A traditional fly, the Silver Doctor Salmon Fly is effective in a variety of fishing situations. The bright tinsel body and mixture of bright color combine to create a very appealing pattern.
When you hear the buzz in the trees tie on Jake's Cicada. The fish, especially the big ones, will know what to do with it. This is a custom pattern created by Utah fly fishing guide, Jake Ricks. It's a great match for the cicadas found on the famous Green River and works as a cicada matcher, cricket, and general attractor nearly everywhere in the world.
The Red Wired Rubber Legs Copper John adds a realistically segmented abdomen to an already effective pattern. This fly sinks quickly and can be used as a deep nymph or a dropper. Fish seem unable to resist the combination of color, flash, and realistic shape. The addition of rubber legs and realistically curved body creates an added attractant that makes this fly irresistable to hungry trout. Several sizes, colors, and variations of this pattern in the fly box will greatly add to success on the water.
The Crazy Charlie is the classic flats fly. The Charlie is useful in a variety of situations and works on almost every thing that cruises the flats and is also useful in freshwater for sightfishing to carp.
This Hopper pattern lands upright every single time and can seriously take a beating. If you want serious hopper action, Eric's Pink Clodhopper is guaranteed to bring them to the surface.
The Blue Winged Olive of all the species and sub-species of Baetidae are one of the most varied and common insects in American waters. We took the traditional pattern and improved upon it creating a pattern that floats high on the waters meniscus. This dry fly pattern is a simple must-have in the box in all sizes, as your chances of encountering this bug are almost guaranteed if you fish for trout frequently.
Ask any fly fisherman about his favorite hopper pattern and you'll likely get as many answers. Fishing Terrestrials brings its own unique excitement and a fly like the Hi Vis Foam Hopper Dropper is a sure bet on any Terrestrial water. The foam body and hair wing ride the fly well in any current and the Hi Vis adaptation makes it an easy pattern to locate in any water condition. Stutter twitch a Hi Vis Foam Hopper Dropper along a grassy bank or drop a small nymph off the bend and use it as an indicator. Either way this is a good Terrestrial addition to your box.
This wonderful Bunky Shrimp Saltwater Fly is enough to drive bonefish nuts in a variety of locations around the world. This well-dressed Bunky Shrimp pattern rides with the hook up for a natural retrieve and maximum hook ups!
The Red Rubber Legs Copper John popular and effective pattern has taken the fly fishing world by storm. This fly sinks quickly and can be used as a deep nymph or a dropper. Fish seem unable to resist the combination of color, flash, and realistic shape. The addition of rubber legs creates an added attractant that makes this fly hugely successful. Most guides and serious anglers never enter the river without several sizes, colors, and variations of this rubber legs pattern in the fly box.
E. C. stands for emergent crippled. Trout will key in on food that can't flee and during a hatch, this Green E.C. Caddis pattern can be down right spectacular!
This classic saltwater fly also known as a Clouser Minnow is probably the most popular saltwater pattern in the world. The Clouser Deep Minnow, Red-White is effective on nearly every predatory saltwater species. It is especially useful for stripers, bluefish, bonefish, redfish, snook, seatrout, and many others. It has also become a very popular freshwater streamer pattern. Every fly fisher should carry an array of sizes and colors to be ready for anything.
Originally designed as a pattern for Salmon and Steelhead because of its hot bright color the Bubble Gum Hareball Leech has now become a fly for large trout as well. It's well know that many times a brightly colored fly will draw a fishes attention and this fly not only has that quality, but more over the body materials breath and undulate as the fly is stripped, making the Bubble Gum Hareball Leech an irresistible temptation. This fly would be a definite welcome addition to your box.
When there is a sulphur hatch, look out - the fishing can be absolutely fantastic! This Comparadun Sulphur dry fly pattern is easy to spot and sits down in the film where the fish like to see their prey. Wings not quite dry, mayfly not quite ready to fly.
The Gotcha fly is one of the best bonefish patterns available. The pearlescent body and critter-like shape makes this fly irresistable to feeding bonefish. The Gotcha is available is several variations and sizes and is effective in a variety of situations and locales.
The Chubby Chernobyl is the most known large dry fly world wide. This 4R Golden Chubby Chernobyl has great floatabilty, making it perfect for hanging a dropper underneath. The dubbed body and wing on top are perfect for soaking in floatant. The legs splay out perfectly to give that buggy look we all shoot for when tying up!
Shrimp are not usually part of a salmon's diet once it moves into fresh water. Even so, the Orange Prawn Flies seem to trigger something in a fish's memory that makes it strike.
Developed around the classic trout waters of Yellowstone, Midge Green Bead Head Serendipity Fly is a pattern guides rely on to catch selective fish all around the world. The color and size of this pattern is great for imitating midges and small caddis. Trout in all types of water, even in stillwater environments, can't resist the segmented buggy look of the Serendipity patterns.
The Green-Black Bi-Colored Brassie has a segmented appearance given by alternating wire colors and a slim dubbed head. Brassies are proven patterns in all waters using multiple techniques and the Green-Black Bi-Colored Brassie is a critical pattern in that group. The olive/black contrast of this fly makes it a good imitation for stillwater Chironomids. A collection of various Brassies need to occupy at least a couple of rows in your fly box.
Many times sparsely dressed is the rule of the day when it comes to fooling a selective trout feeding on Mayfly emergers. The Olive RS2 most notably is a delicate, simplistic yet deadly fly during those ultra selective times on the water when the fish are keying on the emergent stage of the Blue Winged Olive or Baetis Mayflies approaching or literally at the surface. This is an effective pattern as well for dropping below a Mayfly dun during those initial moments of a hatch when the fish are feeding on not only emergers but beginning to key on the duns as well. Give the Olive RS2 a try during those critical presentation and hatch matching times.
PMD's - or Pale Morning Dun Mayflies - are a summer Mayfly that on many waters can be fished from July through September. The hatches can be exciting to fish, especially if you have the right fly pattern with the correct presentation. The RS2 Pale Morning Dun Emerger is a PMD pattern you shouldn't be without during such periods. Tried and proven, the RS2 Pale Morning Dun Emerger is a fly that can truly be the tipping point between a day just fishing and taking in the scenery and a day actually moving some fish.
Zonkers are a classic rabbit streamer and White has proven itself as one of the top producing colors. The bright color triggers strikes and is easy to track as it swims in the water. The minnow-like profile and realistic flash underbody match minnows and baitfish the large fish feed on. The White/Pearl Zonker Fly will work almost anywhere in all conditions for most freshwater fish.
The Steelhead Orange Egg Fly is a great roe pattern for waters that have spawning fish. This is perhaps the top producing egg color and is very effective when the fish are dropping lots of eggs. Almost every freshwater fish will eat this pattern including Steelhead and Salmon. Whether you are fishing in famous Steelhead run, your local river or even the gravel point on the nearby lake, the fish have learned that these glowing orbs are an tasty meal. Fish that are not spawning will hold in areas near the spawning fish and sometimes even travel with migrating fish for the opportunity to eat their misplaced eggs.
A marabou body and tail gives this shrimp pattern enough movement to entice strikes from even the pickiest of fish. The Marabou Shrimp fly is most useful on bonefish and other flats species.
The Red Rubber Midge is a simple, sparsely dressed Midge pattern. Many times simple can be deadly effective and this fly fished to midging trout can be just such a pattern. Suspended as a dropper just under the surface or presented delicately drifting in the deeper water section the Red Rubber Midge can be a successful pattern in your midging pursuits.
Ever see a cloud of insect above the water on your favorite river? These are black gnats. Inevitably some of these will fall into the water and trout will gorge themselves on them. This small Parachute Black Gnat for trout is a great imitator for any dark insect.
Angler acceptance of mollusc imitations has moved at . . . well, at a snail's pace. But there are times when you want to have a few paterns in your fly box. Originally designed for fishing moster rainbows in New Zealand, this pattern has quickly found its place in the US and Europe.
The Foam Callibaetis Spinner is both buoyant and visible to the angler while providing the fish with nothing but a realistic spent mayfly silhouette. Many lake fly fishermen know that the worst part of fishing a callibaetis spinner can be determining which speck on the lake is your fly.
Every fisherman has their own "Go To" fly for when trips out to your favorite waters get tough. The weather might be rotten and the bugs could be biting, but this special fly separates you from all the rest who go home with their tails between their legs. The hot head leech and its cousin the hot shot leech are one of our favorite go to flies
With a highly visible parachute post, this popular Black Indicator Parachute Midge Fly takes the frustration out of midge fishing. Trout don't seem to mind the bright indicator and the semi vertical profile makes this an excellent hatching midge pattern.
The Black Copper John is a popular and effective pattern has taken the fly fishing world by storm. This fly sinks quickly and can be used as a deep nymph or a dropper. Fish seem unable to resist the combination of color, flash, and realistic shape. it is best fished where mayflies or stoneflies are common and even works in certain lake situations. Most guides and serious anglers never enter the river without several sizes, colors, and variations of the copper john in the fly box.
The Silver Hilton is an oldy but a goody. The fact that knowledgeable steelheaders and salmon anglers continue to keep a few of these in their fly boxes shows that it has a lasting appeal and continues to catch fish.
The Grey Foam Wing Caddis is a unique adult Caddis imitation that is not only a very visible pattern, but a fly as well that can be fished in heavy current situations without submerging. This very buoyant fly provides a good winged silhouette of the Caddis adult, which is a critical characteristic in triggering responses from fish. There are a host of various adult Caddis patterns available to the fly fisherman today, many with their own specific strengths and the Grey Foam Wing Caddis would be a good choice for your fly box.