The following is the fly fishing instruction sheet that comes with each of Doc Sneed's Guides.
The information on the front wheel describes nine significant Mayfly hatches. For each Mayfly hatch covered on the wheel there is a recommended Dry Fly and Wet Fly (Soft Hackle Emerger).
The back of the guide covers nymphs and several additional insects in a trout’s diet. The nymphs are patterns that imitate the nymph stage of the Mayflies described on the front of the Guide. Also featured are Terrestrials, Caddisflies, Midges, and 3 types of Stoneflies. All of these make up a big part of a trout’s diet.
There are also two important scales on the Guide—a metric ruler for measuring the size of the insect’s body, and a hook size scale for selecting the appropriate hook size. The metric ruler is in millimeters, and the scale is 30 millimeters long. This scale corresponds to the body size section on the wheel. The hook size guide helps you select the right size imitation to use.
Method I—The most effective way to use the Guide.
Observe the insect activity in and around the stream--get a handle on what’s going on! Do you see Mayflies? Flying ants? Beetles? Rising trout? Take note--this is the most important step an angler can take.
If you observe Mayfly or other insect activity, match the insect you see to the illustration of the insect on the wheel, select the suggested fly, and start fishing. Example: You determine that Flav’s are hatching by matching the insects on the stream to the image and information on the wheel. You then match the number on the wheel - No. 7 for Flav - to the same number in the Dry Flies section. No. 7 in the Dry Flies section shows an Olive Comparadun. Tie one on!
Or if you see Caddisflies on the stream, use the back of the guide to choose a fly to imitate them. Is that an ant on the water? Tie one on!
Make sure you use all the information on the wheel to help you select the right pattern. Body and wing color of the illustration, the number of tails, time of year, body size, and best time of day are all important variables to consider when identifying the right pattern.
Method II—The simplest way to use the Guide.
The simplest way to use the guide is to find an insect on the wheel that matches the time of year and time of day that you are on the stream, select one of the suggested imitations, and start fishing.
This method is not as effective as the first method for obvious reasons, but it will still significantly improve your productivity on the stream versus just blindly picking an imitation out of your fly box and fishing with it. (We’ve all done it)
We recognize that it is impossible for the guide to be all-inclusive for every geography and every stream, so use it as your core information source. Add your own local learning to your fishing acumen as you become a better angler and learn more about your favorite stretches of water.
The insect emergence times on the wheels are somewhat dependent on local weather, which can effect these times by several weeks. If you had an early or late spring, adjust accordingly.
Insect sizes are also variable—they can vary stream to stream or even week to week. It is usually a good idea to carry several different sizes of each pattern, or ask a local shop about the right sizes for the region.
| Fly Fishing Retailers | Fly Fishing Catalogs | Instruction Sheet | Equipment E-Tailers |