Pattern Database

Fran Betters' Adirondack attractor is one of the great regional dry flies. The rusty/orange body and stark white wings are visible in any water, and the wide-hackle float makes it bulletproof in the pocket water of the Ausable River.

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.

John Crowe's spun deer hair beetle is the original foam-free beetle pattern. The oval, clipped deer hair body perfectly captures the profile of a beetle on the surface. Durable and effective all summer whenever beetles are active.

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.

A classic Catskill Variant with an oversized, sparse hackle and stripped quill body. No wing — the high-riding hackle creates the silhouette. Effective during March Brown and Gray Fox hatches when fish are looking up but not locked on a specific pattern.

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.

The Humpy is one of the most recognizable Western attractor dry flies. The deer hair hump traps air for unsinkable flotation, making it perfect for rough freestone pocket water. Yellow suggests stoneflies and caddis; red is a general attractor; the Royal Humpy adds the peacock-floss-peacock body of the Royal Coachman.

Pat Barnes' Sofa Pillow improved with a palmered body hackle for extra flotation. One of the premier golden stonefly adult imitations in Western fly fishing — large, buoyant, and visible in heavy current.

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.

Hans van Klinken's parachute emerger changed how anglers think about surface presentation. The curved hook suspends the abdomen below the film while the poly post and parachute hackle keep it floating. Deadly during caddis and mayfly emergences.

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 Micro Chubby is a modern refinement of Chubby-style attractor dry flies, which trace their lineage back to the iconic Chubby Chernobyl. While the original Chubby was intentionally oversized to imitate stoneflies and hoppers, anglers quickly learned that trout often respond better to a smaller, cleaner silhouette—especially on pressured water. By downsizing the profile while keeping the core elements—foam buoyancy, rubber legs, and a visible body—the Micro Chubby excels as a searching dry fly, a terrestrial imitation, and a highly effective hopper-dropper indicator fly. Its ability to float heavy droppers while remaining subtle enough for selective trout has made it a staple in modern fly boxes.

Harry Murray's classic. An essential attractor dry fly for fast freestone water.

Don Gapen's Muddler Minnow is the prototype of the sculpin-imitating streamer. The spun deer hair head creates a large profile and a subtle wobble, making it one of the most versatile streamers ever tied.

Caddisflies are among the most important insects in trout streams, often emerging in large numbers and skittering across the surface. Effective caddis patterns focus less on exact imitation and more on profile, buoyancy, and movement—qualities that trigger confident strikes. Snowshoe hare foot hair has long been valued in fly tying for its exceptional flotation and natural translucence, while CDC provides subtle motion and a low-riding footprint on the water. This Olive Snowshoe Caddis combines both materials to create a wing that floats high yet breathes naturally, making it especially effective in riffles, seams, and broken water. The olive coloration allows this pattern to cover a wide range of caddis species, functioning as both a hatch match and a versatile searching dry throughout spring and summer. This natural-material recipe produces a highly buoyant, animated dry fly with a clean caddis silhouette—perfect for fishing active caddis hatches or prospecting broken water.

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

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.

Doug Prince's classic nymph is one of the best searching patterns in freshwater fishing. The white biot wings, peacock body, and brown hackle suggest a stonefly nymph but work when nothing specific is hatching.

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.

The Royal Humpy combines the buoyant hump body of the Humpy with the Royal Coachman color scheme — peacock herl, red floss, and white wings. The result is a heavy-water attractor that's visible from any angle.

Lee Wulff's iconic attractor dry fly. The peacock-red-peacock body makes it visible in rough water, and white calf tail wings make it easy to see from a distance. One of the most recognizable flies ever created.

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.

John Barr's Slumpbuster combines a rabbit strip tail with a pine squirrel or rabbit strip body for maximum pulsation and bulk. The cone head gets it deep quickly. A fish-catcher when nothing else works. Olive and brown match sculpin and crayfish; black excels in off-color or low-light conditions.

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.

Gary LaFontaine's Sparkle Pupa was a landmark pattern and the centerpiece of his book on caddis. The Z-Lon trailing shuck and overbody suggest a caddis in the process of emerging — exactly the vulnerable stage trout key on.

Randall Kaufmann's Stimulator is the king of attractor dry flies for Western-style fast water. Its elk hair wing, palmered hackle, and bold body trigger strikes on everything from trout to steelhead. Yellow imitates Yellow Sallies and small stoneflies; orange targets Golden Stones and Salmonflies; chartreuse and tan serve as general attractors.

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.

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.