Top 3 Trout Flies - Most versatile fly patterns - McFly Angler Top Picks
Channel: McFly Angler
Date: 2017-05-23

The best fly patterns are the ones that are the most versatile.  Ones that can mimic many types of forage.  Trout flies are no different.  You can be out on the water and all of a sudden, out of no where, you notice that the trout start rising to the surface, or stop coming up for mayflies and go deep.  Conditions change, and you don't want to be caught off guard.  Its important to have flies in your box that can cater to a wide variety of conditions and techniques for when those unexpected changes happen.  

I have picked 3 flies that I feel will allow you to fish pretty much any situation presented to you.  If you have all 3 of these flies, they will cater to anything the trout throw at you.  

My dry fly pick is the adams, a wonderful and amazing dry fly pattern that really can cater to any dry fly fishing situation.  Ive used smaller ones for midge imitations, and larger ones for mayfly.  You won't easily find a rising trout that won't eat an adams.  

My nymphing pick is the zebra midge.  Midges are probably the most important and common food source for trout.  They are in almost all rivers throughout the world, and trout never stop feeding on them.  Even when all else shuts down, trout will still occasionally sip up a midge when it drifts past their nose.  They cannot resist it.  This is why the zebra midge is probably the most important and versatile nothing (sub surface) pattern.  It can mimic midges, but it will also mimic other aquatic bugs when tied in different sizes and color patterns.  Its also very easy to tie, so you can make up a few hundred in an afternoon.  

My streamer pick is the wooly bugger.  This is probably no surprise to most of you.  The wooly bugger is well known as a very versatile fly.  One that can be fished in many different ways, tied in many different colors, and for many different species.  Try fishing a smaller bugger by dead drifting it by a trouts nose.  They won't say no to that meal.  Or to cover more water, you can swing it through the current.  You can also strip it through slow moving pools.  It really is probably the most versatile fly ever created.  In all honestly, if you could only pick one fly, this would be the best bet.  Ive even used the bugger as a dry fly once, when I forgot to bring my dry fly box with me.  So it really is the most versatile fly ever made.  

If you want to pick up a few of these flies, here are some links to where you can get them at decent deals.  
Wooly Bugger - http://amzn.to/2q7NaS3
Zebra Midge - http://amzn.to/2qKIYen
Adams Fly - http://amzn.to/2q7Mz2R