Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing "Go to" fly

Yep. Although I enjoy Slough also and same tactics work.

Mine's bigger...

Must be the angle.

I tie all my own flies. I use tons of mosquitoes, black foam ants (fun after a rain shower) and anything with a small bead for a nymph.

Parachute Adams and Elk Hair Cadis are pretty popular, but sometimes the fish are used to seeing them and go for other variations.

A few favorites? Sure. "Go to fly"? No way! You can probably cover 95% or more of Rocky Mountain fly fishing situations with a few nymphs and dries. But there are days when the fish won't touch the one fly that has always been your favorite fly for a given stream. It doesn't take THAT many flies to cover almost all the bases. Zebra Midge, Shop Vac, Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear, Prince Nymph, Rubber Legs, Wooly Worms and Buggers for subsurface. Most should probably have bead heads. Parachute Adams, Royal Wulff, Royal Trude, Elk Hair Caddis, Stonefly, Hoppers and Ants for dries. And don't forget some soft hackles. Now you're set for most anything!

And if the fish aren't buying what you're offering, slow down, stop and look around. Observe. Maybe the fish are trying to tell you what they want. The biggest mistake I make is fishing a fly that's not producing for too long before tying on something else. I have so much fun fishing that sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm trying to catch something!

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

One old go to fly is the Red Disco Midge #18. One that is becoming a favorite on still waters is the All Day Midge Emerger #18.

Any Hornberg #6 thru #12 depending on the size of the water and/or the size of the target fish.

I like old school, too!

THIS!

Exactamundo.

Cold freshwater. #6 red WOOL bodied bugger w/soft black tail and hackle counterwraped/ribbed w/copper wire

Warm freshwater- #4 3x fat dubbing loop tied olive rabbit bodied Dragon nymph w/matching pheasant tail hackle (big fly)

Cold saltwater Trey Combs various Sea Habit 1x-4x or chartreuse over white Clouser 2x

Warm saltwater-1x-10x Sea Arrow Squid or big damn white crystal chenille Bugger.

With these I've caught everything from 4" trout (as well as several of over 6#) up to 100# sails and lost striped marlin of over 120#

High mountain lake: Foam ant sometimes throw a San Juan off the back or a beadhead or a Mysis Shrimp

Freestone River: Mid-to-late summer: Parachute Adams as the dry with a beadhead dropper

Freestone River: Early summer with higher flows: Big Stimulator or a Madam X with a Pat's Rubberlegs dropper

Bigger river from a boat: Tandem streamers: Platte River Spider with a Thin Mint off the back. (lead core line helps)

Tailwater: Size 22 or 24 small and black/brown with plenty of weight to get it down, early spring and fall-peg an egg and put the Size 22 or 24 behind it about 9".

A couple of close friends are pros and I'm within a quick call of knowing exactly what to use and where to go. However, this is my usual play book without expert knowledge from a recent trip.

Number 14 hairs ear nymph. Beaded, double drop or behind a hopper.

For wild trout : Parachute Adams , soft hackle hares ear

What about a Fan-Wing Royal Coachman tied on a 20?

For trout something in a smaller white or black pattern. I tie my own so don’t know names.
Bass would be deer hair minnow.
Muskie a game changer.

I’m pretty obsessed with big brook trout in Adirondack ponds. Along with the above mentioned, I’ve fished Landon Mayer’s Mini Leech pattern in #14 in ponds and was impressed. Had luck with in on freestone streams as well. Not a fly pattern but effective and worth a look if you’re in the mood to try something different.

Leech pattern worked today on a new lake
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