“If you fish the wrong fly long and hard enough, it will sooner or later become the right fly.” – John Gierach
There are thousands of fly patterns in existence—too many to know. Walking into a fly shop, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer variety of flies available for purchase. But don’t be discouraged; the simple truth is that some flies are meant to catch fish, and some are meant to catch fishermen.
B.C. anglers enjoy an incredible range of fishing opportunities right here in our backyard, and that variety calls for a fly box that can handle a bit of everything. A fly box stocked with these patterns will cover the vast majority of B.C. fishing scenarios on both rivers and lakes. Having variety in size and colour of these flies is essential, and will prove more effective than having an abundance of different patterns.
THE FLIES
DOC SPRATELY
Variations: Red, black, and olive are best, in that order. Black bead heads will help the flies sink if depth is what you need.
Sizes: 10 – 14
This attractor pattern was originally developed by Dick Prankard around 1949 and now enjoys somewhat of a cult following in B.C. and Alberta. It works best when trolled slowly with a sinking or sink-tip line in lakes. It can also be swung like a streamer in rivers to great effect. It may not look much like a bug, but trout seem to “see red” when presented with a Spratley and cannot resist striking; this personal favourite has caught me more trout than any other fly.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH
Variations: Bead head, with or without flashback, and plain (no bead).
Sizes: 14 – 20
The Pheasant Tail Nymph is one of the most popular nymph patterns in existence, and for a reason. Simply put, this nymph looks buggy. More specifically, this fly imitates a variety of aquatic insects, including mayflies, stoneflies, and damselfly nymphs, making it perfect for a variety of B.C. fishing scenarios. Bead head variations of this fly are good for getting down deep, and a shiny plastic “flashback” is sometimes added for extra attention. Fish it at a dead drift in creeks and rivers, and add a strike indicator to help control your depth if desired. Consider throwing one of these on if the fish are being extra selective.
SCUD (FRESHWATER SHRIMP)
Variations: Olive variations are usually best, but it’s good to have some light beige ones too.
Sizes: 14 and 16
Scud shrimp are an abundant trout food source in many B.C. lakes, making these flies deadly when trolled very, very slowly in lakes on a sinking or sink-tip line. They can also be effective when cast; let your line sink deep, and retrieve in short, quick, staggered bursts to imitate the twitchy swim of a shrimp. Just hold on tight, because these takes hit hard.
PARACHUTE ADAMS
Variations: Classically grey-bodied, but tied with a purple body by some for use as an attractor.
Sizes: 14 – 20
The Parachute Adams is the classic mayfly imitation and is widely regarded as one of the best dry flies in the world. Preferred to the standard Adams because the parachute hackle keeps the fly in the surface film, instead of on top of it, which makes it more enticing for trout (bugs stuck in the surface film are less likely to fly away suddenly from a fish about to strike). Fish it when mayflies are hatching at the end of a long, fine leader.
LEECH PATTERNS
Variations: Green, black, red/purple and brown varieties, with and without bead heads.
Sizes: 8 – 14
Though not the most glamorous of the trout foods, these creepy-crawly imitations work tremendously. Get some in the aforementioned colours with and without sparkle, and some with weighted bead heads. If you have space, get some with orange, pink, or red heads to imitate an egg-sucking leech. Troll these slowly in lakes or cast and retrieve them in short strokes. Larger sizes with coloured bead heads can also double as steelhead flies.
PUMPKIN HEAD
Variations: Green and orange, you can’t go wrong.
Sizes: 8 – 14
This classic lake fly works shockingly well. Like many attractor patterns, you can’t quite explain what makes the Pumpkin Head so deadly. You could argue that it looks like an egg-sucking leech, but who knows for sure—it just works. Similar to classic leech patterns, troll this fly very slowly in lakes on a sink-tip or full-sink line with a roughly seven-foot leader.
ELK HAIR CADDIS
Variations: Tan is the best to imitate a natural caddis. Yellow and grey can be effective too.
Sizes: 14 – 18
Developed in 1957 by fly tier Al Troth, the Elk Hair Caddis is one of the most popular and enduring trout flies, and is still loved by B.C. fishermen for its effectiveness during our juicy caddis hatches. Unlike some parachute-style dry flies, the elk hair wings give this fly excellent buoyancy, making it great for fast-moving water. No caddis hatch? No problem. Like many others on this list, this fly looks buggy and will be taken if fish are rising and not in an overly selective mood.
HARE’S EAR NYMPH
Variations: With a brass bead head and flashback, or all natural.
Sizes: 12 – 16
This fly is similar to the Pheasant Tail Nymph (PTN) in its applications, but is different enough to be worth having. It’s tied with lighter coloured hare’s ear material and gold ribbing, giving it a bushy and natural buggy appearance. In general, this nymph is seen as a great generalist, but if faced with picky trout, consider switching to a smaller PTN.
WOOLLY BUGGER
Variations: With or without bead head and flash—copper / tan bodies work too.
Sizes: 10 – 14
This is truly the Swiss Army knife of streamers. Larger sizes can piss off territorial fish, imitate baitfish and look like leeches, while smaller variations are used to emulate aquatic insects like damselfly nymphs. Copper Buggers are even favoured among salmon fishermen in the fall. Regardless of why fish bite Buggers, they do it often and hit them hard, so make sure to have a few variations of this fly wherever you go.
ICE CREAM CONE
Variations: White head, with a black, silver, olive, or red body.
Sizes: 16 – 22
A classic chironomid pattern that will surely sink your float when fishing for trout on interior B.C. lakes. Fish this 1-2 feet off the bottom of lakes under an indicator or naked (no indicator) by letting it sink and slooowly retrieving it. Adding a bit of motion to this fly underwater will help convince trout that it is a real bug.
ON FLY SELECTION
Too often, anglers agonize over which fly to tie on. This decision is made especially worse when they confront their fly box, which is usually rife with unfamiliar patterns. It’s a dilemma many fishermen know all too well.
Above all, presentation outweighs pattern; you’ll catch more fish by threading clean, drag-free drifts through seams, pockets, and other places trout are likely to hold than by worrying about the exact size and colour of fly to use. The same goes for lake fishing. Factors such as depth are highly important—and for chronomid fishing, a subtle wiggle from waves or a slow, steady retrieve giving your fly motion on a naked line matters more than matching the hatch down to the millimeter.
Many fishermen have heard the joke about the novice angler repeatedly changing flies until finally asking a nearby “expert” what the fish are biting on. “Ones that are in the water” comes his reply. This punchline emphasizes a fundamental truism about fishing; you can’t get lucky with a dry hook.
This is not to say that your choice of fly is irrelevant. You should have an idea or “hypothesis” of what you think will work and confidently try it out, as if you already knew it worked. Strangely, confidence always attracts more bites. Coincidence?
Related: Fishing a Hypothesis
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Limiting a list to ten flies is very difficult. If you have some space in your box, get some Prince Nymphs, Yellow Stimulators, egg patterns, and Griffith’s Gnats to round out your arsenal. Then throw in a Tom Thumb for turbulent water and a hopper if you’re feeling adventurous. If you want to piss off the purists, get some rubber squirmy worms. There really aren’t any rules.
