Fly Patterns

Fly fishing patterns can most basically be broken down into 3 major categories:

1. Dry flies
2. Wet flies
3. Streamers

In the following sections we will further define the types and give the most popular patterns of each type.

Dry flies are the iconic pattern when it comes to fly fishing. Any time people talk about fly fishing the image of a small, hackled pattern floating on the waters surface comes to mind. Dry flies have such a cult like following that some fly anglers will exclusively use dries. Dry flies can come in a wide range of sizes from very small size 28 midges to large terrestrial patterns like hoppers and chernobyls. Some of the most popular dry fly patterns include Adams, Wulffs, Humpys, Parachutes and the Elk Hair Caddis.

Wet flies are the subsurface flies of fly fishing. Wet flies can imitate a wide range of a fishes diet from insects to fish eggs. Wet flies also come in a similarly large variety of sizes from minuscule to large just like dries. Wet flies are a completely different ball game when it comes to detecting a strike however. Wets can be fished weightless where you have to feel the strike or you can fish them with an indicator that makes it fairly easy to see when you have a fish.  Common wet fly patterns include Hares Ear nymphs, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns and Stone flies.

Streamers are the last of the basic three categories of flies. Streamers generally are used to imitate bait fish or terrestrial life that a fish may prey upon such as crayfish. Streamers tend to be a bit larger than the other two types of flies because you are generally imitating larger life. Common materials found in streamers includes marabou and crystal flash. Many streamers also take advantage of added weight through bean/cone heads and lead wire bodies. Common streamer flies include Muddlers, Bunny Leeches and Woolly Buggers.