A question was recently asked on another online site that got me to wondering. The question was, “What are your favorite searching patterns, the flies you tie on when you have no idea or evidence of what the fish are eating?” The site poled a number of guides, authors, and people in the trade and then published the results in three articles, Dry Flies, Streamers, and Nymphs. The top fly in each category was as follows: Dry - Parachute Adams; Streamer - Wooly Bugger; and Nymph - Standard Pheasant Tail.
My question to the forum is, “What is the one fly you would never leave home without to insure you wouldn’t get skunked?”
That depends on where I’m leaving home for. My best fly on the Duck River is studiously ignored on the AuSable and probably isn’t the best for the Harpeth.
I agree with the Wooly Bugger for a streamer and the Standard Pheasant Tail for a nymph, but I tend toward a Royal Coachman for the dry. It’s a grand old fly and has served thousands well. Including me.
If you ask me the same question tomorrow, my answer might be different.
Stimulator size 16. Because it doesn’t need a hatch to be seen by fish on any river that has a population of stone flies. So you can use it mid day, evening, hatch, no hatch, spring, summer.
I would agree with two of those choices as long as the PT was unweighted so it could be fished deep with a split shot or as a floating nymph in the early emerger stage.
I would also not choose the standard parachute adams but tie it with a zelon tail. You can bend the hook of a parachute adams and cut off the tail to change it into a passable Klinkhammer. Then cut off part of the post and you get an earlier stage emerger. You can snip off the post and change it into a passable spinner. You can twist the post and hackle a bit off kilter and get a passable stillborn.
It would be contest for the streamer slot. If it were hopper season, I would choose a Muddler Minnow because it can serve as a streamer and it can pass as a hopper on top. As a pure streamer, I’d choose the wooly bugger.
I could easily agree with those top 3 picks - anywhere! I could also put an Ausable Wulff in place of the Adams. The Wooly Bugger (for me) is more a nymphing type fly, although you certainly can swim it, so i would migrate more towards the Black Ghost for a searching streamer pattern. Good thread! Thanks Griz.
Dry Fly- HW Rio Grande King (imitates midges, caddis , stoneflies and terrestrials)
Nymph- Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear ( can be tied to fish #28 trike nymphs, all the mayfly, caddis, stoneflies, dragonflies and damselflies, craneflies, you name it. Grease it and it’s an emerger.)
Streamer- Olive Grizzly Matuka ( the color matches most stream bottoms, the grizzly: parr marks, it’s non fouling and the action is great with a hackle collar.)
When all fails I pull out a size #10 Marabou Wing Royal Coachman, it’s the only wet fly style that I use. I love the action of the wing and the construction is just plain buggy.
If I want to see if the fish are at all interested in a dry fly, I’d go with a CDC & Elk; if I had to catch a fish on threat of death I’d fish a bugger (and probably trail a bead-head, Zebra Midge or IPW behind it).
I always have a Prince Nymph of standard or different modifications (flashback, rubber tail/wing/legs, sz. 8-18, ect…) but I typically fish a PT under it too!!!
Stimulator, what else, it helps to stimulate the fish. Can imitate so many different bugs with size and color differences.
Skulpzilla, ya that one’s fun! Hard to beat an Olive Bugger though.
Since I hardly ever fish a dry fly, I would have to stick with a Flymph which can be tied with any color body you wish plus swing wet flies and follow up with some sort of bugger in sizes 10 and 12. These would be my “go to” flies if you are referring to trout fishing.
This. This fly exactly, in this size, for those reasons.
I was thinking this before I even got to Steve’s response.
Probably in yellow/orange coloration, but any combination of yellow, orange, green, olive, black, red, peacock, grey, or red will do.
It works in no hatch, as stones, caddis, hoppers, fluttering mayflies of any type in any size within one of the chosen fly, and I’ve even used it as an impromptu wet fly, to swing past a fish.
It’s also highly visible to the angler, in any condition, and will float without a big ugly footprint on slow pools, but won’t get drowned by any water you can wade through.
My question for Grizzly is what was the intent of the question? Is it the original question, “What is the most effective fly in each of the three categories”, as in the original question OR is it to ask, “What other flies are good?” I assumed it was pick out the three flies in each category that you would take anywhere not knowing where you would be fishing. Some replies answered the second question.
For example, when one says a #16 stimulator in a river that has stoneflies, I don’t think the poster is saying get rid of the parachute adams and take a stimulator instead because it will out fish a parachute adams in all waters. His response was conditional on the water type with stone flies.
I also have to agree with the Stimulator. I prefer either orange or yellow. It can be used in slow water, white water, and I find it is deadly fished in pocket water. Interesting concept is using it as a wet…I’ll have to try that. Second favorite is an Ausable Wulff…especially the ones tied by Fran Betters himself. They seen to float a little better than the others. I have about a dozen of those left. I better put a couple away for safe keeping.