Hello,
I am a beginning fly fisherman and I need people to recommend me a basic assortment of flies to have for trout fishing. I plan on fishing in Mammoth in a couple weeks; after that I will mostly be trying Socal spots like Piru Creek, Big Bear Lake, etc... I have not been able to find a list anywhere of specific flies and sizes that a person should buy who is getting into the sport.

Krag,
Welcome to this wonderful sport! I hope you find it as enjoyable and educational as we all do. As for buying an assortment of flies, it depends which way you plan on flyfishing (dryfly, nymphs, wetfly, streamer) and what type of waters are you going to fish (small streams, rivers, small lakes, large reservoirs).

I'd suggest you go to the local flyshop in the area you plan on fishing. Here you'll find out the latest info on where to fish and what to use. For Big Bear Lake I'd recommend you contact KeithBigBear on this site as he float tubes that lake an is a guide for it too. I've never fished Piru but I'm sure someone from The Fisherman's Spot can help you out. In Mammoth there are two flyshops I'll go into to get info. Try either The Troutfitters or The Trout Fly.

Since you are new to the sport I'd like to recommend you take a beginner's fly-fishing class at any flyshop. Or go to your local Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) or Trout Unlimited (TU) affiliated club to take their beginners class for free or relatively inexpensive. Any of these classes will increase the learning curve. Good-luck!

If nothing above seems appealing to you than I'd recommend the following flies for starters. The first three flies in the dry & nymph list are suppose to mimic the three basic bugs that live in the water: Caddisfly, Mayfly, Stonefly.

Dryflies-Caddisfly, Adams, Stimulators, and Royal Wulffs.

Nymphs-Hair's Ear, Pheasant Tail, & Zug Bugs

Streamers-Wooly Buggers

Thanks for the reply. For the flies you list at the bottom of your post, what sizes are commonly used? How many backups per size should one carry?
My crude idea at this point is that you can start off with about 7 "general" patterns but you need to carry at least 2-3 flies for each size. So 7 patterns x 5 sizes x 2 per size = 70 or so flies.
Is this the general idea or am I way off here? I have fly fished with a guide twice but since he picks the flies, and the trout were hungry enough to overcome my poor casting I don't know much about trying this on my own.

Krag,
I usually tie a dozen flies of each size at a time. Since you're buying them get at least 3 of each. Here is an example of what basic sizes I'd recommend you get. Take-care.

Dryflies-Caddisfly sizes 14-18, Adams sizes 16-20, Stimulators sizes 10-14, and Royal Wulffs sizes 14-18.

Nymphs-Hair's Ear sizes 14-18, Pheasant Tail sizes 16-20, & Zug Bugs sizes 10-14

Streamers-Wooly Buggers sizes 8-12.

Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. I see you're in Phelan, do you fish at jackson lake or lost lake?

Krag,
I've fished Jackson Lake in the past. It can be a fun place to float tube when they stock it. As for Lost Lake I've never fished it because I've never seen any fish swimming in it. I bet you've fished the Ojai area, especially the Ventura River.

I've never fished the Ventura River, actually I don't know anyone who has or heard of anyone doing it. I heard of rumor of stripers hanging out at the mouth of the river in the ocean but I'm not sure of the accuracy of that. I used to fish Casitas a lot when I lived in Oak View but all the bass there are harvard graduates, ie they're smart enough to thumb their nose at live bait on 6 pound test.

Krag, let me know when you come up to Big Bear. During the winter months we fish Lake Silverwood for stripers & trout. Fishing is good here until the lake temp gets to around 42 degr. We're going into fall turnover & lake temps are dropping. Fall feeding frenzy will turn on in a couple weeks. I'll be gone Oct 5th - 14th on my fall trip. You should think about surf fly fishing, you're in a prime spot. Check out fliflicker.com. You do not need special gear. Find the closest Federation club near you & join. Subscribe to this magazine. You get many benefits by being a club member. Casting lessons, fly tying, local trips & LOADS of experience for free as a club member. Send me an email .. kflies@charter.net
Tight lines...K <>< <><

Yes I was talking to a local surf fishing expert (Gary Bulla) a couple weeks ago about surf fishing the local waters. Sounds pretty interesting; I've done it with spin fishing grubs and it's a lot of fun but hit or miss. I've either caught a ton or almost nothing.