Selecting flies for a day only

[Malcolm]

For the first month of the season the only hatches I'll be imitating will be the March Brown and Large dark Olives. So I could quite happily fish with just four patterns: a nymph, emerger, dun and drowned adult for both species. So in sizes 14 and 16 for the LDO and 12 and 14 for the MB that's a total of 8 flies - say 3 of each and I'm up to 24 flies. Less than that in fact as I'll use the same GRHE nymph for the LDO and MB so down to 21. Yet I'll have at least 2 boxes with about 600 flies - just in case.

Or will I?

I'm very tempted to start making up "day boxes" again, something I have done in the past where I put all the flies I expect to use in a small box? The truth is when I have done that I've kept pretty much to that one small box and it's been a good way to go. Anyone else do this?   

[Traditionalist]

I think that's the best possible way to go about it. You need accurate information on your water so that you choose the right flies, and I would also put a few good general patterns in for when nothing much is happening.  I wouldn't  ( and don't) carry various sizes of the same flies, unless of course I am using the same pattern for different things,  I have never found it to be much use. Just another invariably useless choice to make. I use the size I have mostly come across on the water ( and in fish!).  Some of my "day rollers" ( I use a box where I can change the fly selections just by changing the rollers, Like this;



http://www.springforelle.de/en/Rotobox


only have half a dozen different flies in them, usually three of each, but you might need more sometimes.  Also depends on how robust your flies are. Nothing worse than running out of the taking fly.