Opening Day Fly Fishing

Just wandering what everyone used/uses on opening day for stockies when they were newer to fly fishing. I haven't fly fished an opening day before. I could be wrong but I don't think that hatchery raised fish grew up eating aquatic insects let alone know what one was if it drifted past them at least for the first couple weeks or so. DT hooked my up with a triple threat pattern that worked and I liked. I just wanted to see what others use for fresh stockies. Do I use a hare's ear or match the hatch fly or do I use a brightly colored sucker spawn sort of fly? Thanks for the help dUUds. I would also like to tie that flies suggested so take it easy on a beginner.

pellet fly. 

looks like a maggot that the bait guys use.

Can't say that, DT. 'bait guys' is a derogatory slur.

ORIGINAL: Cold

looks like a maggot that the bait guys use.

Can't say that, DT. 'bait guys' is a derogatory slur.

no, 'bait-dunkers' are i thought?
i'm just not sure what the political correct term is!

As long as you are not a certified UFA member, tie on a glo-bug, a flash back nymph of any type, or a flashy streamer and go at it.
 
If you are a card carrying UFA member, have a sip of a decent vintage and tie on a EHC.

Uppity Fishers of America? just kidding....

may i use power worms? 

ORIGINAL: bigcountryhuntr

<--- newbie. UFA?

 
Since flyfishermen are deemd snobs on this board, an exclusive club known as the Ubersnob Flyfisher's Association, UFA, was formed.  There are no meetings, no dues, just strict rules.  Trout must be fished for with dry flies only, in an upstream manner, with casts made only to visibly surface feeding fish or known lies (some members have been known to lie about a visible feeding fish) with tippets no heavier than 5X.  All flies must be constructed of natural materials.  In addition, when posting a series of photos, one must prominately display some gear or article of clothing made by Patagonia, Simms, ExOfficio, or Orvis in addition to a bottle of vintage, varietal wine, good whiskey, or a craft brewed beer.  Cigars are optional, but appreciated, as is some exotic food and a custom rod.  Membership can be rescinded for the slighest infraction such as even fishing the same pool as someone using a noodle rod and casting bubble to throw a fly or drinking any light beer from a can.

Aw gotchya. I'd rather you provide a members only jacket! Just a thought.

Do fly fisherman drifting live worms and wearing a Patagonia fleece qualify?

ORIGINAL: DarDys

ORIGINAL: Cold

Uber F-ing Awesome

Dys, I bet with a little creative hairstyling an EHC would make a passable imitation for purina.

Actually, from a UFA perspective, Purina is imitating an adult caddis.

Nice! Down-wing trout chow.

A friend of mine talked me into going out on the opening day -- something I had not done in over 30 years.  I insisted on a late start in order to miss the crowd.  I was thinking noonish, it ended up being after 5 PM.  I was prepared to go to the dark side with a flashback pheasant tail against my inner UF.  But when in PA, do as the Romans.
 
At the first pool, there were three people.  For a second, I thought I saw a trout rise, but wrote it off as wishful thinking.  There were two people at the next pool -- weren't these goobers supposed to be home wading through the first half of a case of beer before the good old boys started turning left?  I definately saw a fish rise in that pool.  There was a mixture of little tan caddis, some Grannoms, a whole slew of Quill Gordon spinners, and some blue quills.
 
At the next pool, there were two guys at the tail and fish rising from the middle to the head -- about a dozen of them.  I still had not made a cast yet, so I stripped off the BH and shot, lengthend the tippet a tad, and tied on a # 16 CDC EHC.  Two casts later I was into a trout.  It was released and the next cast to a spot where I saw a rise brought trout # 2 to hand.  I moved up about 10 yards and took the next riser.  And the next.  I was in UF heaven on the opening day.
 
There were more fish rising in the 70 yard long pool and I was pretty sure I could catch most of them.  Then it happend.  All of a sudden, there were no more rise forms.  But there was a wake.  I looked to the head of the pool and here comes a guy, wading downstream, right through the middle of the pool, pushing more water than a tow boat with a half dozen coal barges.  He was happily slinging a spinner -- the metal kind, not the spent wing type -- at one bank, then the other while putting every fish in the pool down.  He gave a cheerie "hello" as he waded past.
 
I waited for my buddy to arrive and told him there was no sense in continuing up since this guy just parted the trout sea for as far as one could see.  We hoofed it onto a trail and tried to get ahead of the interloper, but everytime we came to the stream, he was one pool down, still merrily spooking trout as he went.  I never did make another cast.
 
So it was for a fleeting moment, a UF openg day, then reality reared its ugly head and I realized why I stopped going the Saturday closest to April 15th.  And I doubt that I do it again.  Maybe in marking the 125th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic -- from a Hoveround.  But I doubt it.