Got a favorite trout fly for western rivers? I’d like to know about it. I’d like to tie some different patterns. Not sure why though. I have eight fly boxes just for trout, that I carry with me. Half in my chest pack and the rest in my camelback pack, ready for use if need be. It seems though that I catch the most fish on a dozen patterns that have become my favorites over the years. What are yours?
A few of my very favorites:
Size 6 and 8 Yellow PMX
Bugmeister
Parachute hares ear, sizes 16-20
FBBHPT size 16
San Juan Worm
Rusty spinner
If I had to pick 6 non-streamer flies I guess it would be those.
i have a few favorite flies for different each major insect type on rivers. haven’t fished stillwaters much, so haven’t included those insects. here goes:
baetis emerger - rs2 - dark olive or gray sz 20 or 22; wd40 in chocolate color, about a 20 or 22, as well.
baetis nymph - one i created - copper bead, brown antron for legs and tail, olive microtubing for body, same brown antron for wingcase, pearl KF for flashback; or bhfbpt, about a size 20.
caddis - x caddis or EHC, olive about a sz. 16.
stoneflies - olive stimulator in 16. i like the smaller sizes to pick up caddis as well. plus brookies like 'em…
for tailwaters here in CO, nothing seems to beat some form of midge pupa for plain old consistency.
and there you have my $0.02
chris
I don’t have one. I wait and see what is going on when I get to the river I am fishing and go from there.
I can see a guy who’s favorite fly is a size #14 Beadhead hares ear using that during a good midge hatch.
I have never had a favorite I just have never wanted to limit myself in that way. I do have hatchs that I like to fish. Ron
Here are a few of my favorite Western Trout Flies.
Parachute adams sz. 12-20.
Stimulaters sz 6-16 in tan, olive, green, yellow,and orange.
Buggers sz 2-12 in black, brown, olive and any combination of the above colors.
Serendipities sz. 10-20 in black, gray, tan, green. olive.
Now if i could just limit myself to the four patterns above ( Like that is ever going to happen) I could get by with 2 or 3 boxes instead of the six i carry in my vest.
There you have my .02
1More
I wouldn’t leave the house with out a full selection of parachute adams in sizes 20 thru 10. I’ve cought a heck of a lot of trout on this fly over the years.
It’s my ‘go to’ fly. If some else isn’t obviously hatching I usually start with the adams…probaly why I catch so many fish with them.
RonMT,
Let’s say someone grabbed you by the arm and said “grab 3 dry fly and three wet fly patterns [as many in #'s and sizes as you want] …we don’t know where we’re going but it will be on a stream somewhere”…what would you take?..you’re the fisherman …not the guide.
My favorite flys that I use, “Go-to Flys”, and ALWAYS catch fish on are:
Wet/Nymph:
Red Analid
Florecent Orange M&M
Peacock Barel Fly
Red Thread Midge Larva
Johnny Flash
Disco Midge
Desert Storm
Mercury Blood Midge
Olive RS2
Black WD-40
Flash-Back Pheasent Tail
Drowned Baetis
Dry:
Parachute Adams
Trailing Shuck Midge
CDC Midge
Olive Sparkle Dun
BWO
Rodney…
aka smokeater734
NREMT-Paramedic/Firefighter
ducksterman- I can’t do that as I know it is not going to ever happen to me. 
I always say why short yourself? Be relistic about it. No one is going to limit how many flies a person carries. So I carry as many as I can, be it in my vest, boat or truck. I have what I may need when I need them. Like I said I do not have one great do all pattern. I think there are a number of good patterns that will work on any given day. If you limit yourslef to just a few they may be the wrong ones.
You can go from say the Missouri one day were you were catching ton’s of fish on PMD’s to the Yellowstone the next and the fish will not even look at them. Nope I never limit myself in that way. I have learned that from years on the water.
And yes I still have slow days on the rivers. We all do or they would call it catching instead of Fishing. 
Ron
Give me Stimulators, soft hackles, and copper johns, and i’m set. (I’d appreciate it if i had some variety on colors and sizes)
Den,
Not to be difficult or pedantic, but I am not sure what a “Western trout fly” might be.
I think that any of the really ‘great’ patterns has earned that merit on the basis that it travels well, and is effective on trout pretty much anywhere in the world.
Most of my trout fishing involves travel, and I know I do not change my selection based on where I am going. I would, and do, take my regular set of flies going to pretty much any location across the three continents I have fished for trout. Quite often this destination has been the north west of the US, or the south west of Canada.
Cheers,
Hans W
=== You have a friend in Low Places ===
http://www.danica.com/flytier
Dry: Parachute Adams
Nymph: Some sort of Pheasant Tail variation
Streamer: Clouser minnow. Brown trout colors
Wet: Soft Hackle Sow Bug
As a guid I find Having the right bug for the right time of the year. During the winter I start tying box’s to flies for each hach for the area I am fishing.
But I would say 10 must have bug’s.
(BWO)Blue wing olive
Rs2 emeger
trico spinner& nymph
sierra bright dot
zebra midge
PMD
cripple callibaetis
black nat
elk hair caddis
half&half emerger
Den,
I have had great success with the following flies:
Renegad
Bivisble
Bear Paw
Adam
Hares Ear Nymph
Prince
Birds Nest
Daves Hopper
Ice Cream Cone
Rick’s Caddis
I fish a western river that seems to be more of a dry fly river. Therefore, some of my favorites are:
- Elk Hair caddis in cinnamon, olive or dark brown
- PMD
- BWO
- Klinkhammers in olive, gray or yellow
- The Yak stone fly (Kind of a stimulator with a krystal flask abdomen in smold blue with rubber legs)
- Griffiths gnat
- Parachute adams
- Biot March browns
- Soft hackles in olive and yellow
- Wooley buggers in black or olive.
Dr Bob