(The Shokuryoshi Experiment)
I’ve been experimenting a lot with flies over the past year. While I have my go-to, confidence patterns, there are other flies that I have found help fill in the gaps when those patterns don’t quite grab the trout's attention.
For the most part, I tend to fish futsu patterns. But with the high flows early in the year, I found plenty of success with an Oni-style kebari. Aside from that, there are a couple other patterns that I've found to come in handy in certain situations. A pattern I like to refer to as the Golden Hour Morioka seems to always perform well in the evenings on the local waters. A togatta-style kebari swung through the riffles tends to do well in grabbing a trout’s attention in the summer.
The fly you choose to fish should fit the function of your presentation. Some patterns offer more movement, and animate better than others. Some patterns hold their profile or anchor better in fast, complex currents.
Fly selection can lead down a lengthy discussion, and is a topic I may revisit at a later point in time. But for now, here are some of the flies I like to stock in my box.
Ume Kebari
This is my most fished pattern, and for good reason. This is the one that I landed the most fish on in 2023. Along with that, this one has also caught some of my biggest catches - and hooked up on the largest fish I had the opportunity to tangle with on a tenkara rod.
It has become my go-to for my favorite river to fish. As I stock it in a size 12 (according to the manufacturer), I find that sometimes it’s a little too big for the trout in the local creek. When I have trout that swipe at the fly, but can’t quite grab it, I switch to another favorite futsu pattern
Blue Dream
With a vibrant pink thread tying in dun hackle, and “mist” colored yarn that tends to turn a blue-ish color when wet, on a size 16 (according to the manufacturer) hook - this one fishes well near the surface. The color combination I like because it makes it easy to track, and seems to catch light easily making it a good choice for swift flows, and overcast days.
Yellow Oni
Prior to 2023, I never really fished big flies. But those high waters and fast flows inspired me to try out a large, easy-to-see pattern. This one helped me quite a bit early in the year when runoff in the local creeks was high. As the summer set in I found it to be useful in combination with some weight. Utilizing kikiawase, I was able to pull a few rainbows from a large, deep run that I had never had success fishing in the past. I think that, aside from its large and bright profile, the movement of the material used in this fly helps to elicit a strike even when dead-drifted. The yellow color probably helps too, and that carries through to the next fly in this post…
"Golden Hour" Morioka
This Morioka-style kebari is named after the time of day when I see it gain the most attention. That window in time where the sun rests just above the horizon and floods the landscape with that beautiful, golden light. Some of the most aggressive strikes I get are on this fly. It sits right on top of the surface and draws the fish up with little imparted animation. The design lends itself well to tapping, or Pon Pon as I had learned it. But, it seems to deter fish when combined with too much movement.
Griffith's Gnat
Speaking of fishing the surface, the Griffith’s Gnat is one that keeps finding its way back into the box. I have to admit that I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with this pattern. I find it does well tied in a smaller size, but my main issue is that fish tend to engulf the fly, sometimes causing issues removing the hook. It’s a simple tie, but an effective pattern nonetheless. I believe it’s worked on just about every water type I’ve used it on as well.
Tokoyama Sakasa Kebari
Sometimes I need a simple, slender pattern to fish subsurface, and the iconic Tokoyama Sakasa pattern comes in handy. If you’re familiar with tenkara, you’ve probably seen this pattern a million times. The reversed soft hackle lends itself to animation of the fly, and the slender body seems to be enticing for fish that are maybe a bit wary of what’s floating down the current.
Ishigaki Kebari
In those cases where a slender-bodied fly best fits the bill, but maybe the flows tend to flatten the soft hackle of a Tokoyama, the Ishigaki Kebari is my next choice. With the more rigid hackle tied in it’s iconic color scheme - brown and black - this pattern holds its profile well, allowing for subsurface drifts that don’t seem to scare off wary trout as much. And, if needed, tends to animate well when the presentation calls for a little something extra
While there are some other patterns that occasionally find their way into the box, the ones listed above are some of my most used. This post was meant to serve as a brief overview of the flies I like to use, as I feel the information may make more sense later on as I cover more aspects of my fishing practices during this experiment.
With that being said, I am a firm believer that anglers should fish patterns that they’re comfortable with. We all fish different waters, and the fish who inhabit those streams and rivers have access to different food. Not only that, they will all have different feeding habits too. What may work for me, may not work for the next angler. Whether fishing those high-gradient mountain streams, or those large and open tailwaters - we all have to find what flies work well with our style and approach!