By Diana Rupp

One of the most confusing parts of learning to fly fish is deciding what fly to use. Trout consume a wide range of aquatic insects, terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers and ants, as well as leeches, worms, minnows, and other creatures that either live or fall into the water. Experienced fly fishers like to “match the hatch”—in other words, figure out exactly what the fish are currently eating and toss them a fly that looks just like it.

But what if you can’t figure out what the trout are eating, or you don’t have anything in your fly box that looks similar? Turn to one of these tried-and-true flies that can catch trout on just about any type of water, almost anywhere in the world. Most of these flies don’t imitate any one specific insect—instead, they just look like something a trout might like to eat, and this entices the fish to take a bite. That means you can use them anytime you don’t know what the fish are eating, and they are very likely to work. 

1: Adams

The Adams is very likely the most popular dry fly in the world. It is extremely versatile and can be used on both rivers and lakes. This fly pattern has a brown or gray mottled tail and wing hackle that gives it a naturally buggy look. It imitates the adult stage of many aquatic insects, including mayflies, caddis flies, and midges.

A very popular variation of the Adams is the parachute Adams. This is simply the traditional Adams dry fly with a visible white post (also called a parachute) sticking up from the top of the fly. The fish can’t see this parachute, but it helps you, the angler, see exactly where the fly is on the water, which is very helpful, especially in faster current, and being able to see it well will help you catch more fish.

It’s a great idea to have a variety of Adams in different sizes in your fly box. Sizes 12 to 18 are standard, but if you see tiny midges flying around a stream, you might want to tie on a tiny Adams in size 22 or 24 and see what happens.

2: Woolly Bugger

The woolly bugger is the most common, recognizable, and effective streamer fly pattern in existence. You can fish it in just about any situation: fast or slow rivers and streams, or in ponds and lakes. A woolly bugger swimming or drifting through the water looks a lot like many things trout love, including minnows, leeches, sculpins, and small crayfish. 

There are a lot of variations on the woolly bugger, but the most commonly used color is basic black, and the most popular sizes are 10 and 12. Some woolly buggers are tied with flashy fibers in the tail or body, which makes the fly even more eye-catching to fish.

Woolly buggers are meant to sink, so you can add a small split shot to your line or buy weighted flies or bead head versions. There are many ways to fish them, but the traditional method of fishing streamers, by casting across the stream and letting the fly drift down the current and then stripping it back, is very effective.

3: Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear 

Nymphs, which are fly patterns that imitate aquatic insects in their underwater stage of life, are typically dead-drifted close to the bottom of a stream or river under a dry fly or strike indicator. Since trout spend much of their lives hovering just off the bottom of the stream, they are always on the lookout for buggy morsels drifting past them. 

The gold-ribbed hare’s ear nymph is a universally effective pattern that can pass for a wide variety of insects in their nymph or pupa stage, including mayflies, caddisflies, and even stoneflies. It is so named because it is tied with rabbit fur, which looks very buglike in the water, and wrapped with fine gold wire, which catches the light. Best sizes for the gold-ribbed hare’s ear are 10 to 16.

4: Pheasant Tail

Just like the gold-ribbed hare’s ear, the pheasant tail is another nymph pattern that looks like nothing in particular, but it resembles a lot of underwater insects. Because of its slender shape, it may also look like a small grub or worm. Pheasant tails work well for getting the attention of trout in lakes and ponds when fished just under the surface, and when drifted along the bottom of almost any type of stream or river, fast or slow.

The pheasant tail nymph was invented by British Riverkeeper Frank Sawyer in the 1950s. Sawyer used fibers of pheasant tails for the tail and wound copper wire around the hook for the body and head. Since then, more than a dozen variations of the fly pattern have emerged, but it remains very effective. The most popular sizes are 10 to 18.

5: Chubby Chernobyl

The chubby Chernobyl is a very large dry fly meant to imitate a big, juicy terrestrial insect such as a grasshopper, a big ant, or even a stonefly. Many anglers shake their heads in disbelief the first time they see one: its body is made of foam, it has rubber legs, and sports a big tuft of poly yarn on top. 

In fact, this fly pattern has caught trout in almost every region of the world, and is especially popular in the American West and in Patagonia.  It’s certainly eye-catching—especially to big trout, which often come to the surface and hammer what they think is a huge meal. 

The chubby Chernobyl is fun to fish because it’s easy to see floating on the surface of a stream or lake. Because it is so large, you can also tie a dropper fly underneath it. Since it floats so well and is so visible, it serves well as a strike indicator for a nymph or small dry fly tied on behind it. Try various colors, including (believe it or not) purple and pink, in sizes from 6 to 12.

So there you have it—the five fly patterns that might just catch more trout than any other flies in your fly box. Try them out on your favorite lake or stream this summer.

15 Essential Flies to Take on a Fly-Fishing Trip to Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia, as well as other provinces of Atlantic Canada,  namely New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, is renowned for its stunning landscapes and abundant wildlife. No wonder the province attracts thousands of anglers each year. Many of them are fly-fishing enthusiasts enticed by the allure of Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and other species that abound in the area. And one of their most frequent questions is what flies will best seduce the often capricious salmonids, as well as smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and others. While the definitive answer to this question is practically impossible to give, this article will guide you through the essential flies you should pack for your Nova Scotia fly-fishing trip. CONTINUE READING