Carry a diverse fly selection for changing conditions.
Fly selection is a critical aspect of fly fishing success, but the overwhelming number of choices intimidates the beginning angler. The flies in your box must be diversified by type to prepare for a variety of fishing conditions. Carry several dry flies to imitate surface insects, nymphs to imitate subsurface insects and streamers to imitate baitfish and crustaceans. General patterns constitute the majority of the top ten list because they imitate multiple food sources and produce consistent results.
Stimulator
The Stimulator is a staple dry fly pattern with adjustable body colors. The fly uses an elk hair wing and tail, grizzly hackle body and thorax, and a dubbed body. Change the color of the body to match local insects, or use an orange or peacock body as a general attractor. The long body of the fly is ideal for imitating stoneflies, caddisflies and grasshoppers and it is effective for trout, grayling, bass and panfish.
Adams
The Adams is a popular dry fly pattern excellent as a general mayfly imitation. Mayflies are a common aquatic insect and are present in cold and warm water environments. The Adams uses hackle or moose hair fibers for the tail, tightly dubbed muskrat fur for the body and wrapped grizzly hackle to support the fly. It also uses the grizzly hackle tips to create wings. Gray is the standard color, but the body color is adjusted to match specific types of mayflies.
Elk Hair Caddis
The Elk Hair Caddis is a dry fly similar to the Stimulator. The fly uses a shorter, straight hook shank and an elk hair wing to imitate the wing of an adult caddis. The body is tightly dubbed and covered with brown hackle to add buoyancy. Although the fly imitates the caddis, it is also used as a general pattern and is a common choice on small streams and swift waters.
Prince Nymph
The Prince Nymph is a standard in any fly box and it is effective for numerous species. The nymph is general in nature, but it does imitate a caddisfly pupa or stonefly nymph depending on the method used to fish the fly. The nymph has a biot tail, peacock body ribbed with tinsel and brown hackle. Carry the fly in a standard and bead-head version to create different weight options.
Pheasant Tail Nymph
The Pheasant Tail Nymph is a thin pattern used as a general mayfly nymph imitation. The fly uses pheasant tail fibers for the tail, abdomen, wing-case and legs. The abdomen is ribbed with copper wire and the thorax is constructed from peacock herl. The nymph is a fly box essential that is especially useful for fooling picky trout.
Hare's Ear Nymph
The Hare's Ear nymph is another general mayfly pattern with a more bulky profile and lighter color. The hare's mask fibers add natural movement to the fly and resemble the gills on a mayfly. The fly uses hare's mask fibers for the tail, abdomen and thorax. The abdomen is ribbed with gold tinsel and the wing-case is constructed from a turkey feather. The fly is best fished on a dead-drift close to the bottom of a river.
San Juan Worm
The San Juan Worm was developed to imitate the large chironomid larva on the San Juan River in northern New Mexico. The fly is a simple piece of micro-chenille, tied on top of the hook shank. The ends of the chenille extend past the bend and eye of the hook and move freely in the water to resemble the motion of a worm. The fly is tied in red, olive and brown and is effective for most freshwater game fish.
Red Fox Squirrel Nymph
The Red Fox Squirrel Nymph was designed by Dave Whitlock as a general pattern for larger insects. The fly uses different shades of squirrel tail for the tail, abdomen and thorax. The thorax is ribbed with tinsel and soft partridge fibers create legs at the head of the fly. The nymph is effective as a general attractor, but it also imitates stonefly nymphs and the October Caddis larva.
Wooly Bugger
The Wooly Bugger is a versatile pattern that is present is most fly boxes. The fly uses a marabou tail and chenille body covered with wrapped saddle hackle. Many versions add a bead-head for weight and some add flash to the tail. The motion of the hackle in the water is the main attraction and the angler commonly retrieves it to imitate baitfish and crayfish. The fly also imitates a large stonefly nymph when dead drifted.
Clouser Minnow
The Clouser Minnow is a general baitfish pattern capable of catching nearly every species of fresh and saltwater game fish. The fly is simply designed with two layers of bucktail and one layer of flash. It uses dumbbell eyes for weight and is retrieved to imitate the motions of a fish. The Clouser is a common fly anglers use to target the large predatory fish in any body of water.
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