Fly Fishing 101 – Your First 6 Flies: Advice from a 65-Year Pro
This is an excerpt from our free guide, Learn Fly Fishing in 30 Minutes. The guide was written by Steve Nubie, a fly angler for 65 years and former instructor.
For your first day, don't worry about fly charts or matching the hatch. There are six flies that catch fish on almost any river in North America. Buy a few of each in sizes 12 to 16. That is your fly box for the first weekend.
1. Blue Winged Olive
This is a dry fly that imitates one of the most common aquatic insects – the Baetis nymph. It lives in most rivers and hatches repeatedly across a season.
2. Parachute Adams
A dry fly. It sits on the surface and imitates just about any small insect. Grey body, white post. When fish are rising, start here.
3. Elk Hair Caddis
Another dry fly. Tan colored, with a wing of elk hair that sits flat on the water. Caddis flies are on almost every river, almost every season. This fly catches fish even when nothing seems to be hatching.
4. Hare's Ear Nymph
A wet fly. It sinks and imitates the underwater larval stage of mayflies and caddis. Most of the time, this is what trout are eating. When nothing is rising on the surface, tie this on.
5. Pheasant Tail Nymph
Another wet fly. Slim, brown, deadly. Trout eat pheasant tail nymphs the way most of us eat breakfast. Always have a few.
6. Woolly Bugger
A streamer. Black or olive, with a marabou tail that pulses in the water. When all else fails, tie on a woolly bugger and strip it slowly through a pool. Something almost always eats it.
Start with a Hare's Ear Nymph. More than 90 percent of what trout eat happens underwater, not on the surface. Dry fly fishing is spectacular when it works, but nymphs will catch fish almost any day. Don't forget to watch the floating section of the leader to know when a trout has taken your fly. You could also attach a small, floating strike detector midway on the leader.
