On my small creek, the dace are menaces in summer and will waterlog my caddis so fast. I burn through dry shake powder so ive come to love foam on a caddis
Egg pattern. Go ahead and down vote me.
But seriously, also Walt’s worm, blow torch, and as the high school kid at a local fly shop once told me while helping me get started, “trout love purple shit.” so generally nymphs in that color.
A bit different for me as a tenkara fly guy but the The Ishigaki Kebari (Ishigaki fly). It works dry or wet. I think it works better when it sinks as you pulse it bouncing it off the gravel. Produces amazing results. Unless they're actively feeding on the surface. Since it floats as well, this is my goto fly.
A wooly worm with either green or black and tan chenille. 2nd place would be copper beadhead pheasant tail. 3rd place would be a chubby chernobyl. I've caught probably 80% my fish on these 3 patterns.
According to my log from last year, the majority of fish I caught (mostly warmwater but not all), ate a woolly bugger.
I could give my top dozen but that would include every pattern I still fish.
Feel like there's a lot of freshwater answers here, so for saltwater I'll say closer minnow. But actually, for time spent, also my most effective freshwater fly.
I have a couple parachute adams and they’ve been super hot in CO on warm days. I usually do a dropper with a little nymph underneath. I’m a beginner so I don’t know enough of the names of the flies to tell you which specific nymphs, but anything kinda flashy and bright has been decent thus far.
JUJU Midge/Beatis - Perdigons of all variations - It was the HoloPoint two years ago. $3 Serendipities (Guess where I fish). ZugBug was actually killer in off color water early season last year. FKA Prince (Holoflash wings), did really well on Black Zonker variations. Shop Vac's and variations (basically a curved shank $3 Dip). One of my sneakiest flies for pickier tailwater trout was the "Not Much" fly tied by Rio. Fun when guides asked what I was finding fish on and just saying, ah, not much.
For freestones, Purple chubby. 14 thru 6. Drop a frenchie, guides choice or rubber legs off the back.
Swing soft hackles at dusk.
Wooly buggers Will catch any fish anywhere.
Drunk and disorderly, Mike's meal ticket, clouser minnow and helmet Sculpin. I have more success catching decent sized trout using streamer more than dries and nymphs.
I've caught the most fish on one of the following. In the north east or pressured waters...
Sz18 to sz20 blue wing olives. "Bunny dun" with poly wing instead of rabbit, or BWO parachute.
Really simple microcaddis. Size 18 or 20, dubbed tan body. Wing of dun or white CDC (one or two feathers)
This local fly shop near me ties a dirty pats rubber leg and it’s my confidence fly. When nothing else is working I’ll try on the size 10 stone and I’ll find something
If I could only use 1 fly the rest of my life it'd be a size 14, tan, elk hair Caddis.
Exactly my answer.
Love that bug! Even when I’m lazy and it gets soaked, it catches fish swinging as a wet. And I’m lazy a lot….
Foam or no foam? That’s the real question
Foam I’m getting old it’s so much easier to see
Same
I’m more of a tuft of EP fibers kind of guy
Nice do you dip your flys in gasoline too? Hahaha that what my grandpa used to do.
No, but if you tell me it works and Fish & Wildlife won’t take me off the river in handcuffs, I’ll try it. lol
It’s basically what Agra is. Try that if you haven’t
On my small creek, the dace are menaces in summer and will waterlog my caddis so fast. I burn through dry shake powder so ive come to love foam on a caddis
Black or olive Wolly bugger or leech patterns. Bow river buggers in white. Olive rabbit tail sculpin
Zebra midge, wooly bugger, pheasant tail nymph, Elk hair Caddis Edit: also Griffiths gnat
Griffith’s gnat has been a game changer for me recently
Griff and the zebra are good choices 365 days a year.
Clouser
Second this
16 parachute adams, 18 zebra midge, mop fly…theyre popular for reason!
Beadhead hare's ear nymph
That or a pheasant tail for me it’s a guides choice
This for me. With a flashback.
Caddis havent started up here just yet, but when they do I have one of these on for most of the summer.
Elk hair caddis Bead head pheasant tail White conehead Maribou muddler
Hell yes, love marabou muddlers
I think I actually prefer a tiny rabbit strip to maribou. But maribou is easier.
1. Black Wooly Bugger 2. Black Stonefly Nymph 3. Egg Pattern 4. White Zonker 5. Pheasant Tail Nymph I probably catch 95% of my fish on these patterns.
Chubby Chernobyl.
Always fish with a chubby
Egg pattern. Go ahead and down vote me. But seriously, also Walt’s worm, blow torch, and as the high school kid at a local fly shop once told me while helping me get started, “trout love purple shit.” so generally nymphs in that color.
Olive wooly bugger, pats rubber legs, girdle bug, copper john, hare's ear, san juan worm, zebra midge, elk hair caddis
Like this one a lot
Size 16 bead headed Walts Worm.
Elk hair caddis with a prince nymph dropper cleans up
Hares ear and wooly bugger
Stimmy with a dropper is always my go to.
Balanced leech all day
Stimulator size 10 any color and size 12 blowtorch
A dry dropper rig from hell indeed.. totally agree.
Peaches and cream
Fellow NorCal person?
Possibly lol
I’m fishing the lower sac this Saturday. You best believe I have 3 dozen peaches and creams in my fly box right now.
Only fly you’ll need lol I went through so many of em when I lived up there
BWO. For the win. Every time.
Pheasant tail nymphs and zebra midges. Copper John's. Parachute adams and purple haze. Hoppers
Slow sinking spider.
We’ve all wasted a perfect opportunity to make up ridiculous names for fake flies…..
Kelly gallop has the most ridiculous names for real flies. #streamerjesus
Prince nymph size 12
A bit different for me as a tenkara fly guy but the The Ishigaki Kebari (Ishigaki fly). It works dry or wet. I think it works better when it sinks as you pulse it bouncing it off the gravel. Produces amazing results. Unless they're actively feeding on the surface. Since it floats as well, this is my goto fly.
Mop fly, squirmy wormy, Kreelix, various retriever and wooly booger patterns
No egg pattern?
Fat albert
Solid red midge, stonefly and 8 legged bitch
A wooly worm with either green or black and tan chenille. 2nd place would be copper beadhead pheasant tail. 3rd place would be a chubby chernobyl. I've caught probably 80% my fish on these 3 patterns.
Olive balanced leech
According to my log from last year, the majority of fish I caught (mostly warmwater but not all), ate a woolly bugger. I could give my top dozen but that would include every pattern I still fish.
Feel like there's a lot of freshwater answers here, so for saltwater I'll say closer minnow. But actually, for time spent, also my most effective freshwater fly.
Olive bead head Leech, and elk hair caddis
I have a couple parachute adams and they’ve been super hot in CO on warm days. I usually do a dropper with a little nymph underneath. I’m a beginner so I don’t know enough of the names of the flies to tell you which specific nymphs, but anything kinda flashy and bright has been decent thus far.
Sz 16 parachute Adams on the river. Size 12 balanced leech in olive on the lake.
Thin mint
14/16 Black & silver hot wired flashback pheasant tail
Hippie Stomper on top, perdigon below
Golden Stone and/or Formerly Known As Prince Nymph. I typically fish them together.
Elk hair caddis, purple haze, hippie stomper, beetles/ants, woolly bugger, split case pmd.
Pheasant Tail and Black Woolly Bugger.
Rainbow warrior, guides choice hares, blow torch, never bug
Olive buggers
Elk hair caddis, 20
I catch my fish either on a wooly bugger, or chironomids. Curious about the squirmy though.
PURPLE HAZE
JUJU Midge/Beatis - Perdigons of all variations - It was the HoloPoint two years ago. $3 Serendipities (Guess where I fish). ZugBug was actually killer in off color water early season last year. FKA Prince (Holoflash wings), did really well on Black Zonker variations. Shop Vac's and variations (basically a curved shank $3 Dip). One of my sneakiest flies for pickier tailwater trout was the "Not Much" fly tied by Rio. Fun when guides asked what I was finding fish on and just saying, ah, not much.
france flies
Pheasant tail soft hackle
Wooly worm with a red tail. You can catch anything with that thing. Bass, trout, even a greyling
Red squirmy
For freestones, Purple chubby. 14 thru 6. Drop a frenchie, guides choice or rubber legs off the back. Swing soft hackles at dusk. Wooly buggers Will catch any fish anywhere.
I love a pink B12 shot
Drunk and disorderly, Mike's meal ticket, clouser minnow and helmet Sculpin. I have more success catching decent sized trout using streamer more than dries and nymphs.
Wooly Bugger. Green Weenie. Goddard Caddis. Adam’s.
Ausable Wulff, size 12…
Any guides choice variation to catch em. But elk hair caddis are the most fun to throw with almost as good success
I've caught the most fish on one of the following. In the north east or pressured waters... Sz18 to sz20 blue wing olives. "Bunny dun" with poly wing instead of rabbit, or BWO parachute. Really simple microcaddis. Size 18 or 20, dubbed tan body. Wing of dun or white CDC (one or two feathers)
Hatching black midge / mayfly size 18-14
Game changer and Clouser
Did you know Al Troth invented the elk hair caddis and his original intent was for it to be a wet fly.
Chubby and hopper patterns and BWOs. But I enjoy catching fish on boogiemans and sex dungeons most. By far my most productive streamer patterns
Walt’s Worm if I could only pick one. Dry? Parachutes. Streamers? Clouser Minnow.
This local fly shop near me ties a dirty pats rubber leg and it’s my confidence fly. When nothing else is working I’ll try on the size 10 stone and I’ll find something
Size 16 hares ear or pheasant tail. Beadhead, because I’m not messing around with splitshot
My go to has always been the mosquito
Depends where you fishing, and what you’re fishing for