suggestions for "year round," flies?

[WarrenP]

spoof85,

You have been given some good suggestions. The leech pattern that James suggested works for me year around. When I fly fish, I do not try to determine what particular hatch is going on. I just fly fish and the flies I use and create are just flies that produce for me just about anytime I want to go fishing no matter what month. In the Fall and Winter months, I try to use Streamer patterns and base the size of the Streamers to the size of the stream. Smaller streams produce smaller minnow patterns and other creatures. I am also very content with catching all species of fish with the fly rod and do not have particular patterns created just for trout only. I just love being on a river and catching "anything" and so my patterns are just patterns that "look" like something good to eat to all species of river fish. Here is a list of just some of the patterns I have with me all the time which work on my streams and may or may not work on your streams. You will just have to try them and see.

Streamers - Black Nose Dace and Mickey Finn

Buggers in size 10 & 12 - in Olive, Black and Brown - Peter Frailey's Hare & Herl is a great small bugger pattern

Flymphs in size 12 - I always have Flymphs with me and they seldom ever let me down

Leech patterns in size 6 & 8 and in Olive and Black and always weighted with lead wire as an underbody

John Scott's Pine Squirrel Cheater in Olive or Brown is another pattern that seldom lets me down and they are also weighted with an underbody of lead wire

Swinging soft hackle wet flies will produce year around for me here too.

I have faith in the above patterns. I try to match the tying thread color to the body colors and after whip finishing the fly, I always pick up another thread bobbin that has orange tying thread in it and do another whip finish over the whip finish so the fly heads are orange. The orange head may not make any difference to the fish, but, I have more confidence in it and that means I may fish it harder.

The above are just a few of what patterns I always have with me and I have confidence it them always producing something to "pull my string". There are other patterns that I use, but, the above would be considered my "go to" patterns and they seldom let me down year around.

I have always been looked at as strange because I do not fish any pattern tied smaller than a size 14 and, so, most fly fishers are not impressed with any of my patterns, but, I never leave a river "skunked". I fish my patterns hard and apply 100% of my time to presentation. When everyone else is using dry flies and midges in sizes 18 and smaller, I will still be fishing sizes 8, 10 and 12 and catching my share. I feel all patterns will work if you work on presentation and have confidence in the pattern you are using.

Good luck and most important, have fun and take time, while on the stream, to enjoy your surroundings.