Six fishing flies every Oklahoma fly angler should carry

So much water. So little time.

Fly anglers have many opportunities to fish for trout in Oklahoma. Planning a trip to the Rocky Mountains each summer to scratch your fly fishing itch can be time consuming and costly for most anglers.

Oklahoma has two year-round trout streams, the Lower Mountain Fork and Lower Illinois rivers, and winter trout fisheries at Blue River, Lake Watonga, Lake Carl Etling, Lake Pawhuska, Robbers Cave and the new addition at Medicine Park.

The more I get to fly fish the more I want to fly fish. It's an addiction that has taken hold of me has its steely grip securely embedded. On my explorations of Oklahoma trout waters, I have learned that there are some flies that I don't want to leave the house without. These flies will work in Oklahoma as well as any trout waters in the United States.

Wooly Bugger: Arguably the best searching pattern ever developed for fly fishing. The size and color can vary. I have black, olive, brown and white in sizes 8-12 loaded in the box. This pattern imitates the leech, small baitfish and the damsel fly very well.

Gold Bead Pheasant Tail Nymph: This fly imitates the mayfly nymph which is in all bodies of fresh water that are cold or warm. I have seen them in Oklahoma City on my windshield. A large version of the mayfly is the Hexagenia. It comes off Lake Hefner in large swarms every summer. Go with hook sizes 12-18.