The Brown Wired Stonefly is certainly one of the most lifelike and effective stoneflies available. The two color segmentation and durablility of the wire body make this a favorite among stonefly nymphs. The fact that big fish find this pattern irresistable only adds to its appeal. Every fly fisher should have a few of these ready to go when its stonefly time.
Available in several different colors, the Black General Practitioner is simply a classic. It has a unique profile that has proven effective on sea run fish on both coasts and around the world.
The Kung Fu Crab is a killer crab pattern for Permit, Bonefish and Redfish. The Kung Fu Crab is a more life like version of the Del Merkin and EP Crab. The Kung Fu Crab has claws, which imitate the crab standing its ground against a predator.
The Golden Bead Head Rubber Leg Stonefly Nymph has the best features of other patterns all in one effective fly. The realistic profile makes big fish inhale this pattern as if it were candy. This lifelike pattern is productive for nearly any fish and will work even in waters without stoneflies.
This CDC Midge Fly is among the very best adult midge patterns available. It works well when fished early in a midge hatch or when midges are available to trout but not mating. Larger sizes also work well for fish taking chironomids on lakes.
Black CDC Ants are great searching terrestrials and also work well when blind cast where fish are likely to hold. This black ant fly also works well when presented to rising fish that refuse other offerings. A fish that begins feeding on ants will often key on them even when they aren't noticed drifting in the water. This high floating and visible pattern is among the best ant dry flies available.
The Olive Matuka Sculpin is a classic streamer pattern that imitates a favorite food source of big trout, the sculpin. The substantial silhouette also makes this an effective imitator of other horizontally compressed baitfish like bluegill and perch. In larger sizes it can be a very effective bass and pike fly.
This weighted Brown Stone Fly Nymph gets down deep where you need it. It also works well when fished as a dropper below a big buoyant dry in the early season. Big fish especially in moderate to swift current often key on stoneflies as a primary food source.
The Green Bead Head Disco Midge takes flash to new levels. This midge larva pattern is highly visible and highly effective for aggresive trout in waters where midges make up a large part of their diet. It is one of the best midge patterns in slightly dirty water or tailwaters with a lot of drifting debris.
No one can argue the success of Parachute flies but this fly is an upgraded version of the popular style. The horizontal hackle and the split tail gives the fly a more realistic profile on the water and by adding two split "Wulff" style wings the Para Wulff Blue Wing Olive is one of the easiest patterns to see on the water. The flashy Mylar rib adds a lifelike segmenting that grabs attention and imitates gas bubbles of emerging insects like Mayflies and Midges. These features together make this a fly fish can't pass up.
Many of us have been baffled by rising trout that seem to ignore every pattern in the fly box. Often these selective fish are keying on spent mayflies. Trout rising to spinners often seem to sip them gently from the surface sometimes with a slight pop as they break through the surface tension from below. For selective fish use a Male Trico Spinner when they are more numerous.
This unique Bonefish Special saltwater fly is especially effective on bonefish and other flats fish in shallow water. The Bonefish Special is used by knowledgeable fly fishers and fly fishing guides for shallow wading situations and all over the world.
The Purple Psycho Prince Nymph Bead Head is a great trout and steelhead fly pattern. The Psycho Prince was invented by the fly tying mastermind Mike Mercer and continues to push the envelope for innovative Prince Nymph variations. The Psycho Prince can be tied in several colors, the most popular being purple, yellow, green, and pink
Enrico's Ghost Shrimp is an excellent modern design, and a perfect addition to any bonefish box. The sparkly fibers create a nice amount of reflection without being too "flashy" - an excellent trait for fishing in areas where fish have seen a lot of brighter flies. The Ghost Shrimp features a great-looking set of crustacean eyes which also form a weedguard - great for fishing areas with snags. The larger size (#2) of this fly can also serve quite well for redfish, seatrout, and other estuary dwellers.
Sometimes known by older fly anglers as a 'goofus bug' the Red Humpy is no doubt one of the finest of dry flies around. This fly fishing classic is very buoyant, colorful, and has the profile matching a variety of insects. The Humpy dry fly is a useful attractor pattern and seems to work exceptionally well for brook trout and grayling. This fly is the same as the Humpy, Wulff, Red, but it has the standard elk hair wing.
The Brown Cone Head Rubber Bugger is simply a wiggler. The unique rubber body material gives tons of extra movement to this already popular streamer pattern. Try a Rubber Bugger the next time you need to get the attention of a big fish.
This effective Mini Puff pattern works well when bonefish and other species are looking for a bit of color in their meal. Available in smallish sizes, this Mini Puff fly also fills the need for a smaller offering for spooky fish.
The Barr Emerger Blue Wing Olive Fly matches the early stages of a hatching mayfly. Created by John Barr, it can be fished deep as a nymph, through the middle of the water column, or just under the surface. This emerger closely resembles a baetis or blue winged olive mayfly but it will work on many waters all year long.
The addition of a bead head, black and pearl krystal chenile and flash to the popular Wooly Bugger makes this Krystal Flash Bugger, Bead Head, Black-Pearl fly come alive. No matter how you fish a Bugger, it is one of the most effective patterns there ever will be. Due to the versatility and its ability to catch any fish that swims the Krystal Bugger is a must have fly pattern.
The Chartreuse Steelhead Scud is a bright addition to your fly box. It reminds fish of what they once ate in salt water and could even imitate what they are finding in their new freshwater environment. Whatever the reason, this fly works well when drifted naturally and can even get strikes moving as well.
Fly fishers on lakes and rivers with selective trout find that CDC Callibaetis Duns provide an ultra realistic slim mayfly shape. These flies are extremely effective hatch imitating dry flies when a standard hackled mayfly pattern seems to draw only refusals from gulpers and other rising trout.
The Psycho Prince, BH Yellow is a great trout and steelhead fly pattern. The Psycho Prince was invented by the fly tying mastermind Mike Mercer and continues to push the envelope for innovative Prince Nymph variations. The Psycho Prince can be tied in several colors, the most popular being purple, yellow, green, and pink
The Olive Flashback Caddis Pupa is a Caddis pupal pattern designed to imitate the deep pupal stage of the caddis, with an impressionistic representation of the translucent air sac surrounding the insects body. The olive shade best represents the Rhyacophila Caddis species found most commonly in most Western waters. As Gary LaFontaine noted in his book Caddis Flies having a good deep pupal pattern to fish as along the bottom just before an evening caddis hatch can be the key to moving fish before they transition to the hatching insect. The Olive Flashback Caddis Pupa would be just such a pattern to have in your Caddis fly assortment.
A modern fly rod variation of the classic red and white bass lures of yester-year, the White/Red Foam Panfish Popper is a hot diggity dog, sure fire surface fly for bluegill, bream, perch, bass, crappie and all other panfish that swim.
The Olive Birds Nest is a popular pattern as a searching attractor or in a more impressionistic effort as a mayfly nymph, or caddis larvae. The Olive Birds Nest does very well in imitating stillwater Callibaetis nymphs, and the larval stage of the Rhyacophila caddis that are so prevalent in our rivers and streams. Again this is a versatile fly that would by a compliment to your collection.
The Light Chartreuse Unreal Egg is one of the most realistic roe patters available. The internal red glass bead gives the fly a 3D effect and mimics a fertilized egg exceptionally well. The color combination of this fly is great for catching fish in almost any water condition. This color is exceptional when the fish have been spawning for some time and they are seeing lighter colored eggs.
The Batman Bead Head Purple Nymph is a very effective attractor pattern. The lifelike profile and realistic features of this fly match a number of different items fish feed on. The bright colors attract fish in most conditions and the weight of the bead is helpful when nymphing or using this fly as a dropper. Pressured fish often seem to be less hesitant to eat patterns they do not regularly see and anglers are quickly finding unique patterns like this will give tremendous success.
As most Salmon fishermen are aware, spawning salmon leave their appetite at the rivers mouth when entering fresh water to spawn. Given that fact many Salmon flies are therefore designed to irritate, if not at least interest Salmon as they move along their migratory routes. The Pink Spanker is just such a pattern. Bright and flashy this fly is no doubt going to get the attention you're looking for when Salmon fishing. Give the Pink Spanker a try on your next trip out.
The fly is popular for big trout in Australia and New Zealand. The brilliantly colored fly doesn't appear very bright when it's submerged. The vivid orange and yellows of the fly become brown and the deeper you fish it, the browner it becomes. Although intended for large brown trout, and by the way it also works great for Great Lakes brown trout that move into the rivers, it also works great for steelhead. Over the last few years it has become a popular Great Lakes steelhead fly pattern. This is also a great fly in the steelhead streams of the West Coast. This fly should be fished on the swing. Although it may first appear to be a good off color water or high water fly, it also works great for low water conditions. We think this is because of the brownish tint it takes on when it's in the water.
CATCH Fly Fishing's Eric Beebe brings his skill to the vise again bringing innovation and craftsmanship to the fly fishing industry. Catch's Caped Avenger, Blue is a great all around attractor nymph, mimicking a variety of insects in the water from Mayflies to Caddis, emerging or otherwise.
The Red Egg Fly is a great roe pattern for waters that have spawning fish. This is a top producing egg color and it is very effective when fish are dropping lots of eggs. Anglers have found Steelhead, Salmon, Char and most freshwater fish will eagerly eat this pattern. 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.
This simple Electric Olive Caddis Pupa is effective and durable. It is useful in streams where caddis are abundant and catches fish even when caddis aren't hatching. This is also a great searching pattern to use for the slower times of day.