Complete White River Fly Fishing Website

Out of all the boxes that I am offering, this is the one you cannot leave home without. Check out this diverse selection of subsurface flies that represent the staples of most trout’s diet. The majority of fish feed near the bottom more than 90% of the time, so it is important to have an arsenal of nymphs that have been proven to work. I would say that I will use at least two or three of these patterns over the course of a full guide day on the water.

***The Guide Flies Kit Box can be ordered with half the amount of flies for $75 – the box is still included. Send an email to notify me of this request.

This is the first box that I am offering that includes the Miracle Fly. Click here to read more about this deadly pattern. I’ve put this box together so that anglers can fish with the flies that White River Basin guides use when conditions get tough. The Miracle Fly is effective during all water conditions, where the really big Jumbo Worms and the Y Worms are intended to be used when flows are high.

The Y Worm is a newer pattern that I really love for catching big fish on high water. It is basically an ‘ultra’ worm with an added “kicker” piece off the back of the hook. In the water, this fly resembles a ‘glob’ of worms, and our opportunistic trout are always on the lookout for hearty meals. The Jumbo Worms are tied with really big chenille, and like the Y Worms, the Jumbo Worms are intended to get a fish’s attention in fast or stained water. Both patterns will produce throughout the year, but they work best in the late summer when trout key-in on bag worms and very large terrestrial worms.

Almost every fly fisherman knows that mammoth trout eat sculpins whenever they get the chance, but most people struggle with finding the right patterns to get the job done. Sculpins are difficult to imitate because they swim so quickly, and they normally just dart from one rock to the next. As fly fishermen, we have to do the best that we can when it comes to presenting sculpin patterns. The Ultimate Sculpin Box is designed to equip anglers with the flies that are needed to fool some of the most wary trout on any river system.

There are three patterns included in this box: the High-Water Sculpin, the Taneycomo Sculpin and Kelly Galloup’s  Wooly Sculpin. The High-Water Sculpin is a really big fly tied on a 1/0 or 2/0 fish. Don’t expect a lot of action on this pattern – when you fish this fly, you are going after one big bite. The Taneycomo Sculpin was created as a subtle pattern that will not easily spook big fish in shallow water, and the presentation-eye hook rides up, which allows the fly to slink very naturally along the bottom. The Wooly Sculpin, created by Kelly Galloup, is a perfect alternative to using a Wooly Bugger, and I like to strip this fly through slow pools. I will also occasionally dead-drift this streamer in high water.

The Ultimate Sculpin Kit Box is all that you will need to productively fish sculpin imitations in all types of water. Those who like trophy hunting will want to add these flies to their arsenal. On the White River, Norfork Tailwater and Lake Taneycomo, the trout feed heavily on sculpins throughout April and May – just a little food for thought.

If you have been reading up on the shad kill that happens every year in the Ozarks, you have no doubt realized that there are basically two techniques we use during these exciting times: stripping and dead-drifting. Although stripping a highly-visible fly off of the bank can provide heart-stopping action, the majority of the fish caught during the shad kill come on the drift. This second shad pattern box was created to provide the best dead-drifting patterns along with a reliable stripping pattern.

Retired White River guide Tom Rogers came up with the Blow Fly, a very plain, but effective, non-weighted marabou shad pattern. The Blow Fly is included in the shad box, along with another dead-drifting shad pattern designed by retired guide Gabe Cross. This fly is similar to the Blow Fly, but it incorporates more flash. Rounding out this selection is the Double-Bunny Shad tied with tungsten dumbbells to get down deep. When it comes to stripping a fly, it is hard to beat the natural, pulsating movement of rabbit fur.

Even though the shad kill only lasts for a couple months, shad patterns will catch fish all year long. Besides working well for trout, every fly in this selection has been known to fool other predatory species of freshwater fish, and I have even had luck with these patterns in saltwater.