Hi folks,

I will be doing quite a bit of walking in the Highlands nesxt year, and am hoping to take a small fishing kit with.

I'm hoping to put together a single box of flies to use as opportunistic searching patterns. What would people reccommend?

In particular, if you come across a loch with rising fish, don't really know what they're taking and have, say, only half an hour or so to experiment before moving on, what would you suggest as the 'go to' flies to try?

Thanks.

Black hopper

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,9 bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee.

We spent a good while camping in Scotland this summer and I spent a good while exploring any loch we ended up near. It was my first time fishing in Scotland. Apart from the stocked stillwaters, my overwhelming experience was fish traditional loch style flies in the traditional manner. (I didn't get much dry fly action - it never stopped raining long enough)
I tried what works on northern English stillwaters with little or no success.
Traditional wets were what worked for me.

Obviously I know next to nothing about the matter, but I thought it worth mentioning as you will probably be in much the same boat as I was - used to English waters, exploring the lochs for the first time.

Magical place

I envy you.

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"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

As Bill rightly points out, fish traditional patterns, teams of 3 or 4. Check out clyde style flies, they also work well.

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All that glitters, will catch anglers.

While the flies are important it is far, far more important to keep on the move.
Stand in the one spot all day and you might catch an odd fish, keep moving and you will catch far, far more.

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

Thanks folks.

I know the importance of moving - that's all part of the plan

So far I've settled on:

Kate McClaren
Black hopper
B&P spider
Bibio
GRHE and PTN

Any other must haves?

I would definitely add.

An Invicta and a Butcher

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Eddie
"We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation."
Voltaire

Don't get Invictas - have never caught on one.

When/how would you use one?

Them and Pennels are my bogey flies.

not a traditional flea but a small black hairy pulling buzzer tied with badger saddle hackles,is a great general purpose fly,fished wet or dry somewhere in between,tweaked stripped or static,great fly but fished as a single only,worked for me on a calm or small ripple but a good chop is great with it black buzzers and spiders would be great additions too.

sort of snatcher like?

Never fished with one - always been a bit confused about how best to use them. I'll certainly give it a go.