The Flies That Never Fail: My Top Trout Patterns After 40 Years

[@FlyFishDan]

Here are the places you can find all these flies: Red's Fly Shop (great local flies for the PNW): redsflyfishing.com/ Fly Fish Food: www.flyfishfood.com/ Spawn Fly Fish: spawnflyfish.com/ Redd's Flies: reddsflies.com/ I have a coupon for Redd's Flies code: FFD

[@joyous-b8j]

Living in Colorado for 35 yrs I used only 5 flies, Parachute Adams, Beadhead flashback pheasant tail , the next 3 are my own patterns, wooly bugger, a baby white fish pattern and a minnow pattern!!! Literally any body of water, rivers ,creeks, streams ,lakes and reservoirs year round!! Different sizes for different times and situations!!! If i had to take one more fly which I do sometimes is a Goddard caddis!!! Don't ever stop casting, because if your not casting , your not fishing and if your not fishing , your not catching!!! Good Luck!!!

[@FlyFishDan]

Sounds like you have a very well-tested arsenal of flies that work for you - good stuff.

[@tbone6924]

Idaho fisherman here who fishes some of the most famous trout waters in the world - Henry's Fork, Silver Creek, South Fork of the Snake, South Fork of the Boise, Henry's lake (etc etc)....and this is a really good list

[@FlyFishDan]

Awesome to hear that you agree - those are some great waters for sure!

[@paulhaderlein5854]

For stillwater in Utah: Sparkle minnow as the first fly in a 2 fly set up - attracts and catches fish. Under an indicator- for sure, it’s balanced leeches.

[@HudsonTheFisher]

Thankyou I live in Utah and have been struggling with flys

[@FlyFishDan]

Good stuff, thanks Paul!

[@tbutowicz]

I'm in WA and fished all over the PNW over the past 40+ years. Certainly agree on the Parachute Adams, great fly in sizes 14, 16, 18 along with the Wooley Bugger in black and Olive, size 10 on a 3x hook is usually pretty good in lakes. Missing off your list is one of my all around favorites - Stimulator in burnt orange for sure, 12 - 16, especially in the free stone streams where stonefly are common, in addition to fishing dry I've picked up a lot of fish letting the fly go wet on the downstream swing. I have to toss in a special mention for the Royal Wulff in 12-16 as sometimes the trout just seem to want a "strawberry shortcake" of a fly if you will, can also work wet on the down stream swing. Fun stuff!

[@FlyFishDan]

The Royal Wulff is a classic, gotta have one in the box!

[@cattheman6491]

I've literally caught my last 60 fish on a black beadhead flash damsel. It's so productive here in English stillwaters I haven't got round to changing it. I cut the tail slightly shorter to ensure more hookups.

[@FlyFishDan]

I'll that to check that pattern out myself!

[@daveschlom4033]

I could be very successful with your selection here in NorCal. I would add: Squirrel tail leeches, Zebra midges (black is my go to), some tiny RS2 type emergers to trail behind a dry, Mercer's Missing link dry (small and dark work best here), and my top producer hands down, a Tim Fox Bird's Nest. If I had only one fly on the lower Sacramento River (Redding to Red Bluff) I KNOW I have a shot with a Birds Nest. Swinging them below riffles is so fun! Yesterday I used my FFD 3 wt on a great still water here. Zebra midges were the go to but lots of Dan's patterns worked too. Caught so many 12-14 inchers (a buddy nailed a 24 inch bow) I lost count. SO FUN on that rod!

[@FlyFishDan]

Love that, thanks Dave. I'll have to check out some of your favorites!

[@edherrmann182]

It’s interesting to see fly fishers from different states that have favorite flies that work. After 50 years of slapping water for trout here in Pennsylvania I have my favorites for suggestion that catch fish almost all the time. As a euronympher my choices are. Bead head pheasant tail, bead head hares ear with either lively legs or rubber legs, perdigones (thinner the better) (blue in winter), blow torch in orange or chartreuse , Wiggle stone with flashback, gasolina, rainbow warrior, my own orange and yellow bead head nymph and Jack Daniel’s perdigone. Streamers- zonker strip leach in black or olive, sculpin (any), wooly buggers ( any color) Drys- Adams parachute, BWO in small sizes, quill Gordon, foam hopper, chubby Chernobyl. Since I tie my own flys, I favor wet flies in dark or natural colors and I like numerous emerger patterns with CDC wings. Like all fly fishers I’ve had days you could throw just a beaded hook and catch fish, while other times fish get lock jaw and nothing works. But most times my go to patterns catch fish.

[@FlyFishDan]

Sounds like you have a killer fly box! I'll have to check out some of your go-to patterns.

[@ericammerall695]

Nice list Dan. Give a purple prince a shot. Works great on our freestones in Upstate NY.

[@FlyFishDan]

Thanks! I'll have to give the purple prince a try!

[@terricamp8757]

As a proud lady fly fisher for 38 years from Colorado, I love the Humpy, Adam’s, Parachute Adam’s, Amy’s Ants, regular Ants, Copper John, Flashback Pheasant Tail, Royal Wulff and Elk Hair Caddis. Always super successful it’s each of them. Oh, can’t forget the Red Quill too, a fave for sure.

[@FlyFishDan]

Solid list for sure!

[@dicksonsmith2702]

I reside in Northern Utah and fish Southern Idaho, both still water and rivers. Three flies I find very effective on rivers are Walts worm, Sexy Walts worm and Frenchie pattern tied with an orange ice dubbing collar. Stillwater can't beat the Thin Mint in a wolly bugger, leach, or a balanced leach style. I've caught a lot of trout on these patterns. Thanks for the advice on different patterns.

[@FlyFishDan]

Thanks for sharing your top patterns, those are some great ones!

[@FlyGuy420-l1j]

Thanks Dan. That was an exceptionally informative well done video!

[@FlyFishDan]

You bet, happy to have helped!

[@Buzz7744]

My go to dry fly is the good old stimulater in orange or yellow👍

[@FlyFishDan]

Solid!

[@SylviaRR]

I've used about 7 of the ones you mentioned. Had really good luck in Montana last August using a "purple haze". Of course, I gravitate towards purple so must be why. HA!!! Thanks for the info, Still learning more about which flies to chose and when to use them. Very helpful.

[@FlyFishDan]

Awesome, I almost added the purple haze to the list myself. Glad you've found success with some of these, amazing how many flies most of us have, and how few actually get fished each year :))

[@flyfishingwithphil7676]

My most effective fly for trout has been the Pheasant Tail Frenchy with a pink collar, size 16 or 18. Favorite dries are Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis and a Clark's Stone fly. I also like an olive bunny leech (good for smallmouth too).

[@FlyFishDan]

Solid list!

[@justal4844]

What an interesting, list, FFD. Bottom line is that we all use what works (hopefully). Really surprised at what was / was not common on our list, being one state over. Hooked four today, mostly drifting a beaded WB under an indicator. Thanks for another great watch. p.s. been buying key patterns from Redds for years. ☮ from North Idaho.

[@FlyFishDan]

@@justal4844 Redd’s Flies are awesome flies - leaves room for part two in the series :))

[@sernasrepairshop]

I'm a 18 year old fly fisherman in Northern New Mexico I been fishing since I was 2 years but my go to no matter what time of year is a black leech that's tied with a tungsten bead or on a jig this pattern had caught me my biggest brown and slayed a shit ton of rainbows and Rio cutthroats same goes for the browns

[@FlyFishDan]

Nice!

[@SledorFish]

Knudson Spiders and reverse spider is my favorite pattern for local searun cuttthroat in rivers and creeks. I fish it unweighted on a floating line with a strip retrieve around structure. Sunken presentations work great but I like to go for the surface strike first and go deep later if you just haven't caught enough.

[@FlyFishDan]

Love that, I’ll have to check out the Knudsen Spider!

[@SledorFish]

@FlyFishDan It is an old pattern from the early NF Stilly pioneer fly fishing days. It still works great and is very simple to tie which is good when you lose a lot casting into tight spots. Yellow is traditional but black is also very effective.

[@I_AM_BAYTOR]

Chubby + nymph was my go to last summer. Didn't hit every day, but seemed the most consistent.

[@DML575]

Again, great 411 Fly Fish Dan👍. I would add the Hares Ear, Adams dry fly, Klinkhammer(an emerger ), in various colors/sizes & Dick Empie's Goldy or Shiner made from Bill's bodi-braid, a very simple fly that's similar to the Kreelex.

[@FlyFishDan]

Thanks! I might have to add them to my box!

[@cervidslayer]

I love fishing the Space Leech, it resembles a sculpin and works great for Browns in rivers and lakes.

[@FlyFishDan]

The Space Leech is a good choice! I'll have to check that out!

[@semechki_sunflower]

Good ol Adams either parachute or traditional. If needed a par Adams in 12 with a size 16-18 PTN or Hares Ear if I'm gonna dry dropper. So I would also say PTNs and Hare Ear in flashblack and gold ribbed or regular are my confidence nymph I always go small so 16-18. Maybe a 14 if I'm ESN or indicator fishing as a tag.

[@FlyFishDan]

Great list!

[@allengray5748]

NOPE! I clicked because it said FlyFishDan!! My Dad's favorite was the Royal Coachmen!! I caught my first Steelhead on the orange HOT FOX COMET! All my others on the Kaufman's STEELHEAD MUDDLER MINNOW which is weighted and Grasshopper in early summer for trout! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎🎸🤟🏼

[@FlyFishDan]

Good stuff, I'll have to check some of those patterns out for myself!

[@frankwilliams5475]

Upstate NY. - Adirondacks - Ausable Bomber; Ausable Wulff; Bead-head pheasant tail nymph; Partridge & Orange (I tie my own)

[@FlyFishDan]

I'll have to check those out! Thanks for sharing that

[@OscarOverlanding]

Well done! Thanks Dan.

[@FlyFishDan]

You bet, happy to share what I've learned over the years!

[@waynehanshue712]

Awesome. Thanks so much. Your right.

[@FlyFishDan]

Thanks Wayne!

[@garyrafferty7625]

My best set-ups: Nymph ... weighted BH Prince with a smaller natural pheasant tail. In early spring (Rocky Mt freestone) exchange the BH Prince for a BH Golden Stone. Dry ... Yellow Foam hopper (or purple Chubby Chernobyl) with and unweighted emerger as a dropper (RS-2, soft hackle or caddis emerger... depending on what's hatching). No hatch? Drop a weighted Hot Collar Frenchie below the foam dry. Streamer ... double BH Wooly Bugger rig with smaller White Bugger trailed by a larger Black Bugger. Tailwater ... San Juan Worm trailed by small natural Pheasant Tail (if mayflies are on move) or a small midge larva (if midges are on the move).

[@FlyFishDan]

It's a great list! I'll have to check out some of the patterns you mentioned...you remember what Huge said about using double streamers! ;)

[@markgotschall2914]

For one year, all I fished was a size 6 olive matuka. And I caught a lot of fish, I would let it go downstream and then would strip it through the seam behind boulders. I called it being a pick pocket.

[@FlyFishDan]

Love the “pick pocket” technique!

[@kbfastcat]

hi viz elk hair caddis? Could there be a better all around dry fly? easy to tie, floats forever...

[@kbfastcat]

sub-suface- woolly buggers are good, I don't even add the hackle, also bass and blue gill love them.

[@FlyFishDan]

That's a good pattern, classic

[@walterduncan1778]

Renegade dry fly bought at the Ellsworth AFB Base Exchange. Circa 1978

[@FlyFishDan]

Classic pattern, love the renegade!

[@jimbunker4319]

Renegade is my Colorado summer dry fly

[@FlyFishDan]

The renegade, another classic!

[@bobstl8647]

please provide links on videos like this to purchase these flies, and to your favorite retailers.

[@FlyFishDan]

Thanks, I didn't get that done on this video. Here are the places you can find all these flies: www.flyfishfood.com/ Spawn Fly Fish: spawnflyfish.com/ Redd's Flies: reddsflies.com/ I have a coupon for Redd's Flies code: FFD

[@allendks45]

Perdigon various colors. Midges, Chubby's, hoppers and streamers.

[@FlyFishDan]

All solid!

[@MrSofthackle]

My confidence flies Dries: Parachute Adams, Klinkhammer, Pass Lake, Hippie Stomper, X-caddis and stimulators for dry flies in the Driftless Nymphs for the Driftless Pink Squirrels, copper johns, prince nymphs , pheasant tails and zebra midges. Streamers: Thin mint bugger Emerger softhackles: partridge and orange, partridge and yellow, partridge and olive, partridge and peacock herl.and a hares ear softhackle

[@FlyFishDan]

Sounds like a solid list! I'll have to check some of those out!

[@lincolnprojectnemesis3253]

Good stuff Dan! I tie my own flies and have found over the years that I tend to lose a lot more flies when fishing with my son than when alone. You don't think he may be a fly kleptomaniac do ya? I fish with some finicky fellars. One will only fish dry flies and another refuses streamers. The non streamer guy says streamers are a fly fisherman wanting to use spinners.. not wrong I suppose. I am reluctant to use the chernobyls and those giant foam ants....(unless someone loans me one when the fish are killing em). I will say that the price of store bought flies is getting out of hand. A shame to be fair as fly fishing is overall getting crazy expensive. Maybe why my son keeps pilfering my damned fly boxes. Keep up the videos Dan. I enjoy em

[@FlyFishDan]

The price of fly fishing is definitely going up, it's good for your son to have a little stash to draw from! :) Thanks for the great comments too. Cheers and FISH-ON!!

If I clicked on this video it's not because I searched for the specific topic but because it came up as a recommendation on youtube (lucky you!) Now here is a good question, (looking for a very honest, no product placement or sponsorship please) Is this Dryft jacket you're wearing really waterproof ? My issue is always with leaking zippers, seams failure or rain and water dripping down into the sleeves.

[@FlyFishDan]

I've never had any issues with leaking zippers or seams-it's my go-to gear for cold and wet days. I discovered DRYFT before becoming a brand ambassador (not sponsored). One of the main reasons I support DRYFT is their great quality, followed by their great service and the fact that they are family-owned. Thanks for taking the time to watch my video!

[@DanielDeVries-cd4pe]

Hey Dan, where can I find the Yellow Yummy?!

[@FlyFishDan]

I have found the yummy yellow at Puget Sound Fly Shop in Tacoma, and also over in Spoken Valley at Silverbow. I haven't found them online as of yet.

[@robertsandidge441]

Ha never fished Washington State but I’m a 63 year old Colorado native and have fly fished for most of it. 3 flys here that will never skunk you. Royal Coachman, chartreuse green and red- Copper Jon’s.

[@FlyFishDan]

Awesome, thanks for sharing your favorites!

[@1Batt]

Jack Dennis Spruce fly and La Fontaine cased caddis

[@FlyFishDan]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out!

[@MrFunkyko]

Stimulator with a zebra midge is killer

[@FlyFishDan]

Great combo for sure!

[@tony52398]

Purple haze Pats rubber leg

[@FlyFishDan]

Two solid patterns!

[@RidgidRon]

Edible Indicator!!!! LOL!!!!

[@FlyFishDan]

Not sure if I coined that or not, but that is what I have always called it!

[@RidgidRon]

@FlyFishDan I love it

[@MajesticSlinky]

Yakoda Micro Buggers never fail me

[@FlyFishDan]

Good stuff

[@jerryg957]

Parachute Adams

[@FlyFishDan]

That's a good one and on my list! :)

[@martinaddison1461]

40 years and you don’t tie your own flies what’s up with that I’ve been tying for 42 years and I’m 68 . Nothing more satisfying than catching a trout on a fly that you have tied yourself you can’t go wrong with a nicely tied perdigon or a good dry is a madame x

[@FlyFishDan]

It is definitely very satisfying to catch a fish on a fly you tied yourself! I've tied a few and caught a few on those flies. FT job, family friend, fishing...don't have time to tie them all :))

[@armadilloauriemmo5663]

Per snick itity ? . Are u making words up ? Other than that word great information.

[@pyro9013]

Egg sucking hares ear

[@FlyFishDan]

That sounds fishy

[@EricPeterson-e5n]

Prince nymph are my

[@FlyFishDan]

That is a classic!