Thanks for the nice comment. And man, I always thought the Adams was on the medium to difficult size of fly tying... I guess once you sit and tie a few hundred in a row they get easier. Haha!
Great choices. Would like to point out a small correction. L. Halladay first designed the Adams to actually be a Caddis imitation. The pattern was later tweaked to become the mayfly pattern we know it today.
I agree with your list and all of those are in my box. I do prefer the parachute Adams variant over the standard version. If you were to have all the variants of these basic flies, bead head, rubber leg, flashback, hook size you could certainly fill a good size box and more importantly catch a bunch of trout. With all the patterns out there it can get pretty confusing so this is very informative.
The Wooly Bugger is hard to argue against. But I would suggest that the Muddler Minnow in its many guises would be a great alternative. Of course I have lots of both in my fly boxes. I would also suggest the Elk-hair Caddis with variants as a dry fly alternate for the Adams. But really your selection is sound. Slainte!
All dry flies? Lol. I think you missed the point of the video. Hahahahaha. But yes all good flies for sure, however if your box had only those 3 flies in it, you might not catch much at some rivers that don’t do well with dry fly fishing. For instance, some rivers you pretty much have to nymph, or throw a streamer to fish them.
I like your choices I have fished entire summers with nothing but a box full of Adams. ...I have a buddy who insists that the whooly bugger is not streamer!! I have however had big trout try and take the rod out of my hands while stripp[ng this fly like any other streamer.
yeah you could do that. Honestly I had a hard time choosing between an elk hair caddis and the adams, but ultimately chose the adams at the end. Still its a close runner up.
These flys fish well in the uk. The zebra buzzers are a top subsurface fly I do them in black, pink, and green and are perfect for someone starting fly tying.
#1 - Wooly Bugger (I prefer mine on a jig hook), #2 - Partridge soft hackle, #3 - Egan's Dart (all colors and collars). I do not get many dry fly days but Charlie Craven's Mole Fly is the best dry I have ever used. I agree with the midge too, but I hate fishing with them. All I did for years and years was midge under an indicator, it is the PB&J of fishing, just not that exciting.
Those are good flies, however I would not call them the “most versatile”. There have been times that each of those flies was on fire for me, but other times they just didn’t produce. So I respectfully disagree with them as “most versatile” fly choices. But again we all have an opinion, and sometimes those opinions are different, and that’s ok! That’s what makes the human race so great! No two people are exactly the same.
Hey McFly love your videos though I've never fished for trout. I live near the central gulf coast of Florida and do a fair amount of fly fishing for large mouth bass. The first fly I ever tied was a wollybugger and an ugly one at that but it connected me with a quality bass. Do you ever do any large mouth fishing?
Lefty's deceiver and it's variant is probably the best bait fish pattern ever created both in salt and freshwater, I've caught all the popular species both in salt and fresh using that pattern.
I would find it hard to pick just 3 flies. I would add to the list, Hare's Ear nymph, size 14 Elk Hair Caddis and the Griffith's Gnat. But If I had to pick one thing to survive on in the wilderness, it would be a medium sized Dare Devil and a spinning rod.
Yes, I agree, muddler is a close contender, however the fact that the muddler is a bit more difficult to tie, and that its a little less versatile, I decided on the bugger.
Well that depends on the specific river. There are some places that only hold very small flies. Midges snd bwo’s or the like. Sometimes they require size 20, or even down to 26. While other rivers that’s too small to get the trouts attention. You can tie an Adams down to size 26 (even smaller If you want) and it will do a decent midge immitation. Or tie it larger to mimic a larger drake type mayfly. That’s what I mean about versatility. Same with a wooly bugger. Tie it down to size 16 for a decent stonefly or dragonfly nymph, or up to very large sizes to mimic the finned forage.
For all my favorite spots in The western states I’d have to choose a pheasant tail for my nymph. Best “ between” fly for emergers and full on cadis nymph patterns like the prince.
While this is interesting -- the answer is -- it all depends where you are fishing. You are typically a tail-water trout fisherman and your list makes sense. In the Upper Mid-West, there are a variety of dry flies that seem to work all the time -- BWO and Caddis, especially the Mike Mercer 'Missing Link' Caddis fly. The Borchers dry fly is another one that works really well most of the fishing season. The Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail and Hare's Ear nymphs work well all season. I agree with your Wooly Bugger selection for a streamer because it is so versatile.
+Robert S well isn't versatility the key? If you fish rivers where there are more caddis, then obviously a caddis fly will work better... I'm not saying that this list will always catch more fish than any other fly, what I mean is, if you take ALL rivers throughout the world, I feel this list will be more versatile. I wouldn't want to fish all rivers in the US with only a caddis pattern, some rivers I might not catch. But I guaranty you I could catch fish in ALL rivers with my list. You can tie a green zebra midge and it will double as a caddis... just FYI. I'm speaking here about versatility in all rivers, not the best fly for one specific river or region.. sorry for the confusion..
maybe I like dries too much... but I would have an Adams, an. elk hair caddis, and a griffiths gnat hahaha. Feel like I can get a fish to rise anywhere any time of year with those three. But maybe I need to start nymphing more
There are some streams and lakes where nymphs or streamers work better…. For sure dry fly fishing is more fun, but not always most effective. And yes those other two you mentioned are definitely in the running for best dry fly.
Thanks, and many people said the same thing. It was in my list of possible flies to showcase. However, what came down to my decision is that not every river has mayflies or caddis (which those mimic) Almost all rivers do have midges though. So, I decided a midge pupae imitator would be more "versatile" in the long run. However, any river that does have caddis or mayflies, then the hairs ear would be more useful for sure!
Well my favorite pattern depends on where I’m fishing. On the San Juan would be a midge annelid I created that catches the highest percentage of 20” trout for me there. It’s called the red licorice fly. On the animas my favorite to fish is the GTI caddis. It really depends though on the River. For a hopper, the simple and effective GFA hopper is great.
I would vote for a top three on panfish flies. Another would be multi-species flies; since many people have more limited resources and don't really discriminate as to what they catch, as long as they are catching fish.
Well, the sculpzilla is awesome, but lets be honest, it really only mimics one type of forage for a trout, and if the river doesn't have that, then well its a no go. The sculpzilla works better for me as well on many rivers, however there are some rivers that its too large, or to specific for the trout to bite. Obviously certain rivers, other flies will work better than a bugger, however if you take all the rivers, lakes, etc... Probably the bugger will catch fish in more rivers, in more situations than any other individual fly.
I agree with you. Overall, the woolly bugger is more versatile than the sculpzilla, both still very effective. I guess if I had to choose only one, I'd also go with the Woolly bugger.
Well, midges are in every river... Not all rivers have caddis (what most think a hares ear will mimic). So, as for versatility, I thought a midge pattern would be best, since they can work for all rivers. Maybe not the best in all rivers, but will work in them. That was my thinking..
Great videos, thank you , seen you're post on forum as well, unfortunately I cannot make a topic or post or comment on that thing tried contacting admins no response maybe you can help
Every river is different... I highly recommend at least two of those adams. I hate finding fish feeding on a fly only to loose it and not get any more strikes
I think your list is sound, others I would put forward would be the mighty but mini Griffiths Gnat or the long trusted but never identified Pink Nighty( don't google it you won't find the fly) I will tell you it is made by Berkley and comes in packs of 8 or 10 and more then just pink. :0
Not much of a switch but I would trade the adams for a BWO.. Do carp do carp do carp.. I been wanting to get some carp on my 10 weight.. CARP CARP CARP
Nothing wrong with that fly, but it is pretty far from being "versatile". Again, its "just before hatching" and were talking bass now, this is the most versatile "TROUT" flies. LOL But I plan on doing a top 3 for bass soon as well...
+Troutaholic flo I'm not a big fan of the SJW.. but yes that is a really popular fly, however I feel the zebra midge is more versatile, better for more range of situations...
If I could fish one nymph for the rest of my life...easily would be the copper john. I can say with confidence that 90% of the fish I have caught on a nymph is with that fly.
+Tyler Ross yeah? That's a great pattern as well. It doesn't fish out in my local river though, but midges do fish everywhere. Not a river in America that a zebra midge won't work.
Or I continue making videos how I always do. :). Haha! I mean I wouldn’t have almost 25k subs if the music really bothered a ton of people. Have a good day man. :)
1st off It’s not a 10 second loop, and it’s free music from online, So I don’t get my videos taken down for using royalty music. I make very little on these videos, and the cost of buying tunes would out-way by 100 or more what my income on the videos would be. Lol! Buying royalties for music is ridiculously expensive. If I put what you would think is “good” music on, then someone else will not like it. This is one of the more “safe” songs to pick from the free-bees. If you don’t like the music you can turn down the sound. My God bro, so picky! Lol! People these days expect so much from a simple video that is free to watch online. Haha!
Three giveaways you’re not a fly fisherman- - You say fish bite instead of hit or take - You say pole instead of rod - You use a bobber instead of a strike indicator
Thanks for all the help I will definitely be tying a whole bunch of each.
Cool man, glad it helped
And the Adams is one of the easier dry patterns to tie , actually all three are super easy to twist up thanks for your video.
Thanks for the nice comment. And man, I always thought the Adams was on the medium to difficult size of fly tying... I guess once you sit and tie a few hundred in a row they get easier. Haha!
Great choices.
Would like to point out a small correction. L. Halladay first designed the Adams to actually be a Caddis imitation. The pattern was later tweaked to become the mayfly pattern we know it today.
I had no clue. I wonder what his caddis version looked like.
Basically the same as the modern day Adams. The tail was golden pheasant and body made of wool. Hackling and wings the same.
McFly Angler
If you ever get a chance to get a copy of Mike Vallas book Founding Flies, it’s worth every penny if you like flies and their history.
Ok
I agree with your list and all of those are in my box. I do prefer the parachute Adams variant over the standard version. If you were to have all the variants of these basic flies, bead head, rubber leg, flashback, hook size you could certainly fill a good size box and more importantly catch a bunch of trout. With all the patterns out there it can get pretty confusing so this is very informative.
+Big Papi thanks man! Yeah, with the variations of just these 3 flies, you could fill a huge box! Haha
aside form you dry fly pick which i would make - caddis, I second your other picks =)
cheers !
Thanks, yeah the elk hair caddis is definitely a close contender... I was actually contemplating between the two...
The Wooly Bugger is hard to argue against. But I would suggest that the Muddler Minnow in its many guises would be a great alternative. Of course I have lots of both in my fly boxes. I would also suggest the Elk-hair Caddis with variants as a dry fly alternate for the Adams. But really your selection is sound. Slainte!
All good suggestions Richard. I agree, both those are great flies.
My 3
Adams irresistible.
Parachute Adams.
Royal Wulff.
All dry flies? Lol. I think you missed the point of the video. Hahahahaha. But yes all good flies for sure, however if your box had only those 3 flies in it, you might not catch much at some rivers that don’t do well with dry fly fishing. For instance, some rivers you pretty much have to nymph, or throw a streamer to fish them.
Yah I definitely didn’t follow the criteria. But if the fish in a river don’t hit dries, I’ll go somewhere else.
I like your choices I have fished entire summers with nothing but a box full of Adams. ...I have a buddy who insists that the whooly bugger is not streamer!! I have however had big trout try and take the rod out of my hands while stripp[ng this fly like any other streamer.
Oh it’s a Streamer, but it’s versatile and can be fished other ways as well. Glad you like the list.
I'm kinda partial to Humpies. If I could have only three, Your list is great.
Humpies are good for sure!
My first fish I caught on a dry...was the Adams =)
Yeah? It’s a classic for sure!
Would have been mine too but i freakin lost it haha. Hooked it for 2 seconds, does that count?
First fly I ever caught up in a tree was an adams😁
Good choices. I think you could bush up the Adams to resemble a Caddis if you wanted to
yeah you could do that. Honestly I had a hard time choosing between an elk hair caddis and the adams, but ultimately chose the adams at the end. Still its a close runner up.
These flys fish well in the uk. The zebra buzzers are a top subsurface fly I do them in black, pink, and green and are perfect for someone starting fly tying.
Cool, yeah buzzers aren’t to popular here, I think our midges are a different size.
Great list, wouldn't change a thing. Even over here on the other coast
+Matty Pot Pie thanks!
#1 - Wooly Bugger (I prefer mine on a jig hook), #2 - Partridge soft hackle, #3 - Egan's Dart (all colors and collars). I do not get many dry fly days but Charlie Craven's Mole Fly is the best dry I have ever used. I agree with the midge too, but I hate fishing with them. All I did for years and years was midge under an indicator, it is the PB&J of fishing, just not that exciting.
Cool, sounds like a great set of flies.
Quil Gordon, Hendrickson ,muddler for drys . Dark Montreal , silver doctor , blue charm for wets . and wooly worm
Those are good flies, however I would not call them the “most versatile”. There have been times that each of those flies was on fire for me, but other times they just didn’t produce. So I respectfully disagree with them as “most versatile” fly choices. But again we all have an opinion, and sometimes those opinions are different, and that’s ok! That’s what makes the human race so great! No two people are exactly the same.
What is your favorite fly for the Chama River below the dam? Nice videos.
Never fished the Chama
Hey McFly love your videos though I've never fished for trout. I live near the central gulf coast of Florida and do a fair amount of fly fishing for large mouth bass. The first fly I ever tied was a wollybugger and an ugly one at that but it connected me with a quality bass. Do you ever do any large mouth fishing?
I do it all the time. :) Love fishing bass on the fly. Watch the video that comes out tomorrow, its smallmouth, not largemouth, but its bass.
Lefty's deceiver and it's variant is probably the best bait fish pattern
ever created both in salt and freshwater, I've caught all the popular species
both in salt and fresh using that pattern.
Also a great pattern, however the bugger I think actually is a little more versatile. But the deceiver is an amazing fly!
Really great intro. Well done.
Thanks
I’m a fresh fly fisher. I hope your video helps me
Check out some of my other videos man. I’ve got lots of tutorials on tying and info on fishing. Good luck man
I would find it hard to pick just 3 flies. I would add to the list, Hare's Ear nymph, size 14 Elk Hair Caddis and the Griffith's Gnat. But If I had to pick one thing to survive on in the wilderness, it would be a medium sized Dare Devil and a spinning rod.
All great flies for sure.
While I can't actually disagree with your choices, it's difficult to forget the various forms of muddler minnows.
Yes, I agree, muddler is a close contender, however the fact that the muddler is a bit more difficult to tie, and that its a little less versatile, I decided on the bugger.
But what size is most versatile? I know it all depends on the forage but in general? A size 14 dry, 16 nymph, and 10 wooly bugger? Thoughts? Anyone?
Well that depends on the specific river. There are some places that only hold very small flies. Midges snd bwo’s or the like. Sometimes they require size 20, or even down to 26. While other rivers that’s too small to get the trouts attention. You can tie an Adams down to size 26 (even smaller If you want) and it will do a decent midge immitation. Or tie it larger to mimic a larger drake type mayfly. That’s what I mean about versatility. Same with a wooly bugger. Tie it down to size 16 for a decent stonefly or dragonfly nymph, or up to very large sizes to mimic the finned forage.
excellent info buddy.....thanks
Thanks Mark
This one. Thanks for the knowledge.
👍
For all my favorite spots in The western states I’d have to choose a pheasant tail for my nymph. Best “ between” fly for emergers and full on cadis nymph patterns like the prince.
Also a great fly! I’d say that’s pretty darn close as well!
While this is interesting -- the answer is -- it all depends where you are fishing. You are typically a tail-water trout fisherman and your list makes sense. In the Upper Mid-West, there are a variety of dry flies that seem to work all the time -- BWO and Caddis, especially the Mike Mercer 'Missing Link' Caddis fly. The Borchers dry fly is another one that works really well most of the fishing season. The Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail and Hare's Ear nymphs work well all season. I agree with your Wooly Bugger selection for a streamer because it is so versatile.
+Robert S well isn't versatility the key? If you fish rivers where there are more caddis, then obviously a caddis fly will work better... I'm not saying that this list will always catch more fish than any other fly, what I mean is, if you take ALL rivers throughout the world, I feel this list will be more versatile. I wouldn't want to fish all rivers in the US with only a caddis pattern, some rivers I might not catch. But I guaranty you I could catch fish in ALL rivers with my list. You can tie a green zebra midge and it will double as a caddis... just FYI. I'm speaking here about versatility in all rivers, not the best fly for one specific river or region.. sorry for the confusion..
maybe I like dries too much... but I would have an Adams, an. elk hair caddis, and a griffiths gnat hahaha. Feel like I can get a fish to rise anywhere any time of year with those three. But maybe I need to start nymphing more
There are some streams and lakes where nymphs or streamers work better…. For sure dry fly fishing is more fun, but not always most effective. And yes those other two you mentioned are definitely in the running for best dry fly.
I like your picks but whould have taken the "gold ribbed hare's ear" with/without goldhead as nymph :)
Thanks, and many people said the same thing. It was in my list of possible flies to showcase. However, what came down to my decision is that not every river has mayflies or caddis (which those mimic) Almost all rivers do have midges though. So, I decided a midge pupae imitator would be more "versatile" in the long run. However, any river that does have caddis or mayflies, then the hairs ear would be more useful for sure!
Norn1024 yep. I live on Colorado and could not agree more.
The meat and potatoes:) I guess a 4th category could be added: terrestrial . What is your favorite pattern?
Well my favorite pattern depends on where I’m fishing. On the San Juan would be a midge annelid I created that catches the highest percentage of 20” trout for me there. It’s called the red licorice fly. On the animas my favorite to fish is the GTI caddis. It really depends though on the River. For a hopper, the simple and effective GFA hopper is great.
I would vote for a top three on panfish flies. Another would be multi-species flies; since many people have more limited resources and don't really discriminate as to what they catch, as long as they are catching fish.
+handcannon good thinking, maybe "river flies" or "lake flies" or flies for the Gulf of Mexico, pacific coast, Atlantic, etc... I like it. Thanks!
My top 3 panfish flies:
1. Turk's tarantula (kills everytime)
2. Wooly bugger - olive or black
3. Cork popper
olso over here...uk...flash damsel is excellent
I don't really fish the UK, but I have been meaning to get out there and try it, that and New Zealand...
I'm torn between the woolly bugger and sculpzilla... both of them have caught so many fish for me. I will say I find the woolly bugger easier to tie.
Well, the sculpzilla is awesome, but lets be honest, it really only mimics one type of forage for a trout, and if the river doesn't have that, then well its a no go. The sculpzilla works better for me as well on many rivers, however there are some rivers that its too large, or to specific for the trout to bite. Obviously certain rivers, other flies will work better than a bugger, however if you take all the rivers, lakes, etc... Probably the bugger will catch fish in more rivers, in more situations than any other individual fly.
I agree with you. Overall, the woolly bugger is more versatile than the sculpzilla, both still very effective. I guess if I had to choose only one, I'd also go with the Woolly bugger.
Still that Sculpzilla works amazingly on the Animus river! One of my favorite on that river.
I recently caught a 9lb. 8oz Rainbow on a small Sculpzilla on my 5wt. you could say I am a little jaded on that fly for right now.
Nice! sounds like a monster!
the list is great! my debate is " wooly or woolly" LOL I love your videos... i am so "fly curious" your videos are helping me greatly :)
+alTreezy! アル トリージー!! I misspelled, sorry... it's woolly
LoL I honestly think both are correct... its the whole "uk and us" thing
LOL yeah, I had a full discussion with someone once from the UK about "vice vs vise" HAHA Maybe your right.
😂
I believe that a "vice" would be to partake of a stiff drink while tying flies at the "vise" (as an example), but I may be wrong.
Really a Zebra? I was wating for a hare´s ear or somethink more like that, the Adams and the WB are perfect, just my opinon
Well, midges are in every river... Not all rivers have caddis (what most think a hares ear will mimic). So, as for versatility, I thought a midge pattern would be best, since they can work for all rivers. Maybe not the best in all rivers, but will work in them. That was my thinking..
hares ear or ptn works in most places. Wether on the still waters for big bows, on small rivers for wild brownies of even for course fish it works
Great videos, thank you , seen you're post on forum as well, unfortunately I cannot make a topic or post or comment on that thing tried contacting admins no response maybe you can help
I don't know them, they don't respond to me either. Sorry.
Try the y2k for newly stocked trout
Eggs work for more than just newly stocked trout. Haha! People for some reason have a problem with eggs, but they work well!
I would say pheasant tail nymph instead of zebra midge but that's just my opinion.
Also a good fly.
I would choose pheasant tail myself
Thanks for sharing. 👍
+abe frohman thanks for watching! :)
In my small container i have an adams, 2 beetles, 3 pink tailed black nymphs.
Every river is different... I highly recommend at least two of those adams. I hate finding fish feeding on a fly only to loose it and not get any more strikes
I think your list is sound, others I would put forward would be the mighty but mini Griffiths Gnat or the long trusted but never identified Pink Nighty( don't google it you won't find the fly) I will tell you it is made by Berkley and comes in packs of 8 or 10 and more then just pink. :0
Thanks, the Griffiths Gnat is a good fly for sure.
+Aric Heath Am I correct that you are referring to a 3" powerbait trout worm?
Not much of a switch but I would trade the adams for a BWO.. Do carp do carp do carp.. I been wanting to get some carp on my 10 weight.. CARP CARP CARP
+Jedediah Zampedri BWO is a good fly as well.
So I'm rather new to carp fishing, I don't think I'd make a good top 5...
Gotta get people into carp fishing on a fly rod.. I had a 25# one running for days.. It was bananas.
yeah its a blast! but Ive got lots to learn with carp for sure!
Nice flies👍🏻
+JS Boyle thanks!
what about dragon fly nymph for bass just before hatching
Nothing wrong with that fly, but it is pretty far from being "versatile". Again, its "just before hatching" and were talking bass now, this is the most versatile "TROUT" flies. LOL But I plan on doing a top 3 for bass soon as well...
Thank you
It was a good suggestion though... ;)
you can trim different sized and colored wooly buggers to be many things such as dragons or damsels. @@McFlyAngler
How about salmon and steelhead top picks for the Midwest 🤟🇺🇸. Keep jamming the goodness
For the Midwest? Hahahaha.
Hes Talking about the great lakes salmon and steelhead runs
My bad bruh.. I ment Midwestern Michigan
please do large mouth bass targeting lakes and ponds
OK, I had one for largemouth, and one for smallmouth. I will make one of them soon, then the other.
McFly Angler thank you mc
NP!
Woolley Bugger catch me largemouth down here
Yeah man, very good flies!
What!!No worm . a San Juan worm or a wacky worm in Pink. I Like Buggers and a worm . since 90 % bug like is sub Surface.and
maybe an Adams as a dry !!
+Troutaholic flo I'm not a big fan of the SJW.. but yes that is a really popular fly, however I feel the zebra midge is more versatile, better for more range of situations...
I knew somebody that caught a flounder with a woleybuger
Yep! So versatile!
If I could fish one nymph for the rest of my life...easily would be the copper john. I can say with confidence that 90% of the fish I have caught on a nymph is with that fly.
+Tyler Ross yeah? That's a great pattern as well. It doesn't fish out in my local river though, but midges do fish everywhere. Not a river in America that a zebra midge won't work.
do bass next
That would be nice.
+M40_Kid sounds good... large or small mouth?
McFly Angler do both
Which do you want first?
smallies, my fav fly is Todd's wiggle minnow
hope that background music isn't stuck in my head as I tie flies and fish .
Hard to please everyone with the music choices bro.
@@McFlyAngler maybe just forgo the background noise then .
Or I continue making videos how I always do. :). Haha! I mean I wouldn’t have almost 25k subs if the music really bothered a ton of people. Have a good day man. :)
@@McFlyAngler but why do you choose bedtime kiddie tunes on a 10 second loop .
1st off It’s not a 10 second loop, and it’s free music from online, So I don’t get my videos taken down for using royalty music. I make very little on these videos, and the cost of buying tunes would out-way by 100 or more what my income on the videos would be. Lol! Buying royalties for music is ridiculously expensive.
If I put what you would think is “good” music on, then someone else will not like it. This is one of the more “safe” songs to pick from the free-bees. If you don’t like the music you can turn down the sound. My God bro, so picky! Lol! People these days expect so much from a simple video that is free to watch online. Haha!
El
El?
Three giveaways you’re not a fly fisherman-
- You say fish bite instead of hit or take
- You say pole instead of rod
- You use a bobber instead of a strike indicator
Ohhhh ok sounds good bro.
smallmouth bass
Oh man, I did this once and decided not to do another. Lol