Thanks Tom for a great simplified selection. I appreciate your emphasis on beginning fly fishing essentials. Keep it up. Besides even those of us who have been doing this awhile need a refresher.
Great advice. I fish mostly freestone snowmelt streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of CA, and on many outings I've used nothing but an elk hair caddis. I've even used it as a nymph and emerger.
Great list, have made notes, interested to try the Chubby Chernobyl. Easy to see floaters become increasingly important with the years! From years of trout fishing in Britain, a go to that always inspired confidence (and that’s part of the battle) is the white hackled coachman.
Undoubtedly this is a great list. It's so difficult to narrow it down to a mere dozen. I've been having amazing luck with a perdigon style nymph and green and orange for the past couple of years. I spoke with a lot of local fly fisherman, including well-known guides, and they all seem to swear by a red and black perdigon. I've tried that fly, and I've been skunked! I think there's just a confidence factor in knowing what works for me.
I've used a size 18 green caddis for years, super simple fly to tie, between this and the Griffith's gnat you just can't go wrong. these 2 flies have worked on fresh water almost every where I have try'd them, rivers, lakes and small streams
Fly fishing should be simple, seems like too many people try to complicate it. Thank you for this awesome list of essentials, Tom! My all time favorite is black wooly bugger
Haha the first person here, and I must say these videos are always fun to watch and I love them since I’m newer to fly fishing and am only about 3 years into fly fishing
I would highly recommend trying (and tying) Birds Nest, Hogans S+M, Flash back pheasant tail, Mercury RS2, Mercers Missing Link. I have not uttered the word "skunk" in over a decade
Great list but 12 is hard to work down to for all of us. Hit my local lake in BC yesterday. 11 rainbow on blood red rabbit strip leech trolling and 6 more on black Tom Thumb in middle of a hatch. Sometimes everything works.
Thanks Tom. I’ve never tried the. Chubby Chernobyl but I’m going to. My go to dry is the Parachute Adams and they’re pretty easy to tie. Thanks again for the tips, this is great.
I have never been fly fishing before even though I grew up and lived nearly my entire life in Idaho, Montana and Eastern Oregon. What is a good book or video to get a complete newbie started?
Great video! Great list and I especially like the prince nymph. Would be great to do one of these for salt water (if possible given the variety of species).
Another tip: If you are tying your nymphs, you pretty much always want to use a bright colored thread. Especially good colors are purple, orange, and red. I have only used purple thread on my pheasant tails and prince nymphs for the last five years or so, and I am never going back. I don't know what it is about the added color, but fish are really drawn to it.
Absolutely a Fantastic video Tom 🎣👍. I'm surprised you didn't add Top-hats , which imitates most emerging Flys ( 85 % ) plus foam ant patterns & grasshoppers 🤔.
Only thing I would add as an essential starter fly would be a small (size 18) gnat or ant. These work throughout the year because they imitate so many real-life bugs, including midges, which hatch nearly year-round here in Idaho.
I carry each of these; and honestly, very little else. Sure, Copper Johns and Rainbow Warriors see a lot of time on my tippet; and what surface-feeding trout doesnt like a Stimulator or Yellow Humpy? But, simplicity works for me. No need for a dozen variations of a caddis or mayfly nymph.
Great selection of flies and these are to be the most popular everywhere. But when am I go to see a video of the Smokies? We pretty much get videos from up north and out west, but nothing from the NC/Tn area. The Davidson doesn’t count either. 🤣🤣🤣
Please! I’m heading to fish the NC side of the park for the first time next month and have no idea where I should be going or what flies I should be using
...Go out and watch the insect life near the rivers .. copy them and give them a go ........ don't forget to turn over rocks on the edge of the river ...
If you fish the NC such as the Luftee, use olive Walt’s Worm in 12-14. Dries 16-18 BWO’s. Frenchies with pink dubbing in 12-14. Finally 14-16 Caddis dries, olive or black. You may want to use a Yellow Sallie too!! Hope this helps.
@@hunters1372 there are many great fly shops in NC including some Orvis retail stores that can give you great advice. Local knowledge is always the best.
Anyone, are all these flies that he’s named good for a lake that has small to medium size stocked trout in Colorado. Are all the dry flies good as well. Anyone?
A Muddler is a great fly, The Muddler, never liked it. For trouty fishing I like a Garry Lafontaine Plain Jane muddler. Red mara tail, white sparkle yarn body (or to match). Marabou wing to match, but anything dark olive black, or brown; Natural head. Tail is about about 1/3rd hook length, and wing does not pass/even with tail. You do not want the wing to foul on the hook, so when first tying it on whatever hook, you can always pinch off some wing, and with marabou it still fishes nicely. Once you get it so it doesn't foul, you can adjust tail accordingly. Proportions provided usually work.
Klauser minnow....sorry Bob just joking....Clouser minnow. Kelly Galloup sunk ant, dynamite. Roman Moser balloon caddis. I.O.B.O humpy.......just get some.
Size is usually pretty dependent on what steam your on and what exactly is hatching or available to the fish, seems like most of these are general patterns that don't really imitate any one kind of bug in particular so they need to cover multiple size ranges for different situations. I tend to get multi sized packs to cover different situations, 1 type of fly in 3 sizes normally.
As usual, Tom nails it. He's got the right info and exceptional presentation. A national treasure...make that a planetary treasure! We love you Tom!
Thanks Tom. Simplicity is surely the essence of perfection and you certainly nailed it.
Thanks Tom for a great simplified selection. I appreciate your emphasis on beginning fly fishing essentials. Keep it up. Besides even those of us who have been doing this awhile need a refresher.
This is such a great UA-cam channel! I have been fly fishing most of my life and all your info is first rate! Thank you, Tom!
Wow, thanks!
I would highly recommend adding the Klinkhammer and the Griffith’s Gnat to that selection 🙂
My all time favorite is a Purple Wooly Bugger, works excellent in low light conditions.
Invented by Bow River guide Barry White about 1970 in Calgary Alberta.
Great advice. I fish mostly freestone snowmelt streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of CA, and on many outings I've used nothing but an elk hair caddis. I've even used it as a nymph and emerger.
Love Tom's videos. Always great advise delivered in a casual style, something flyfishing isn't alot of the time
What an exceptional video! Awesome job. Exactly what I needed to see with amazing pictures. Thank you so much 🙏
Great selection for a dozen flies that should ALWAYS be considered a MUST and likewise ALWAYS be in ones fly box!
Great list, have made notes, interested to try the Chubby Chernobyl. Easy to see floaters become increasingly important with the years!
From years of trout fishing in Britain, a go to that always inspired confidence (and that’s part of the battle) is the white hackled coachman.
Undoubtedly this is a great list. It's so difficult to narrow it down to a mere dozen. I've been having amazing luck with a perdigon style nymph and green and orange for the past couple of years. I spoke with a lot of local fly fisherman, including well-known guides, and they all seem to swear by a red and black perdigon. I've tried that fly, and I've been skunked! I think there's just a confidence factor in knowing what works for me.
I was just going to say... If you're fishing a tailwater or any heavily pressured stream, a perdigon is a must.
I've used a size 18 green caddis for years, super simple fly to tie, between this and the Griffith's gnat you just can't go wrong. these 2 flies have worked on fresh water almost every where I have try'd them, rivers, lakes and small streams
Fly fishing should be simple, seems like too many people try to complicate it. Thank you for this awesome list of essentials, Tom! My all time favorite is black wooly bugger
Haha the first person here, and I must say these videos are always fun to watch and I love them since I’m newer to fly fishing and am only about 3 years into fly fishing
Glad you like them!
Yeah it's all fun n games now but wait 'til the nightmares start.Lol
I would highly recommend trying (and tying) Birds Nest, Hogans S+M, Flash back pheasant tail, Mercury RS2, Mercers Missing Link. I have not uttered the word "skunk" in over a decade
I just finished catching rainbows on a size 14 elk hair Caddis. Got 10 today here in the Adirondacks, including 2 16"
Nice… book-end 16”
Thank you for the Video. Kind regards from the Black Forest in Germany
Thanks Tom, you make all this easy👍
Great list but 12 is hard to work down to for all of us. Hit my local lake in BC yesterday. 11 rainbow on blood red rabbit strip leech trolling and 6 more on black Tom Thumb in middle of a hatch. Sometimes everything works.
I’m a simple man: I see Tom Rosenbauer, I click.
Thanks Tom. I’ve never tried the. Chubby Chernobyl but I’m going to. My go to dry is the Parachute Adams and they’re pretty easy to tie. Thanks again for the tips, this is great.
I have never been fly fishing before even though I grew up and lived nearly my entire life in Idaho, Montana and Eastern Oregon. What is a good book or video to get a complete newbie started?
Google the Orvis Learning Center!
@@newflyfisher thanks I'll give it a shot.
Thanks for the practical tip!
Great picks thanks, the only one I’d switch is possibly a muddlers minnow, for that white streamer…. Of course they also have white woolly buggers.
I agree that pattern is deadly and it's my go-to sometimes when nothing else is working
Funny nuff I'm here tying white muddlers for atlantics and searun brookies lol..Killer fly on a couple of small river in my area July & August
I knew I'd find a comment on the deadly muddler minnow. I fully agree.
Great video! Great list and I especially like the prince nymph. Would be great to do one of these for salt water (if possible given the variety of species).
Another tip: If you are tying your nymphs, you pretty much always want to use a bright colored thread. Especially good colors are purple, orange, and red. I have only used purple thread on my pheasant tails and prince nymphs for the last five years or so, and I am never going back. I don't know what it is about the added color, but fish are really drawn to it.
Absolutely a Fantastic video Tom 🎣👍. I'm surprised you didn't add Top-hats , which imitates most emerging Flys ( 85 % ) plus foam ant patterns & grasshoppers 🤔.
Because that would be fifteen
Great choices
Thank you
Only thing I would add as an essential starter fly would be a small (size 18) gnat or ant. These work throughout the year because they imitate so many real-life bugs, including midges, which hatch nearly year-round here in Idaho.
Great video!
I used to use nymphs with a split shot 2lb test with my ultralight. Fishing brooktrout streams
I carry each of these; and honestly, very little else.
Sure, Copper Johns and Rainbow Warriors see a lot of time on my tippet; and what surface-feeding trout doesnt like a Stimulator or Yellow Humpy? But, simplicity works for me. No need for a dozen variations of a caddis or mayfly nymph.
Can't argue with those
Great selection, though I might add an Irresistible for lucky 13.
Purple Haze or Purple Adam’s and a Mahogany Dun would round out my minimalist fly box.
Nice video Tom!
That is a great list.
Great selection of flies and these are to be the most popular everywhere. But when am I go to see a video of the Smokies? We pretty much get videos from up north and out west, but nothing from the NC/Tn area. The Davidson doesn’t count either. 🤣🤣🤣
Please! I’m heading to fish the NC side of the park for the first time next month and have no idea where I should be going or what flies I should be using
...Go out and watch the insect life near the rivers .. copy them and give them a go ........ don't forget to turn over rocks on the edge of the river ...
If you fish the NC such as the Luftee, use olive Walt’s Worm in 12-14. Dries 16-18 BWO’s. Frenchies with pink dubbing in 12-14. Finally 14-16 Caddis dries, olive or black. You may want to use a Yellow Sallie too!! Hope this helps.
@@hunters1372 there are many great fly shops in NC including some Orvis retail stores that can give you great advice. Local knowledge is always the best.
Awesome.
Surprised no Stimulator. Always found them effective.
Anyone, are all these flies that he’s named good for a lake that has small to medium size stocked trout in Colorado. Are all the dry flies good as well.
Anyone?
Absolutely they will work.
Make it a baker’s dozen and add a black ant. A must have when trees are hanging over the water.
I can't believe the Muddler Minnow didn't make the list
A Muddler is a great fly, The Muddler, never liked it. For trouty fishing I like a Garry Lafontaine Plain Jane muddler. Red mara tail, white sparkle yarn body (or to match). Marabou wing to match, but anything dark olive black, or brown; Natural head. Tail is about about 1/3rd hook length, and wing does not pass/even with tail. You do not want the wing to foul on the hook, so when first tying it on whatever hook, you can always pinch off some wing, and with marabou it still fishes nicely. Once you get it so it doesn't foul, you can adjust tail accordingly. Proportions provided usually work.
Prince nymph imitates an emerging Royal Coachman.
Preferable sizes?
Just watch the video to the end
how about a rapala?
Haha simplifly your fly box!
Tom- you didn’t choose the fly tattooed to your arm?! Haha great list nonetheless.
My go to setup is a bead head prince with a black or red midge will kill em all day smokey mt area
Start w/ 12 then build out those “local killer” types
And #13 is A black Ant.
But the comments keep adding to the …
“dirty” dozen 🤦🏻♂️
Klauser minnow....sorry Bob just joking....Clouser minnow.
Kelly Galloup sunk ant, dynamite.
Roman Moser balloon caddis.
I.O.B.O humpy.......just get some.
The fact you didnt mention a stimulator tells me your havent been in the rockies much.
Is there a reason why you didn't specify hook size?
Size is usually pretty dependent on what steam your on and what exactly is hatching or available to the fish, seems like most of these are general patterns that don't really imitate any one kind of bug in particular so they need to cover multiple size ranges for different situations.
I tend to get multi sized packs to cover different situations, 1 type of fly in 3 sizes normally.
At the end of video it shows the sizes
Just buy mop flys and slaughter fish ever cast.
Surprised Tom doesn’t use these!
Prediction, in five years jig flies will be passé
All those beadheads are JIGS not flies.....