Hi
I am new to fly fishing and tying. I want to concentrate on 10 good dry and 10 good wet/nymph patterns that should get me in and out of every situation with good results.
i dont think you need 10 patterns of each to get started but i’ll throw out a few for you to tie and practice with
wooly bugger
gold ribbed hares ear
black zebra migde
pheasant tail nymph
soft hackle of any kind
elk hair caddis
adams parachute
royal wullf
griffiths gnat
lime trude
Al Campbell developed a group of “Too Simple” flys. They are in the FAOL fly database so you can search for them from the home page. He also has a great series on how to tie flys. This is what I used to learn and still use as a refresher.
Most foam flys are easy to tie also.
As far as a list Normand’s is good, they all catch fish year round.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/101/part22.php
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/101/part23.php
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/101/part26.php
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/101/part27.php
FAOL’s top ten lists for nymphs, streamers, wets, and dries. Though no two “top 10” lists would be the same for any angler, as a general rule, most of those picks are hard to dispute.
As has been said, you dont need that many to start. If you go the route I did, learn a handful of patterns that will catch fish in any situation, that you can alter endlessly with just a few substitutions:
Woolly Bugger: Fish eat it. Alot. Customize by adding flash, changing colors of each component individually (olive body w/ white tail and hackle is a killer for me).
Hare’s Ear: Simple tie, vary with different colors and styles of dubbing, adding flash, legs, soft hackle, beads, etc. You can do these as attractors (flashy & bold) or imitators (a black one can be a stone, a big white one as a green drake (eastern) nymph, etc.
Egg fly: I tried to start tying by doing glo-bugs…if I had it to do over, I’d have skipped it and went to woolly buggers. For a beginner, I’d recommend a sucker spawn or meth egg. They’re easy, and can be customized endlessly in terms of color, and with optional beads or tailing material (krystal flash, flashabou, a tiny tuft of marabou, etc.) or the addition of a veil. Egg flies will catch fish in the dead of winter when the closest hatch is 2 months in either direction.
Tie these three in a few different varieties, and you’ll have a core of good flies that catch fish. Also, these three will incorporate the simplest forms of alot of techniques you’ll want to know down the road.
For example, the HE teaches tying down hair (the tail) as well as a wire ribbing and dubbing. The bugger teaches you to palmer hackle. Get good at these four techniques, and an Elk Hair Caddis is a dry that you already know how to tie, and with a little practice, you’ll have a killer all-season dry to add to your arsenal. Get used to tying that hair wing, and you’re on the verge of mastering the haystack and comparadun. Get those, and the catskill dry is a simple matter…
Normand’s list is spot on. I wouldn’t change a thing. After time and practice you’ll find what works and what you like, then start experimenting with something new like patterns that match the hatch or are special for a particular water you like to fish.
Good Luck!
Kelly.
Well, my mayfly patterns have boiled down to this over the years:
http://www.flytyingworld.com/PagesD/dennisgarrison.htm#Quick%20&%20Dirty%20CDC%20Mayfly
change size and color to match the hatch, lose the dubbing as you get below an 18…
Use a regular dry fly hook and take off the tail, and you have a caddis…
Make the caddis in a size 18-26, thread body with xx fine wire ribbing and you have a midge…
Umpteen thousand fish and counting…
I would add the San Juan Worm to the list. It’s the easiest fly to tie that I know and catches fish as good as anything that’s not an exact match for a hatch.
JR
-Wooley bugger (olive, black)
-zebra midge(black, red, olive)
-soft hackle(red, olive)
-SJ worm( red, brown, pink)
-egg patterns(yellow, red, pink, orange)
The Zebra midge is becoming my favorite fly.
In the wet fly category, I would like to add something with yellow and red in it. My two picks, both easy to tie, are the edson tiger light (the dark is also a great fly) and mickey finn.
Good suggestions all.
Doesn’t get much easier than the black and/or cinnamon ant.
The Zugbug nymph has always been simple, as well as most effective for me also.
bobbyg
I have probably caught more trout and panfish on a simple fly made from thread and one other material. I typically tie it on 2xl to 3xl shank hooks, but most commonly on the Tiemco 200R or equivalent from size 8 down to 18.
The pattern was introduced to me as the “Monroe Leech”.
In addition to thread, the one material is marabou. Tie in at the rear of the hook some marabou with the tips extending past the bend to create a short stubby tail. Don’t trim the marabou. Twist the marabou (not the tail portion) into a rope and wrap up the shank. Tie off, trim, and finish the head.
In small sizes, only use a few strands of marabou to create a small nymph. More strands and larger hooks can be used to imitate leeches, damselfly larvae, or even minnows. Use whatever color suits you. I use black, olive, cinnamon, purple, burgandy, and grey most often.
Thanks i will have to start tying some of those to try over the weekend