Not that I flatter myself to be the peer of many anglers on here.

This box is all purely trout flies for 'bows and browns in Scottish still-waters and rivers. No sea-trout or grayling patterns.I seem to be most successful on spiders and hackled wets so my choices are influenced that way. Maybe I need shaking up?

I'm mid-way through tying some of these and replacing others, I reckon this is a a good working box worth, but what am I missing and what could I do without? I know Kevin reckons I could make do with 6 but he ties and sells far more than that...

WETS
Hackled.
Black Palmer
Bibio
Olive Palmer
Green Peter variant (hackled not winged)
Greenwells variant (hackled not winged)
Grenadier

Hackled and Tailed
Willams Favourite
Kate McLaren
Willams Favourite (in olive no idea if this has another name)
Zulu
Soldier Palmer

I'm considering adding a few Pennels in various thread colours since I have the materials and maybe a few hothead crunchers. Worth it do you think?

Spiders
Black
Black and Peacock
Quill (in any/all hackles I have - hen whenever possible)
Partridge and Orange
Greenwells

Nymphs
PTN
PTN - in every other dyed tail feather I can find.
PTN - with modern material thorax hotspots.
GRHE
GRHE - from a couple of other dyed masks
and all the above with beadheads for weight.

Beetles/snails tied fat - to differentiate from spiders.
CYB
CYB with Shellback
Black
Black Shellback

Buzzers
I've a good few of these since they are so quick to tie. I seem to catch mostly on olive or blacks and my buzzers tend to these with more subtle ribs and heads (Okey Dokeys were a real failed experiment for me). Suggestions welcomed all the same.

Traditionals
Considering Invicta and March Brown silver/gold. Worth it? Oh and I'm expecting a few calls for Teal Blue and Silver and Peter Ross patterns.

Others
Apps bloodworm in red and olive.
Egg Fly (mostly orange to simulate daphnia)

I have a separate box for LURES and another for DRIES which I might ask about later. So go for it, be critical, cut what you want and suggest others, but do remember where I fish - there are no chalkstreams up here...

Thanks for reading and your suggestions.

I would add snatchers to that list, katies, bibios, claret and pearly snatchers should see you right, especially for wild broonies.

Walker

No Butchers of any sort ??

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Warning Retiree knows it all and has plenty of time to tell you about it.

I would add lots more claret to your loch box.
Wild brownies love claret so try a dabbler in that colour and olive as well.
Your Kate McLarens MUST have a Glo Bright Green tail, by far one of the most effective trout catchers about.
I always found a plain old Diawl Bach a great middle dropper.
Having said all that things might have changed in the last few years.

heh Mark,

Your spot on about the green tailed katies, my mate came 2nd in his SANA prelim on Carron using them (only after I murdered them the day before on one)

Walker

I'll defo add a few Diawl Bach's in the nymph section with various ribs. I've never used glo-bright green Kates and I should have said that I have a hares mask and few pheasant tails in claret.

I don't boat fish much but plan on a few more trips this year, so I'm thinking I'm short on bob flies. Bumbles maybe? I'll look up the dabblers since I'm not sure of the pattern.

Any more suggestions?

Hiya, where about in Moray are you, you will know all about Glen of Rothes and Wardend, there is also a new fishery opening next month near Kellas.

l use most of the wet flies you are talking about, especiall the bibios and buzzers, but l have most success with a wee fly that is so simple to make.
Kamasan B170 size 10 and smaller
Thread same colour as dubbing
Olive, Black or Brown dubbing
and jungle cock eyes

Tam

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One fly I would not be without in the Highlands is a Dunkeld mini (and not so mini) muddler. Greased and fished on the bob it takes most of my fish. It must be the colour combination, yellow, orange and gold that does the trick. I've tried muddling up other traditional wets but with nothing like the same success. There's no need for JC cheeks or wing, just a globrite yellow tail, gold body, hot orange palmer, stout gold wire rib and deer hair head.
I commend it to you.

to the spiders i would add the little dark watchet, the water hen bloa and the snipe and purple

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Agreed with many knobs on!
GD

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