Size #24 through #8 dry fly (fine wire), size #16 through #6 wet fly (heavy wire), same in wet fly sizes with 2X long shank and 4X long shank both in turned down and turned up eye, some #8, 10 and 12 2X short shank wet fly hooks with turned up eye. That should get you through most dry and wet flies. Now you still need streamer and bucktail hooks, some for deer hair poppers etc, maybe some stainless (for salt water) bucktail and streamer hooks and some to tie things like crab imitations and other oddballs. An assortment of weighted hooks is real handy to have, whether bought or home-weighted.
Those will probably get you by in a pinch, but you will eventually need others for special situations . . .
Oh, almost forgot, it's handier for tying trolling flies to have a bunch of tandem hook rigs made up in advance.
Help me out here, guys, I know I left a lot out. . . .

A bunch of small magnets, one in each hook compartment, can save hours of time for the day you accidentally tip your hook box over onto the floor. I'm SO GLAD that I thought of this BEFORE it happened. Luckily that was just my smallest box of hooks.

I like using floating bait and a bat.

Call me old fashioned.

Dimitri - For some great fly patterns check out the books by Swisher and Richards. For some incredible nymps, check out Nymphs by William F Blades. Another must-read classic is Streamer Fly Fishing in Fresh and Salt Water by Joe Brooks. One of my all-time favorites is about salmon and steelhead fishing - basically all about how to get non-feeding fish to strike out of anger. Included are stories of fishing trips that will amaze even non-fishermen. I will post the title and author next time I am online. I want to make sure to get the title right so you can find it.

stovepipe wrote:

I like using floating bait and a bat. Call me old fashioned.

My Dad said the Russians who liberated the camp he was in were great at fishing with bread and hand grenades. Not quite as old-fashioned as a bat, but plenty effective.

44marty wrote:

My Dad said [the Russians who liberated the camp he was in] were great at [fishing with bread and hand grenades].

Good grief- there's two interesting stories in that paragraph!

Yeah. I could send you a copy of the book he wrote about the camp, but it WILL make you ill reading it. One of the reasons I hate bigotry so much is that it allows things like Nazi Germany to happen. The way things are developing here in the USA is very very much like prewar Germany. F'n SCARY sh%t !!!

Copy that and cant begin to imagine the heck he musta went through...yikes.

44marty wrote:

basically all about how to get non-feeding fish to strike out of anger.

Only way to get salmon running up the river to strike is to anger them. Cause otherwise they don't eat. Within 3 weeks (approximately) a salmon will be dead once it hits the river.

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:

44marty wrote: basically all about how to get non-feeding fish to strike out of anger. Only way to get salmon running up the river to strike is to anger them. Cause otherwise they don't eat. Within 3 weeks (approximately) a salmon will be dead once it hits the river. Dimitri

Except for Atlantic salmon (also landlocked Atlantic) . They spawn, then return to the sea. Steelhead (sea run rainbow) also.

We do not have Atlantic salmon here, only Pacific Salmon species. So my knowledge is strictly derived from learning their habits while fishing and reading a few books about them the last 10 years.

Dimitri

44marty wrote:

stovepipe wrote: I like using floating bait and a bat. Call me old fashioned. My Dad said the Russians who liberated the camp he was in were great at fishing with bread and hand grenades. Not quite as old-fashioned as a bat, but plenty effective.

The Afghans have taken grenade fishing a little further.....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg4bcaIXKHU

My fly box as of tonight, ran out of Gamakastu hooks, need to buy more.



Dimitri

Good looking box D.

It will get fuller with time. My last box was a mess, and the flies were spaced so close apart your be grabbing 2 or 3 flies instead of one by accident. This time I'll just buy more boxes as needed instead

Dimitri

My mother ordered me a new vest for my birthday ...



Should be here in a week from Cabelas.

Dimitri