Which dry fly patterns are actually needed?

[Jszczerba07]

Alright, this is a bit of a complicated one, but I haven’t been able to find quite the detail I am looking for across books/the internet so here it is:

I am working on filling my boxes for spring. I’m trying to choose which flies I actually need to tie for hatches. To narrow it down, specifically mayfly dries/emergers, as there seem to be an endless number of patterns. How do you go about choosing which patterns make your box? Is there a set couple patterns that are adjusted size/color for different hatches, or do you use different patterns for different hatches? As much as I enjoy tying it doesn’t seem to make sense to have 5-6 dry fly/emergers patterns per hatch… or maybe it does?! For example, if you have a missing link or last chance cripple saved for selective fish, why not solely fish that pattern? Is there any point in having parachutes or Catskills if a more detailed fly will always have a better chance? I know they offer more visibility/flotation, but not in all cases. I’ll list some of the patterns I’ve been playing around with below, and maybe some of you have recommendations for which ones to keep tying and which ones are just adding more volume to my boxes, or maybe other pattern suggestions.

Parachute
Catskill
Compara/sparkle dun
Missing link
Last chance cripple
Thorax style
Rabbit foot emerger
Breadline emerger

I won’t be intimidated by a detailed response! I’ve been having an internal battle the past few months over this, but maybe I’m just overthinking it, so I’m curious to hear what you all have to think. Thanks

 

[Tigereye]

It really depends on the water and how pressured/picky the fish are.

Generally speaking, Catskill style flies for pocket water, comparadun for glides and runs, parachutes and thorax style for calmer water and pools.

Your cripples and emergers are for what stage of a hatch the fish are keying on. I find that a Pheasant Tail emerger or soft hackle in green, orange, yellow or PT cover most of hatches I encounter where fish are keying emergers.

For cripples clip the hackle on bottom of Catskill style. The thorax, comparadun and parachute all sit flush so no need for any embellishments.

Also, to reduce your payload of flies, determine which hatches you encounter most often and where. You will find each fly prefers it's own habitat. For example most March Brown are found around pocket water. In which case a Catskill style fly is all you may need.

 

[PennKev]

Parachute
Catskill
Compara/sparkle dun
Missing link
Last chance cripple
Thorax style
Rabbit foot emerger
Breadline emerger

I'd add a X-Caddis and Griffiths gnat or some other midge pattern. Of course I have other dry flies that I like a lot but if I was worried about just matching hatches and wanted to keep it simple I'd stick with what I didn't cross off your list and add X-Caddis and Griffiths Gnat.

If I expanded it further to attractors and terrestrials I would add:

Foam ants
Chubby Chernobyl (small, none of that crazy huge stuff)
Royal Wulff

Once you get into varying sizes and colors you'd end up with quite a variety of flies to cover a lot of situations.

 

[tomb]

For dry fly fishing : parachute adams, elk hair caddis, black ant for wet : gold rib hares ear,prince nymph, any perdigon If you cant catch them on these, play golf

 

[troutbert]

I never INTENTIONALLY tie any cripple flies.

 

[fishing fool]

Look for the hatch chart of the streams that you intend to fish. Carry those and some favorites. Pay attention to size and color most

 

[riverwhy]

I am starting to organize my fly boxes by seasons. I did a fly box for a Penn's trip last fall and now I will be doing one for a Spring Penn's trip. Will toss just a couple generic and junk patterns in just in case. I have a separate spinner box (not rooster tails) and bugger box and streamer box. It always amazes me how few pattern changes I make while on the water. I should do more, but aging eyes makes the choice more difficult.

 

[salmo]

I never INTENTIONALLY tie any cripple flies.

😂

 

[Bamboozle]

I dumbed down my approach a long time ago by tying only a few different style flies and just varying the size & color. I like this approach because it reduces the number of flies I carry and the amounts of DIFFERENT materials I need to buy. In addition, many flies do double duty as different bugs.

The only exception I make is for hatches I will fish over several days or weeks like Sulphurs & Tricos. For these hatches only, I may add something else like a Iwamasa or different wings on my Trico spinners because the fish get fussier as the hatch progresses.

So with that in mind...

For regular mayfly hatches, I tie thorax & parachutes that only vary in size & color.​

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For all emergers, I tie a generic emerger that only varies in size & color.​

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For regular spinner falls, I tie a generic poly wing spinner that only varies in size & color.​

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For Hendrickson spinners only, I have a skating version that is just a thorax fly tied with palmer hackle.​

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For Green Drake spinners only, I tie an extended body parachute using white cylindrical foam for the body.​

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All caddis & stoneflies are imitated with Elk Wing Caddis (EWC) that only vary in size & color.​

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I tie a broken water version of the my regular EWC that uses tan cylindrical foam for the body.​

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You didn't ask about midges, but I use the same approach, a generic style in different sizes & colors.​

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You also didn't ask about terrestrials, however for terrestrials which for the most part represent an opportunistic meal, I tie everything in one color & size. That includes foam beetles, fur ants, foam inchworms, foam bees, Letort Crickets & Letort Hoppers.​

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Good luck!

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[Dr.J 1952]

Several good recommendations above. Make decisions on where and when you fish and what hatches are occurring. I also have boxes for specific streams at different times. I mainly tie all parachute patterns for mayflies. A good alternate caddis pattern is a Klinkhammer tied in size 18. I love tying flies and usually have too many with me. Every once in a while, that fly I tied years ago and never used is the ticket. If you hit a prolific hatch, the longer the hat hatch goes on the pickier the fish get. Last year during a sulphur hatch I used a parachute pattern, a comparadun pattern and a cripple pattern. All caught fish. I must admit I get a little OCD at times.

 

[dryflyguy]

I mainly use catskill style flies.
They work everywhere for me.

I do carry a few comparaduns and parachutes.
Just to have something different to try when called for.

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

I used to think that having a large set of "match the hatches" flies was important.
Then one time I took my son fishing on Penns. His first time fly fishing. He was in high school then and not all that excited about going. But I guess he did it for me and to break the boredom back his grandmother's place. Anyway, I always kept a cup by my tying bench where I put some of my bad ties. Never wanting to waste them but to embarrassed how they looked to carry them on a stream. This time I took them along knowing my son was going to lose a few on tree limbs and snags with errant casts. Well, he used those "bad" ties and out fished me by a wide margin. I really started to question exact fly matches after that. My bad fly numbers are much lower these days but I still won't fish them on a stream like Penns. I save them for stocked waters now.

Since then, my son attended and graduated from PSU and took the fly fishing course there as well.

 

[tomgamber]

at one time because of limited time and budget I just used to tie the same dry pattern in different sizes and colors. Started one night when I was tying some Adams. then I just made everything Olive for a batch, then brown then yellow, then white. did the same with a basic Hare's ear nymph pattern and of course buggers. Same three basic patterns in different sizes and colors. After a while you can tie the same pattern over and over. Color won't slow you down.

 

[bringthepain]

I mainly use catskill style flies.
They work everywhere for me.

I do carry a few comparaduns and parachutes.
Just to have something different to try when called for.

i like catskilll flies too. I have had people tell me they won't work in certain rivers (the upper D specifically). I never bought that. I know from reading your posts you fish the upper D also, so i guess you dont buy it either!

 

[dryflyguy]

i like catskilll flies too. I have had people tell me they won't work in certain rivers (the upper D specifically). I never bought that. I know from reading your posts you fish the upper D also, so i guess you dont buy it either!

I do tie mine with shorter hackle than traditional Catskills flies
No more than 1x the hook gap
And they work pretty for me there

 

[riverwhy]

I haven’t fished hatches
Long enough to experiment but do you guys think the fish become pickier(needing a better imitation) or more
Something that is different from what
Is being regularly tossed at them?

 

[PennKev]

I haven’t fished hatches
Long enough to experiment but do you guys think the fish become pickier(needing a better imitation) or more
Something that is different from what
Is being regularly tossed at them?

I do not buy that fish become conditioned to not eat specific patterns due to fishing pressure. If that were the case elk hair caddis would've stopped working decades ago. Too many patterns work too well, too often.

Selectivity is primarily due to other factors IMO.

 

[rrt]

RE: DFG's Posts 11 and 15:

I pretty much do as he does in Post 11. However, I differ from him in his Post 15 in that I tend to use slightly oversized hackle collars (2X) when I can (though admittedly I probably tie at least half of the dries with hackle 1.5 times the gap of the hook's size). Unlike DFG, I fish nymphs a lot of the time in the absence of rising trout, though I much prefer to fish with dries. When I see risers, off go the nymphs.

Like DFG, I also use some comparaduns. I also tie some generic spinners with poly wings.

Many fly-fishermen, who are much more competent than I am, tie effective, imaginative patterns that I could not even dream of.

 

[wildtrout2]

I haven’t fished hatches

Neither have I. Honestly, I almost never see a hatch on the mountain freestones I fish. When I do actually see a one, it's usually what I believe to be sulphurs. I don't see it often though. They will aggressively hit a parachute Adams or Ant, so I usually go with those two patterns. I try to keep my fly fishing simple.

 

[dryflyguy]

I haven’t fished hatches
Long enough to experiment but do you guys think the fish become pickier(needing a better imitation) or more
Something that is different from what
Is being regularly tossed at them?

Of course, no pattern works all the time - for whatever reason
That's when it pays to have something different to try.

Especially after a missed strike, and the fish keeps rising.
They're usually reluctant to hit the same pattern again.