Capnia nana stonefly from TroutNut.com

When buying or making flies, IMO, it is all about size, profile and color–and, in that order.

I’ve had success at a local river fishing Hare’s Ears to imitate spring stoneflies, from the genus Capnia, also known as “snowflies.” I tied them thin to try and match the profile. If I were to try to imitate a mayfly nymph, I would make them more bulky.

This season, I will be referring to TroutNut.com. It is a great web site with photographs of insects. My guess is that the slower the water and more experienced the trout, the more important a fly will be (along, of course, with presentation)

That’s why swinging Wooly Buggers in April works well, but less so over time. That’s why small flies can save me when trout are selective.

So, it is worth the research, and we will see if it all pays off.