picking flies can be super confusing there are thousands
and thousands and thousands of different fly patterns when you go into a fly shop
it's just overwhelming seeing all those trays and flies you don't know where to start well i'm
going to give you a place to start i'm going to give you a dozen flies that you can use anywhere
i use these flies in the mountains of vermont i use them in the catskills i use them in montana
idaho wyoming i'm down in chile right now at magic waters lodge and these flies are working just fine
so these flies are going to work for you anywhere in the world it's a good place to start you got to
start somewhere here's a dozen flies the thing is you'll be able to find these flies in any fly shop
they're common popular flies that you'll be able to find anywhere so here's the list let's start
with nymphs so the first nymph i would pick is the frenchy jig nib it's a little kind of sparkly
sort of a pheasant tail here's ear with the bead head tied on a jig hook that's a deadly fly second
would be a zebra midge zebra midge is an imitation of small mayflies small stone flies small midge
when you need a small nymph this is a good one to go for another nymph that's handy is a pheasant
tail this one is a little more subtle doesn't have any bead on it it's skinny it imitates
small mayfly nymphs small stone fly nymphs and it's one of the most popular flies in the world
next would be a prince nym it's a weird looking fly nobody knows what it imitates it just works
and i'd get it in a bead head version so bead head prints and and it it just looks strange but
it really works everywhere next would be a hare's ear nymph a bead head here's here imitates larger
mayflies stoneflies maybe even a caddisfly larva it's just a good general nymph that that works in
all kinds of waters and then finally you need a fairly large nymph and one of the most popular in
the world is this rubber legs it probably imitates a big stone fly or maybe a crayfish and it's got
wiggly rubber legs it's got some weight on it it's got a bead at the front of it this is good
for a large nymph when you want to fish deep in the water column okay so that's the nymphs let's
go to streamers next i'd take two streamers in my initial selection i don't think you need a great
variety of streamers so i pick a dark one and a light one the first is the absolute probably the
most popular fly in the world works anywhere for all kinds of fish trout bass even saltwater fish
and that's a woolly bugger a black woolly bugger and i like them with either a tungsten bead or a
cone so a bead head woolly bugger or a tongue head woolly bugger a little bit extra weight
will help get that fly down but bead head woolly bugger is a killer fly everywhere for everything
and then for a light colored streamer i like a a white zonker it's got a piece of rabbit fur on it
a little sparkle to it you know if a dark fly doesn't work try a light fly like this white
zonker and then for dry flies starting with the largest my favorite large dry fly is a
chubby chernobyl it's got a highly visible wing that sticks up so you can see it on the water
it's got a foam body so it floats really well and this is a good fly to hang a nymph on
if you're using a dry dropper rig because it'll float even even holding a nymph below it even a
heavy nymph won't sink this so chubby chernobyl is an excellent large dry fly imitates a grasshopper
stone fly cricket who knows uh it intakes a larger surface food and then for matching most mayfly and
caddisfly hatches a parachute adams is a great fly it's it's the most popular dry fly in the world
and it works most days there's some people that only fish parachute atoms for dry flies
so it's really effective and you need to have some of these in your fly box
and then to imitate caddisflies small grasshoppers moths things like that an elk hair caddis this has
got a down wing so it imitates flies that have their wings folded along their body elkair katus
is a great fly and it's a great fly when you don't know what fish are taking or if they're
not rising sometimes they'll just come up for an elk care caddis so great fly and then finally
i would never go anywhere in the world without a small olive mayfly and i would say a if you're
gonna have one i would say some sort of blue wing olive in a size 18. so that's my dozen flies
they're gonna work anywhere in the world and it'll simplify your fly box don't worry about it you'll
you'll pick up lots of different fly patterns as you go there are always local favorites you
might get a fly from a guide but if you go with these flies you're going to be in good shape
you