They did have a soft hackle (March Brown SH) and indicated they they included it as representative of the class.
They also had a Griffith’s Gnat, which is certainly the most widely used midge imitation.
I thought the Klinkhammer was notable by its absence. In fact, there were no “emerger” patterns, unless you count the soft hackle.
This is a list, that like most lists, is quite arbitrary. So much depends on where you fish and what you fish for and how you fish. I might ask all of you a question though, how many really read Field and Stream, Sports Afield, or Outdoor Life any more? I will say that I did for years and years but, that I don’t any more for what some might think is a silly or trivial reason. I don’t agree with the way their advertising has gone down hill. I don’t like to read a magazine that has more ads for Viagra, Cialis and other male enhancements and last long creams than they do for fly rods or shotguns. I have written each magazine several times about this trend and have never even had the small courtesy of any kind of reply. I even believe that there was a thread on here a while back about this subject. So to me it really makes no difference what they think are the best flies, shotguns, rifles, or condoms, I don’t read them so their opinion means less than nothing to me.:rolleyes:
There’s always room for Interpretation
there were no “emerger” patterns, unless you count the soft hackle
I consider RS2 an emerger probably because I fish them just below the surface. I also consider RS2 a midge depending on the size and how it’s tied.
I thought the list was pretty good except I had never heard of or used the Black Ghost
I am always wondering why the Grey Ghost doesn’t make peoples lists. Gaddabout Gaddis used pretty much only the grey ghost and since seeing him useing it I’ve caught more fish on it then any other pattern.
I thought it was a good solid representation of flies that will work well with a variety of fresh, salt, cold and warmwater species. If a person had a few of each one of these in his fly box you could catch fish pretty much no matter where you were. They would represent a solid foundation to build your collection on toward a more species specif type of fishing.
well put cycler
Their explanation for rating Deceiver didn’t cut it for me. How could you not rate higher a fly that has taken more species, maybe with the exception of the clouser, around the world than the others combined? Seem to remember it being on a postage stamp. Also, I would have put the GRHE higher as well as the sponge spider. I guess you can tell what I fish with
Since Patrick McManus has stopped his column in Outdoor Life (retired), I don’t even bother continuing reading once I’m past the gear tests, which is where the “take this pill so your wife will finally find you attractive again” is sequestered. And I’m not really big on Billy Heavy in F&S.
You gotta be kidding. It’s still an extremely popular streamer. I’ve certainly caught many, many more trout on it than on, say a wooly bugger (not to mention tons of crappie.) Still, they pretty much implied that it was there as representative of feather-winged streamers than on it’s own merit. Continuing with my previous rant about patterns vs. types, if they’re going to call a Clouser minnow a single pattern, they might as well have called a feather-winged streamer a single pattern. If they’re not, there were only three real representatives still popular enough to include, and they would be the Black Ghost, Gray Ghost and a Spruce. (Yeah, I know, a Deceiver, but that’s a qualitatively different style.) And that “still popular enough” bugs me a lot – this was alleged to be “of all time” not “the current fad.”
My bad. I tend to think of the emerger end of the soft hackles as soft hackles and plain midges as midges.
RW here,
Dumb list. Other than the fact that one of Field & Stream’s writers takes credit for it, I don’t understand how they could call it “of all time.” There are none of the popular mayflies represented, or wet flies for that matter. And since mayflies in the (dry) stage were center stage in the development and evolution of fly fishing for a good number of decades in the early and middle parts of the last century, in the northeast especially, it certainly seems incomplete. Is the Adams supposed to represent all mayfly dry flies? I think not. I have lived long enough to see each subsequent generation come along and try to rewrite history in the image they would like to see it, regardless of the subject. This article would be okay if they didn’t use “most popular of all time” in the title because most of these flies certainly aren’t. All time is a long time.
rw
Yes, the lack of pheasant tail nymphs was kind of odd. I think the Copper John was in its stead. Personally, the pheasant tail nymphs have worked in every stream I’ve fished in for trout. From 18 to 12. Although I tend to tie the smaller ones on scud hooks. I always manage to pull the hook out on regular nymph hooks when going that small.
Jim
Field and Stream isnt a bad magazine to read and some things are fun to read.When it comes to flyfishing i wouldnt put to much faith in anything they have to say.
Hi,
It’s been pointed out that the list shows some flies as ‘representative’ of a type (i.e. soft hackles are represented in general, not specifically as in Partridge and Orange, Snipe and Purple, etc).
Well, if that’s allowed, how about my list :
All others are specific examples because nymphs are wet flies (sub-surface = wet fly), emergers sit in the flim, and ‘not submerged = dry fly’, , streamers are also wet flies, etc).
Hmmm, unless there’s some form of ‘fly flies’ that catch fish while being cast over the water, I think I’ve got it covered! 
Hi Everyone,
It has been a while since I’ve posted to this forum, but i was looking over the list of the 25 flies on Field & Stream. I wanted to get something straight about one of the flies on that list. It concerns the Stimulator. It seems they attribute the fly to Randall Kaufmann. Perhaps it was he that made the fly popular, however, it was Jim Slattery that originated the pattern.
I’m not sure any of you know Jim, but he’s a great tier and a nice guy. He has been tying for years. Another of his great patterns is the Triple Threat Caddis. I highly recommend it in olive and tan.
Mark
http://www.danica.com/flytier/jslattery/olive_triple_threat_caddis.htm
Several posts have wondered if the flies are intended to be in “order”. The comments on the Clouser, maybe unintentionally, seem to indicate they are in order since it says that the Clouser is the best.
SweetS
Soft-hackle,
Thanks for posting this link: http://www.danica.com/flytier/jslattery/olive_triple_threat_caddis.htm
This fly looks dangerous!
Doug