Favorite dry fly pattern?
 

Hey guys-looking at the snow outside gets me thinking about an upcoming fishing trip, and the flies I want to have ready for it. Got me wondering about what I consider to be the "best" flies under the widest number of circumstances. Our trout here need a good reason to look up, so most fly anglers after bigger fish are usually fishing nymphs and streamers. I have far more input on nymphs than dries, but after many years at it...I have to say this might be one of the deadliest dry fly patterns I've ever used;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjwh4peD32A

Ontario/Alberta...I've used them with great success in BC too. (Elk river watershed)

Shane makes this look very easy, most people (myself included) can watch that video and think to themselves "no problem". Indeed, not a complicated pattern but the smallest of details matter if you want to tie them well.

If it's a pattern you decide to take on, the two areas of concern are;

biot length=it can seem like you don't have enough to achieve the abdomen, so watch how much you use tying it in, how much the wraps overlap, and how he ties it off very close to the end.

CDC-fine line between not enough/too much, but setting the angle right matters for how it looks on the water. I've found it's easy to run out of room on the front end trying to get them set right.

Even when waterlogged, it fishes low like an emerger. I've even swung them at the end of a drift, they go under, BAM!

Favorite color of biot-olive, or a pale-brown/coffee color. I've bough pale yellow and used it for PMDs/sulphurs etc.

You guys have any patterns you have great confidence in? First to tie on prospecting?

Fly
 

Adams, blue quill, mosquito, and PMD are usually good to me for drys.

Fly
 

For nymphs
Gold ribbed hares ear
Copper John, in different colours
SJW
or sometimes a hopper dropper.

#1 confidence dry fly is elkhair caddis. Usually have a box of just caddis with different sizes/colours.

Unless I get indicators I should be using something else, I will typically tie on a size 16 medium to light olive Comparadun or Sparkle Dun the vast majority of the time regardless of whether I am prospecting or targeting a specific fish. I've had excellent success with this fly and have quite often fished it or it's replacement (think fly magnets like Stauffer Creek willows) the entire trip. I have a lot of confidence in this pattern.

I tie the Comparadun in sizes 20 to 10, and a variety of colours to imitate tiny olive mayflies up to large green drakes and size 16 or 18 PMD's. I've found that the sparkle version will sometimes out fish the standard version. Tied with a quality coastal deer hair with very small tips and a thin, tightly dubbed body, the fly will withstand lots of abuse and presents like the natural right on top of the film.

My biggest rainbow (26"+) was caught with an olive Comparadun size 16 on the Bow in about 12" of water right against a grass bank.

What I'm down to
 

Elk hair caddis and an elk hair grasshopper. As time has passed both flys look much the same but the trout don't seem to care.

Parachute Adams and Royal Wulff are my go to flies. Followed by hoppers and black ants.

Fly
 

Parachute purple haze, is another fly that works well for me.

Elk hair humpy.

Mine as well and elk hair caddis.

Fly
 

Stimulator in different colours also works well on its own, or part of a hopper dropper setup.

Whatever happens to be on the water at the moment. For sheer fun though it is hard to beat a small hopper or stimulator in grasshopper season.

I like an elk hair caddis with a trailing shuck , they'll eat as a mayfly at times too. But tan and black fat Albert's come July o if blind fishing

Orange stimulator. If I remember to bring my glasses I'll tie some kind of nymph to drop ~18" below that, otherwise she's solo.

I usually match the hatch, but as a favourite pattern it would be a Classic Royal Wulff of my own tie.

https://i.imgur.com/rRKbul3.jpg

Nice tie Lornce, Royal Wulff is one of my faves. I change it up a bit, moose mane for the tail and a mix brown and grizzly for the hackle. Recently started using a red pearl tinsel on the body.

H & L Variant, Elkhair Caddis , Sofa Pillow

Small humpy or elk hair caddis, mostly used as a dry dropper combo,
Adams or royal wulff, have started using a cdc dry for New Zealand browns,
My Favourite dry to fish is a Cicada,

Awesome!

Gold-ribbed hare's ear=if ever there was a pattern I wanted to like, but never got good results from..this has to be it. I've tied them tight, I've tied them spiky, I've tied tight abdomen/spiky thorax..I've tied them weighted/no bead...weighted with bead...unweighted..lol

The river I fish most has a good population of stoneflies and isonychia mayflies, something I never really explored or cared to find out about, but at the same time...always found nymphs like prince/zugbug/PT to work very well. Wasn't a coincidence after all. :)

I never considered Isonychia dries to be worth pursuing on that pocket water, but then I spent some time in the Adirondacks. They take isonychias very seriously, and tie a parachute dry that really gets it done here in Ontario.

Hook: #12 fine wire
Thread: 8/0 birght/safety orange
Tail: pale dun microfibett split or natural hackle fibers
Body: fine dry fly dubbing, dark wine/burgundy color (fairly tight body)
Wing post: white yarn, synthetic
Hackle: med/light dun

My choice would be the Mitchaluk sedge.Mostly because i fish,stillwaters now.Art created the fly.I used to enjoy,going to the old Country Pleasure.When Jim ,would have Art in.To demo his sedge & his scud.RIP Art..

Elk hair caddis
A wasp pattern

A simple Bivisible works foe me.

X2

Different waters, different species, different seasons so many offerings .
One dry fly only.
Golden yellow stimmy for me. Versatile for many imitations and changing the size. I have size 2- 14 for these .
Close second would be Adams, foam yellow humpy, royal wolf

Elk hair caddis, royal and grey wulf.

Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, Mosquito, Flying Ant, Joes Hopper

Deer hair Tom Thumb (all year)
Elk hair caddis (June-sept)
Orange or yellow stimulator (July/august)

Keeps it simple, and rarely to I have to dig out anything else if they are looking up.

No matter what the hatch, I love using my own version of a stone/salmon fly.

I 2nd these along with the caddis Finn Dawg brought up. I probably use Mosquito and Adams the most of all the choices.