sight fish using the kikiawase approach.
Blue Dream Kebari
The last pattern I’m going to share is one that I’ve used for the past couple years. This one had always done well for me in the past, but didn’t quite gain as much attention in the earlier part of the year as it had in the past. Actually, I think it really started to shine as I fished more into the fall. I generally fish my Blue Dream futsu higher up in the column, and preferably more on the surface. I like to animate it with a little bit of pon pon or sutebari after a dead drift or two.
This is another pattern that I have been experimenting with different hooks in hopes to find one that I might like more. Generally speaking, I tie this one in a 14 which seems to be the sweet spot for the waters I use it on.
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