If You Could Only

take somewhere between three to five dry flies with you anywhere, what would they be? I see many posts and even forums dedicated to wets but not all that much about drys.

I would like to expand my fly boxes so if you would be kind enough to indulge me a little, name your favorites and even colors and sizes.

Looking forward to hearing back and thank you.

I would have to say a size 16 H&L Variant, a size 10 Orange Bodied Stimulator, and of course a size twenty Tak’s Biot Midge.

Parachute Adams (14), Parachute Patriot (14), Parachute PMD (16), BWO (18), and a TBA.

I’ve got to think about the TBA. I like size 10 and 12 dries for bluegills to keep them from swallowing the hooks. Of course, I could always cheat and use over-sized hackle on some of the flies listed above.

The PMD is more commonly a Pale Evening Dun around here.

Ed

Dry flies

CDC and Elk size 12/14 dark gray body, light tan wing. If I have an idea what caddis will be coming off the water. I’ll match body, wing color and size

Snowshoe Emerger/Cripple size 12/14 natural pheasant tail body, brown rattail trailing shuck, hair thin copper wire rib, light gray snowshoe hair wing, and dark grey grizzly hackle. I’ll also tie it with dyed olive or brown pheasant tail body.

Usual size 14/16, olive body and gray wing and tail. I’ll tie this in tan, pale yellow and gray also

and two midge patterns that I came up with for local streams that have worked well for me throughout the Northeast and on the Grand and Upper Credit River in Ontario.
Wissahickon Midge size 22 black/red brown CDC body, white CDC wing
Ridley Creek Fuzz Ball size 22 white rattail body over white or black thread, with trailing shuck, hair thin red wire rib, White CDC wing.

All but the Usual are tied on TMC 2488, straight eyed shrimp/caddis pupae hook.

BWO, Rusy Spinner, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Coachman, Adams

Sizes 12-26, except for Royal Coachman then 12-16

X2 caddis, a black zebra midge and a Barr Emerger. Any river , anytime

Parachute adams, elk hair caddis, bwo, & klinkhamer (the “K” is what I would start with.
Mike

and for what are you fishing:?:.

and what kind of water ??

For trout fishing streams and rivers in the Intermountain West - Griffith Gnat 18-20, Harrop’s Henry’s Fork Caddis size 16 with option to go with dark deer hair for the wing rather than CDC, Quigley Cripple 16-18, Parachute Adams 14-18, and a Renegade 12-20.

I’d be willing to fish these “anywhere” but I suspect there would others that might become a preference for “local conditions ??”

John

Hi Duckster & John,

 This was one of those do or die situations, hypothetically speaking of course, you didn't know where you might  be fishing or even what kind of water but had every confidence in the few flies you were able to have in your possession and had the opportunity to hand pick them.

 I know the hatches from local to local will vary and there will be the local favorite but you don't have that option in this scenario.

 Fishing for trout and no brackish or tidal waters.

 I appreciate the results everyone is taking the time to post. I am finding them quite interesting. Thank you.

Without a doubt the HiViz Klink is nr 1 for me,
than the Croteero, an smallish CDC pattern of my own design,
the Brown evening sedge, (Deerhair only)
the Comparadun
Deerhair Mayfly
Cheers, Hans

#14 Adams
#14 Elk Hair Caddis
#14 Rusty Brown spinner
#16 Pale Evening Dun
#14 Hendrickson

If I’m fishing the Mad River here in Ohio at Hendrickson time, I’d better have a #14 Red Quill, or something very similar, or I’m toast. If I’m fishing the Flav spinner or March Brown hatch at Henry’s Fork I’d better have a #14 or #16 Flav Spinner, or a big #10 March Brown dun or emerger. The fish won’t look at anything else. There is no such thing as a fly that will work anywhere, anytime. There are general purpose flies that will work sometimes, some places. I fish with some guys who are very fine fly fishermen. They carry thousands of flies. The first thing they do when they visit a destination, even one they’ve been to 100 times, is hit the fly shop and talk to the guys. Then they buy more flies. I buy one, and tie more of it that evening. I’ve hardly ever had the exact fly for a destination on hand, though I always do when I fish the Mad, because I know it and its hatches so well. Anyway, some flies I go to on a regular basis are the Last Chance Cripple for PMDs out west, the Rusty Spinner, also for out West, the Red Quill for the East, a Sulphur Spinner and Dun for the East, and a #18 Parachute Adams and/or Olive for the East. Another fly that’s good all around is the Henryville Special for Caddis, East or West. And last, but certainly not least, there’s Hans’ CDC and Elk, good anywhere, anytime, for anything. OK, I’m exaggerating.
Eric

Pure dry flies, I would choose :

  1. Red Quill
  2. PMD
  3. Stimulator
  4. Dorato Hare’s Ear
  5. Adams

Flies fished on the surface:

  1. PMD Flymph
  2. Pop Top Hendrickson Flymph
  3. Triple Threat Caddis
  4. Adams
  5. Stimulator

How about three?

[ul]A Foam Beetle[/ul]

[ul]An Elk Wing Caddis[/ul]

[ul]A Griffith’s Gnat[/ul]
Yea a few more would help but excluding hatches, I could get by very nicely with just these three.

#14 black parachute ant
#14 foam beetle
#16 X-caddis (tan)
#22 ICSI midge

This came out good. Responses from California to the Netherlands and Kansas to Canada. It appears there is a common denominator in the Adams and versions of the Caddis.

There is a fair amount of tying ahead of me. I really appreciate everyones input and your taking the time to help me out on this. Now I just hope I will be able to find recipes on some of these.

Steve -

You have a PM.

John

[ul]
[li]Hot Wing Elk Hair Caddis[/li][li]Bear Paw[/li][li]Foam Beetle[/li][li]Mosquito[/li][*]Ant[/ul]

This is a “no brainer” for me in Australia. If I had just three, for any water, then

Iron blue dun #14
Adams #14
Caddis #14

and if you were to allow me another two, then I think a Humpy for those really fast streams and also to use as a beetle pattern, and a Hopper pattern coz we got truckloads of hopper feeders in summer.