Fly anglers, myself included, love throwing dry flies because it's easy and you can see everything.
Which is cool!
But fly fishing with nymphs and subsurface flies is the most effective way of catching trout.
Remember, trout are feeding underwater whenever we don't see them eating dries. If you limit yourself to dry flies you won't catch as many trout.
I fly fish because I love feeling the tug and competing with mother nature. Whether I'm fishing a wet fly, dry fly, streamer, or nymph. Coming tight to a fish is what it's all about.
Fly selection is one of the toughest parts of learning how to fly fish. There are so many patterns to choose from and so many of them are supposed to be the same bug... How do you choose?
I'm here to help. I'm gonna share what I believe are the most effective nymph patterns you can keep in your box.
As the host of a fly fishing TV show you have thousands of dollars on the line every time you take a production crew to the water. I had to be an effective angler every time I hit the river. No excuses.
These are the bugs that I count on day in and day out. I never leave home without them.
Let's set the table a little.
Nymphs come in a variety of flavors. Since a wet fly is essentially any fly fished under the surface of the water, nymphs are technically wet flies. Traditional wet flies have wings and collars and they're designed to be fished on the swing.
Modern nymphs imitate immature insects or crustaceans. They are tied with specific features that represent the bugs that trout feed on regularly.
Most nymphs are tied to resemble one of the 4 main species of aquatic insects. If you've been fly fishing for a reasonable amount of time you'll know the names; Mayflies, Caddis, Stoneflies, and Midges.
The vast majority of nymphs are tied to imitate one of these bugs in one of their various life stages.
There are, however, other bugs, crustaceans, and invertebrates that anglers imitate with their nymph patterns as well.
Originally, nymphs were tied without beads. Nowadays it would be hard to tell since the majority of nymphs feature a beadhead design. Non-beadhead nymphs are effective for pressured, spooky fish.
The beadhead nymph has become the standard these days. These nymphs have a bead tied in near the eye of the hook. The bead adds weight and helps the fly get down to the strike zone and stay there.
The latest trend in nymphing is European style nymphing or "Euro Nymphing". It's the technique dictated by the rules of international fly fishing competitions. The rules were adopted to make it harder to catch fish and take pressure off the resource (the fish). However, the incredible anglers in these competitions found a way to fish effectively within the rules.
Since the international rules don't allow anglers to add weight, like split shot, to their leaders "Euro nymphs" are tied with lot's of weight including lead wraps and tungsten beads. Oftentimes they are tied on jig style hooks and they ride "upside down" while you fish them. This design allows them to get through the water column and into the strike zone (near the bottom) quickly.
Whether you are tight line nymphing or throwing nymphs under an indicator "Euro nymphs" have proven very effective at catching trout over the last several years.
Emergers are insects that are making the transition from larva to adult. During this phase they molt, or shed their skin which makes them vulnerable and easy for trout to eat.
Trout eat them at every level of the water column but emergers are particularly vulnerable while they are struggling to break through the water's surface (called the meniscus or film).
As a result, emergers can be fished throughout the water column but fishing them right below the surface or in the film (which is on top of the water) is a deadly tactic. When insects emerge they are a mess. They often present two sets of legs plus new soft wings and antenae.
Soft hackles, as the name implies are tied with partridge, CDC or some other hackle material that breathes, moves, and just generally looks buggy.
That's why anglers often use soft hackle flies to imitate emergers.
The debate rages on over realistic flies that imitate specific bugs exactly and suggestive bugs that generally look buggy. You'll see from my list, I stand firmly in the suggestive camp for my fishing. One fly that imitates a broad range of insect is better than a fly that imitates one specific insect.
I don't think trout are counting legs and tails. A fly that looks and acts buggy will catch more fish more often than a bug tied with the exact right amount of gills and body segments. So don't get hung up on the little things.
Now let's get to it. Here are my top 14 bugs.
The Pheasant Tail is a classic nymph pattern that has been around for a long time. It's the first fly I turn to if I'm not certain what trout are eating.
It is effective because it imitates so many different types of mayflies. Change the species of bug that you're imitating by changing the fly size.
The most popular size range is #14-18. It imitates everything from PMD's to BWO's.
The PT and Prince (See below) have caught more fish for me than any other fly fishing nymphs.
The Frenchie is a basic bead head pheasant tail pattern with a dubbing hot spot. Some anglers say that the hot spot looks like an egg, while others think it just triggers the fish to feed. However it works, this pattern is really good at getting fish to grab.
The frenchie in size #18-20 is a great fly choice for tailwaters. A tungsten bead helps get this fly in the strike zone quickly.
The iron Lotus is one of four mayfly nymphs in this list. It represents the Baetis or Blue Winged Olive but it can pass for a variety of mayfly or even caddis species.
This is another example of the modern style flies that have produced in international fly fishing competitions. The addition of an epoxy body helps this fly sink quicker than other nymphs meaning it's a great "euro nymph". It also requires less weight when you fish it under an indicator.
Fish it in a size #16-20 especially on tailwaters and you'll see why this fly is one of the go to nymphs for trout on the international circuit.
The Copper John is becoming a classic pattern. It's always tied as a bead head and has countless copper wraps so this fly is heavier than many of the other flies on this list. That means you can eliminate some split shot when you fish it under an indicator. It's also very durable.
Based on their weight these nymphs make a great point fly in a 2 fly rig. The body style strikes me as a mayfly but whatever it looks like, it must be good because fish can't ignore it.
These flies were originally tied as a mayfly imitation. The Hare's Ear is a classic nymph but it's buggy enough that it could resemble a caddis larva as well. It will continue to be popular for a long time because it works so well. The gold ribbing on the body of the nymph and the rabbit fur create great contrast and segmentation. Hare's Ears are an essential fly pattern in fly boxes across the country. No hungry trout can refuse the buggyness of a Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
When insects are hatching and trout are focusing on the emerging insects, you should use a fly that imitates the emerger phase. The Guide's Choice Hare's Ear pattern is a generic fly that imitates an emerging insect.
You can fish this bug on the dead drift or try this fly on the swing at the end of your drift. Just remember to hold on for savage strikes!
Soft hackle flies like the Guides Choice HE make a great lead fly fished higher in the water column.
The Prince Nymph was my go to nymph for years. It has a sexy peacock body with a gold or silver tinsel rib. There have been arguments for years inside the fly fishing world about what insect these flies imitate. For me the jurry is still out.
That said, If you look closely at the aquatic insects in the water, you will see that many of them have contrasting colors. Their bellies are lighter than their backs. The white biots along the back of a Prince Nymph create high contrast with the black body. The soft hackles add buggyness. The Prince Nymph is one of the most effective fly fishing nymphs ever tied.
Stonefly nymphs are a big, juicy meal for trout. If you're in a large freestone river, check under a couple of rocks. If you find stoneflies on or under them you should consider tying on this large rubber leg nymph.
I have used Pat's Rubber Legs from Montana to California and everywhere in between. Rather than being a specific stonefly pattern it represents the big body with lots of legs. Trout may mistake it for a helgramite or even a crawdad. Whatever they think it is, it's an effective stonefly imitation and trout love it.
I have used the rainbow warrior throughout the west. Based on the materials used to tie this fly it's flashy. That makes it a fabulous attractor pattern.
This is an attention-grabbing pattern that can be used when natural nymphs don't work. The Rainbow Warrior is used in international competitions to catch fish all over the world in by Fly Fishing Team USA.
Zebra Midges imitate midge larvae. Whether it's dead of winter or the heat of summer, The Zebra Midge catches fish year-round. I always carry black with a silver rib and red with a silver rib in my fly box. in sizes 22-16. These imitate almost any midge.
Caddis are the most prolific insects on trout streams across America. Though caddis larvae imitations definitely catch fish, I focus on the pupa stage more. I love fly tying, so I tie my own version I call the Polish Pupa. I've been using it for over 2 decades to great success.
If you're looking for a production version that you might find in your local fly shop look no further than the Super Pupa. You can fish it in olive or tan. You can fish it dead drift or on the swing like you fish a wet fly. If you fish them on the swing make sure you hold onto your fly rod because trout hit them like streamers.
Tied without the bead Caddis emergers can be fished in the film like dry flies. Caddis are active as they emerge so fish this bug actively.
The cress bug or sow bug is common in tailwater rivers throughout the world. Trout happily eat them as a source of food. Cress bugs look like pill bugs, but they live in the water. The Ray Charles Nymph was originally designed to catch trout in western tailwaters, but it works anywhere there are sow bugs.
There are quite a few sow bug nymphs on the market. The Ray Charles has an effective silhouette and action that drives trout crazy. It is the number one choice of many guides on the Bighorn, Provo and many other tailwater rivers. This is one of my top flies for fishing below a dam.
I'm not going to lie. I rarely use worms when I'm fly fishing. That said, I think of them as a Hail Mary. They have saved a couple days when conditions on the stream were bad for other patterns.
Whether it's a San Juan Worm, a Squirmy Worm, or Cannon's Worm, in order to complete your fly box, you need a worm pattern. They are not sexy, but worms work. They work especially well when the water is high and slightly off-color.
Purists may not like the idea of using a worm, but they should have their place in your fly box to save otherwise unproductive days.
There are times and places where trout get so dialed into eggs that they won't eat anything else.
These can be salmon, steelhead, other trout, or even different species that share the same water.
I got behind a swarm of spawning squawfish in California once and hammered trout after trout on a small egg pattern leftover from steelhead season.
If your river has spawning fish tie on a glo bug or egg pattern that "matches the hatch" in color, shape, and size, and hold on.
These bugs are the top fish producing bugs that I have used over the last 42 years.
International competitors use them and I used them when I needed to catch fish for my show.
One of the big tricks to fishing is staying confident in the technique you fish. That way you stay focused and dialed in.
If you'd like to learn the techniques to fish these flies effectively click on this article and improve your nymphing skills.
These bugs catch fish, period. Be confident and fish them like you expect to come tight on every cast.
Stock up your fly box with these proven winners and you'll be hooked up to more fish, more more often.
