Pattern Database

The tungsten bead version of Sawyer's classic nymph gets deep quickly and adds just enough flash to trigger strikes. The most productive nymph variation for most North American trout streams.

A midge larva pattern so simple and effective it transcends its humble origins. Copper wire builds a segmented, durable body that sinks fast. Add a peacock head and you have one of the great tailwater nymphs.

A generic caddis pupa pattern for the most common species trout encounter. Green imitates the free-living Rhyacophila (green rock worm); tan and olive match spotted sedge and grannom; orange covers October caddis. The partridge collar suggests emerging legs and antennae in any color.

Bob Clouser's dumbbell-eyed minnow pattern may be the most versatile streamer ever invented. The inverted hook rides point-up, reducing snags. Chartreuse/white is the go-to for most freshwater conditions; olive/white on overcast days; pink/white for stained water.

A close cousin to the Elk Hair Caddis but tied with deer hair for a darker, lower-riding silhouette. Excellent for evening caddis activity when fish are sipping low and refusing higher-floating patterns.

Al Troth's classic elk hair caddis is one of the most effective adult caddis patterns ever tied. The palmered hackle and buoyant elk hair wing keep it riding high in fast water.

The classic Hare's Ear nymph with a pearl flashback wing case that catches light and triggers strikes. The subtle flash suggests the gas bubble of an emerging nymph — a small change that consistently out-fishes the standard version.

Ants blown onto the water surface trigger some of the most selective feeding trout exhibit all summer. Two foam bubbles — abdomen and thorax — perfectly suggest the pinched waist of an ant. Black is most common; cinnamon matches carpenter ants; red imitates flying ant swarms that trout gorge on in late summer.

Beetles are the most abundant terrestrial insect group, and trout eat them all summer. This simple foam pattern with a peacock herl underbody is one of the most underrated searching patterns for warm-weather dry-fly fishing.

Lance Egan's competition-born Frenchie is a Pheasant Tail nymph with a hot spot thorax. The pink (or hot orange) dubbing creates a trigger point that consistently outperforms the unmodified original.

George Griffith's cluster midge pattern has been fooling trout for decades. The palmered grizzly hackle through peacock herl perfectly imitates a clump of midges on the surface.

The gold-ribbed hare's ear is the all-purpose nymph of Eastern trout fishing. Its rough, buggy dubbing imitates caddis pupae, mayfly nymphs, and small crustaceans with equal conviction.

Inch worms drop from overhanging trees onto streams in spring and early summer, and trout key on them heavily. A bright chartreuse-green body on a hook is all it takes — simplicity at its best.

Wayne Buszek's California pattern has become a universal caddis attractor. The orange dubbed body and elk hair wing — palmered through with ginger hackle — float high and stay visible in fast runs. An excellent attractor alternative to the Elk Hair Caddis.

The Light Cahill is a classic Catskill dry fly imitating the cream and yellow mayflies that blanket streams in late spring and early summer. Its wood duck wing and ginger hackle are unmistakable.

A classic attractor streamer with a bright red-yellow-yellow bucktail wing that has been enticing trout, bass, and landlocked salmon for over 80 years. Simple to tie and surprisingly effective.

The parachute variation of the Adams offers better visibility and a flush-floating wing silhouette. A go-to when fish are being selective.

Sylvester Nemes's soft hackle classic. The sparse partridge collar pulsates in the current suggesting legs or gills — trout can't resist it swung or dead-drifted through runs during caddis and mayfly hatches.

A high-floating, heavily weighted stonefly nymph imitation that excels in rocky, fast freestone streams. The rubber legs provide irresistible action even at drift speed. Standard guide rig anchor fly throughout the West.

Frank Sawyer's deceptively simple nymph is one of the most effective subsurface patterns ever created. The natural pheasant tail fibers perfectly suggest a range of Eastern mayfly nymphs.

Taylor Williams' Renegade is unlike any other fly — a brown hackle collar at the rear, peacock herl body, and white hackle collar at the front. It imitates nothing specific and attracts everything. One of the great Western searching patterns.

Rim Chung's impossibly simple tailwater nymph — gray dubbing and snowshoe rabbit wing, nothing more. The RS2 consistently outperforms more complex patterns on heavily pressured tailwaters where fish see everything.

Named after the San Juan River in New Mexico, this simple worm pattern represents aquatic worms that get dislodged in high water and during runoff. Controversial in some circles, devastatingly effective in all circles. Red is the most popular color, but pink and wine produce on pressured fish.

A cross between the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear nymph and the soft hackle wet fly, this pattern excels swung on the downstream pass. The partridge collar pulses in the current, imitating a struggling emerger.

Controversial in some circles and devastating in all of them, the Squirmy Wormy uses a silicone worm material that moves seductively in current. Particularly effective in high, off-color water after rain when actual aquatic worms wash into the stream.

The Dirty Blonde is a versatile dry fly designed with subtle blonde tones, making it effective for imitating a variety of mayflies and caddisflies. Whether you're fishing a Pale Morning Dun hatch, a Light Cahill emergence, or general tan caddis activity, this pattern's pale yellow body and light ginger hackle give it broad appeal across seasons and water types.

Walt Young's impossibly simple nymph — just a curved hook and rough hare's ear dubbing. The shaggy, segmented appearance imitates sowbugs, caddis larvae, or whatever the fish imagine it to be.

René Harrop's WD-40 is a masterclass in minimal fly design — wood duck legs, dubbing body, and snowshoe rabbit wing suggest a midge pupa or BWO emerger just below the film. One of the most effective tailwater nymphs ever created.

The Woolly Bugger is one of the most versatile streamers in freshwater fishing. It suggests a leech, sculpin, hellgrammite, baitfish, or simply something alive and edible. Olive and brown match sculpin and leech; black provides maximum silhouette in off-color or low-light water; white imitates baitfish such as shiners and dace.

One of the oldest American wet fly patterns, the Woolly Worm predates the Woolly Bugger by decades. The palmered hackle over a chenille body suggests a caterpillar, stonefly nymph, or leech depending on how it's fished.

Craig Mathews' X-Caddis features a Z-Lon trailing shuck suggesting a caddis in mid-emergence. Trout key on cripples, and this pattern is often more effective than a fully-dressed adult caddis. Tied in tan, olive, or gray to match different caddis species.

A sparse, delicate dry fly imitating the little yellow stonefly (Isoperla spp.). One of the most reliable summer dry-fly hatches on freestone streams.

Ted Welling's Zebra Midge is the go-to tailwater midge larva pattern. Two materials — thread and wire — tied on a beaded hook. Deceptively simple and devastatingly effective.