Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Doug Rose

A lot of flyfishers fall deeply under the thrall of trout flies. They like to fish them. They like to tie them. They like to accumulate the materials, be they natural or synthetic, employed in fly recipes. These anglers' fly boxes are stuffed with patterns that imitate virtually every insect, forage fish and terrestrial that trout prey upon in rivers or lakes. For these anglers, it isn't enough to carry a mere grasshopper pattern - they carry a Dave's Hopper and a Joe's Hopper and a Chernobyl Hopper.

But do you really need to carry a dozen fly boxes to regularly tempt trout? Not really.

Several years ago, author Thomas McGuane asked John Bailey, proprietor of Dan Bailey's, the internationally known distributor of trout flies, what percentage of the trout he currently caught did he think he would still take if he were limited to an Adams and a Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear. I don't remember the exact figure Bailey cited but it was high - somewhere in the 80th or 90th percentile. And this from an angler who has been fly-fishing all of his life and whose Montana home waters are one of the most productive trout destinations on the planet.

Fortunately, anglers don't have to confine their fly selection to two flies. But most flyfishers will probably take nearly as many trout with far fewer patterns than they usually carry. In fact, you might actually catch more fish. As a part-time fly-fishing guide, I have observed that most anglers spend far too much time pondering fly selection and far too little time considering how to present the fly to the fish. Most trout fishermen would, similarly, profit greatly by spending more time practicing casting and less time at the tying bench.

If you ask 10 veteran flyfishers to list their indispensable trout patterns, of course, you won't get two lists that are the same. But the dry flies, nymphs, wet flies and streamers listed below would earn a slot in most expert trout angler's fly boxes. For beginners, this list is also an excellent foundation upon which to build a fly collection.

These flies won't answer every riddle you encounter on the water. And as you gain experience, you will refine your list and add local patterns. But day-in/day-out, these 10 flies will get you through most angling situations, and they are especially valuable when prospecting unfamiliar lakes and streams.

This is an excellent "soft water" pattern. Fish it behind obstructions, in cut banks and in pools. The most popular sizes in Western waters are 10s through 18s.

The Elk Hair Caddis is the Adams' alter ego. Developed in the West, its elk hair wing is lighter-colored, and its palmered body is bushier than the Adams. It floats very well, and is an excellent choice on rougher water. Depending on the body color, it can be tied to represent a host of caddis species, as well as stoneflies and even Green Drake mayflies. It usually ranges between sizes 10-18, and tan and olive are the most popular body colors. Tied on a size 4 or 6 hook, it passes as an adult October Caddis.

Tied on sizes 12-16, it can be fished as a mayfly nymph, caddis pupa or even a scud. Tied in sizes 4-10, it suggests stoneflies and large caddis pupa such as Dicosmoecus. The natural tan shade of hare's mask is traditional, but olive is good in the smaller sizes.

The Pheasant Tail is more slender and darker than the GRHE. It is most productive when mayflies are the critical part of the trout diet. Like the Hare's Ear, it is effective in rivers and lakes, and it is also an excellent searching pattern when no insects are visible on the surface. Brown and olive represent most mayflies, and you should carry them in sizes 10 through 16.