Favorite dries?

[Prospector]

Bobbop89 wrote:
My thing is I have never fished dries and I usually just euro nymph and instead of carrying an extra reel with me I planned on carrying a small tankara rod just for dries if the occasion calls for it and I don't want to go crazy with a hundred different patterns I really just want a few patterns that will work in most cases.

If you aspire to tie flies get the Dave Hughes book “Essential Trout Flies”. His selection of flies is very good. He picks 6 per type and supplies tying instruction for each. If you picked half of them you’d have a solid all purpose box.

My recommendation for essential dry fly patterns:

Caddis (some tan body, some in peacock, some yellow) I’m not a fan of EHC, I like all of the hackle up near the eye and not palmered around the body. Sz 14-16. This should be your #1 producer. All streams have Caddis. Not all streams have an abundance of mayflies.

Adams. Gray body and yellow body Sz 14-16. This will likely be your #1 mayfly pattern.

Rusty Spinner sz 14-18 This will be your go to fly for a spinner fall

If you are a minimalist, you can stop there and have all you need. However I’d add these 2 attractor patterns that will bring up fish.

Royal Coachman Wulff. Sz 14

Yellow Humpy. Sz 14

If the streams you fish have these flies, carry some since they will give you some huge days if you can match the hatch a little better than the all purpose flies above:
Sulfur Yellow sz 16
BWO sz 16

 

[LetortAngler]

Sparkle Dun, Parachute, and a Elk Hair Caddis.

 

[JeffK]

I second prospector's flies. Here is a little more low rent theory. Top level, bugs are either dark or light, big or small. Adams is a good dark fly pattern, 100's of light fly patterns but 2 that have worked for me are parachute light cahill and sparkle dun

The first hatches in April are darker (the April Grays) and a little bigger. Think a 12 or 14 Adams.

Then is a period with caddis and a green or tan X-caddis, or something else can do the job.

Then lighter and smaller (but not always) mayflies dominate. IMHO the sulphurs are the most reliable hatch in PA, so a size 16 yellow fly should be in everyone's box, but 12 and 14s also cover for other bugs. May get some slate drakes so the 12 and 14 Adams come back.

Many evenings the spinner fall is the deal and the rusty spinner is the top fly for me. Size 12 to 18 (size 18 rusty spinner is a great late season fly for me when the waters are low and clear and the fish are tough).

The other hatch that is extremely common in PA for a long period of time are the olives. A 16 or 18 Adams will do OK, a 16 purple patriot (a modification the the PA favorite I learned in Michigan) has done well for me.

Everyone has their favorite "Hail Mary" attractor and a 14 Royal Wulff is a very good one. A few years back was fishing with my TU chapter on the West Branch of the Delaware when the fishing was very tough. One member broke out the 14 Royal Wulffs and we started hooking up. Other anglers asked us what we were using and we replied truthfully. Most said, "It's OK if you don't tell us but don't bullshit us." Sometimes a different fly can even work on "technical" waters.

I like fishing dries with my 10' nymphing rod. Can hold a lot of line off the water which works on flat pools were microdrag is a killer and in pocket water where conflicted currents are a problem.

 

[afishinado]

JeffK wrote:
I second prospector's flies. Here is a little more low rent theory. Top level, bugs are either dark or light, big or small. Adams is a good dark fly pattern, 100's of light fly patterns but 2 that have worked for me are parachute light cahill and sparkle dun

The first hatches in April are darker (the April Grays) and a little bigger. Think a 12 or 14 Adams.

Then is a period with caddis and a green or tan X-caddis, or something else can do the job.

Then lighter and smaller (but not always) mayflies dominate. IMHO the sulphurs are the most reliable hatch in PA, so a size 16 yellow fly should be in everyone's box, but 12 and 14s also cover for other bugs. May get some slate drakes so the 12 and 14 Adams come back.

Many evenings the spinner fall is the deal and the rusty spinner is the top fly for me. Size 12 to 18 (size 18 rusty spinner is a great late season fly for me when the waters are low and clear and the fish are tough).

The other hatch that is extremely common in PA for a long period of time are the olives. A 16 or 18 Adams will do OK, a 16 purple patriot (a modification the the PA favorite I learned in Michigan) has done well for me.

Everyone has their favorite "Hail Mary" attractor and a 14 Royal Wulff is a very good one. A few years back was fishing with my TU chapter on the West Branch of the Delaware when the fishing was very tough. One member broke out the 14 Royal Wulffs and we started hooking up. Other anglers asked us what we were using and we replied truthfully. Most said, "It's OK if you don't tell us but don't bullshit us." Sometimes a different fly can even work on "technical" waters.

I like fishing dries with my 10' nymphing rod. Can hold a lot of line off the water which works on flat pools were microdrag is a killer and in pocket water where conflicted currents are a problem.

Very good ^

I subscribe to the same philosophy for fly section to match most hatches as well as mixing in a few attractor flies to round things off.

I addition, a 10' rod is my go-to trout rod for the same reasons stated above.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Adams, #12-18, colors: standard grey, tan, maybe yellow or olive
Application (in order of importance): Any mayfly hatch, prospecting, spinner falls

Elk Hair Caddis, #14-18, colors: light olive, tan, yellow (for sallies)
Application (in order of importance): Any caddis, prospecting, some stonefly hatches

Foam Humpy, #12-14, colors: yellow, chartreuse, fire orange, black
Application (in order of importance): Prospecting, terrestrials, Any caddis and some stonefly hatches, mayfly hatches


Those cover a ton of dry fly fishing. All will work well on little mountain streams with wild trout, especially the foam humpy. It's super buoyant and the fish love it! It's a great dry-dropper fly. The black is to cover terrestrials.

The reason for the #18 Parachute Adams is for smaller mayflies like baetis and dorothea sulphurs.

Parachute adams during a spinner fall: Most spinner falls occur at dusk, so color should be unimportant. The profile of a parachute is similar enough to that of a spent mayfly. If the post bothers you, nip it off streamside. I figure the fish don't care and it improves strike detection.

The caveat that gets us all off this nice, tight list is super selective trout. They tend to be on streams that get heavy pressure and/or streams that are bug factories. Having said that, these 3 styles will serve you well on at least 80% of the streams. Bonus: they are all good searching patterns.

If I had 3 of each of these in my boxes, I would have a lot of confidence on any trout stream. Do not look at the myriad patterns in my box, tho. They call me a liar! ;-)

 

[Fly-Swatter]

JeffK wrote:
Everyone has their favorite "Hail Mary" attractor and a 14 Royal Wulff is a very good one. A few years back was fishing with my TU chapter on the West Branch of the Delaware when the fishing was very tough. One member broke out the 14 Royal Wulffs and we started hooking up. Other anglers asked us what we were using and we replied truthfully. Most said, "It's OK if you don't tell us but don't bullshit us." Sometimes a different fly can even work on "technical" waters.

This reminds me of an article by Jim Bashline (I think) WAY back in the day called "Throw Them a Candy Bar". He basically suggested exactly what you did here. I think the trout are reacting to the thing that looks different but edible. I gives them something very different to look at, taking selectivity out of the equation. Your story confirms his idea.

 

[JerryC]

My fly box is pretty generic
CDC and Elk- tied on a TMC 2488, size 10-18.

Usual- tied on a TMC 101 size 12-20

Snowshoe Emerger/Cripple- tied on TMC 2488 size 10-14, or Klinkhammer hook size 12-16

"Candy Bar" Fly
Nalle Puh- tied on TMC 101 size 12-16. Good riffle fly. Brookies love it

 

[tomgamber]

I don't think I've ever caught as many fish as I have on an Adam's.

 

[shakey]

EHC
Light Cahill
Royal Wulff

 

[NittanyBearcat]

Adams
Sulfur
Patriot

 

[troutpoop]

BWO snowshoe emerger, Polish quill Caddis, EP Rusty spinner

 

[SteveG]

Hares ear parachute, renegade, and cdc caddis

 

[Billems]

Adams (standard tie)
Light Caddis Variant
Letort Hopper

 

[shakey]

shakey wrote:
EHC
Light Cahill
Royal Wulff

It’s funny how you change over the years.

I would replace the light Cahill with a crackle back or even a Griffith’s gnat .