The 18 Best Flies, According to the Experts

Fly Fisherman's exhaustive list of the top flies.

September 07, 2023 By Andrew Albright

This article was originally titled "The Experts Voted on their Favorite Flies" in the Fly Fishing Made Easy 2023 special publication of Fly Fisherman magazine.

Are you ready for the most effective list of trout flies ever published? Such a declaration is reminiscent of Red Bull “giving you wings” or Volkswagen “clean diesel” campaigns. Delivering a “game changer” list seems improbable—pun intended, Blane Chocklett—but decidedly possible by using a wide spectrum of expert advice filtered with research and analysis. The result is a list of 18 essential trout flies, and an explanation of the issues involved in coming to this conclusion.

Understanding the Problems and the Idea

Managing organized boxes of “go-to” trout flies is difficult without a strategy. We all have our “go-to” patterns we use to consistently catch fish. And we all have hundreds of other superfluous “outlier” flies that can mix with our confidence patterns to the degree that opening your fly box is like cracking open a piñata. Disjointed fly arrangements create inefficiencies that can negatively impact your fishing. New tying materials and social media influences can also exacerbate this organizational chaos. I recently woke up after dreaming Tim Flagler was at my desk filming Tim Cammisa, who was advising me what flies to tie for my upcoming Montana trip. Clearly, YouTube and Instagram are both information sources and a problem. There’s always a new fly to add to your collection, but prudently working new patterns into your boxes while recognizing the paramount importance of technique can help keep you focused on streamlined and organized fly boxes.

To reduce the noise coming from social media and other sources, I decided to ask 14 recognized experts what flies they most commonly depended on, and then determine if there was a correlation among them.

The Question: If you could have only ten trout fly patterns in your box for all streams/rivers regardless of geographic location, what would they be?

Strategic Surveying

I used “strategic sampling” by surveying only individuals who are all expert trout anglers. They all have a proven intellect in fly selection, which is demonstrable through their roles as guides, commercial tiers, competitive fly fishers, and as successful teachers and instructors. I asked each expert to provide a list of flies they would choose if they were limited to only ten trout flies for any stream or river, regardless of geographic location. I also asked these experts to provide advice on how to simplify or organize flies within their own fly boxes.

I compiled the expert answers into spreadsheets for “data mining” and to identify the most prevalent flies. With 14 experts and 10 essential fly patterns, there was a total of 140 fly patterns.

No one can (or should) carry 140 different fly patterns. My goal here was to find out what the essential patterns were, and to help make that list effective, the patterns needed to be organized into a hierarchal system. I classified the 140 patterns into three major categories: nymphs, dry flies, and streamers. And within each of those major categories, I established 19 different subcategories I called essential purposes. A list of essential flies is only helpful if it fills out specific needs. For instance, you can’t have a box full of just large terrestrials. You also need to know what the best flies are for large terrestrials, small terrestrials, mayflies, caddis, midges, attractors, and emergers. I call these subcategories the “essential purpose” of the fly. Although I identified 19 different essential purposes, we ended up with 18 essential flies, since the Prince Nymph fulfilled two essential purposes. It is both a caddis and a large attractor in the nymph category.

The flies were simply ranked by highest number of expert votes. Specific fly patterns receiving four or more votes—like the Prince Nymph—were automatically selected for the list, and added to their respective categories. The clear unanimous winners in 11 categories were the Chubby Chernobyl (5), Compara-dun (4), Parachute Adams (7), Pheasant Tail (7), Perdigon (6), Zebra Midge (6), Hare’s Ear (5), Pat’s Rubber Legs (5), Prince Nymph (4). Woolly Bugger (6), and Pine Squirrel Leech (4). The number in parentheses indicates the number of votes the fly received from our panel of experts.

Flies for the remaining seven slots had fewer than four votes. For example, no fly in the adult caddis dry-fly slot received four or more votes. There was no clear democratic winner, so it was up to me to pick a winner from the logjam. The X-Caddis, Corn-fed Caddis, and Elk-hair Caddis all received multiple votes from the experts. I chose the Corn-fed Caddis for the final list due to its enhanced floatability and its dubbed looped CDC collar. The final seven included the Fat Angie, Corn-fed Caddis, Antonio’s Quill Midge, Mercury RS2 Flashback, Mason’s Peep Show, Strolis’s Feather Tail Jig, and Galloup’s Sex Dungeon.

14 Experts

Charlie Craven

Charlie is the president of Charlie’s Fly Box in Arvada, Colorado, and has tied flies every day since he was eight years old. He is an Umpqua fly designer with more than 38 commercial flies to his credit, author of several books, and has been the Fly Tier’s Bench columnist for Fly Fisherman magazine since 2009.

Bret Bishop

Bret is an English teacher, guide for Silver Creek Outfitters in Sun Valley, Idaho, and current captain of Team USA Fly Fishing. He regularly competes in the FIPS-Mouche world championships, where he has earned three medals. Bret won the individual gold medal and Team USA won team gold at the 7th FIPS-Mouche Masters World Fly Fishing Championship in Italy in 2022.

Pat is a nationally recognized speaker and head guide and co-owner of The Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, Colorado. He is the author of several books, an Umpqua fly designer, ambassador for both Simms and Fishpond, and on the pro staff for Orvis, Yeti, Scientific Anglers, and Whiting Farms, and is a field editor for Fly Fisherman magazine.

Mike Mercer

Mike is a travel specialist at The Fly Shop in Redding, California. His job is to help fly fishers find dream trips anywhere in the world. He is the author of Creative Fly Tying (2005), has been an Umpqua fly designer for more than 30 years, and has been a Fly Fisherman field editor and contributor for more than 25 years. The Psycho Prince, E-Z Caddis, and Missing Link are just a few of his patterns.

Russell Miller

Russ is Umpqua’s director of marketing, a member of Team USA Fly Fishing, and a longtime industry professional. From steelhead to saltwater to trout, he loves pursuing fish and the places they take you. He says the more you learn, the less you know—that’s why fly fishing never ceases to be a fascinating journey.

Rich Strolis

Rich is a former guide turned full-time custom fly tier. He is also an American Museum of Fly Fishing ambassador, fly designer for Montana Fly Company, Thomas & Thomas advisor, Regal Vise professional, and the author of Catching Shadows: Tying Flies for the Toughest Fish and Strategies for Fishing Them (Stackpole/Headwater Books, 2016).

Paul Mason

Paul Mason has a master’s degree in fisheries science from Utah State University and works for Rainy’s Flies, where he is the operations director, and a fly designer with more than 30 commercial patterns to his credit. He grew up fishing the rivers of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming and has fished from Alaska to Chile. He lives in Logan, Utah, where he also builds custom fly rods and landing nets.

Tim Flagler

Tim owns Tightline Productions, and specializes in producing the fly-tying videos that appear on the Midcurrent, Orvis, and Trout Unlimited websites. His YouTube channel has 109,000 subscribers and 34 million views. Tim guides for South Branch Outfitters in Califon, New Jersey, and he was named by Fly Tyer magazine as “Fly Tyer of the Year” in 2022.

Tom Rosenbauer

Tom has worked for Orvis for more than 44 years and is officially the company’s chief fly-fishing enthusiast. He has authored more books on fly fishing than any other person, written articles for every magazine in the sport, and hosts the most popular podcast in the fly-fishing universe: The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast.

Lance Egan

Lance is the shop manager for Fly Fish Food in Orem, Utah. He is also a guide, instructor, Umpqua fly designer, and a prolific competition angler. He is a three-time national champion, two-time ESPN Great Outdoor Games Champion, Teva Mountain Games Champion, and has competed as a member of Team USA Fly Fishing in 14 World Championships, earning three medals.

Brian Flechsig

Brian owns Mad River Outfitters in Columbus, Ohio, which he founded in 1994. He teaches fly fishing, guides groups worldwide, and hosts the Mad River Outfitters YouTube Channel. Brian has been featured in videos, TV shows, and authored The Fly Fisher’s Guide to the Mad River.

John McClure

“Johnnie” is the head guide and manager of Galloup’s Slide Inn on the Madison River in Montana. He lives there 12 months of the year, and fishes the Madison in every season. He started working there in the summer of 2003 while he was a student at The University of Vermont, and started his guiding career in 2005.

Devin Olsen

Devin began fly fishing early, and joined Team USA Fly Fishing when he was 21. He has competed in 12 World Championships and earned three medals. Devin holds a bachelor’s degree in ecology, a master’s degree in fisheries science, wrote the book Tactical Fly Fishing (Stackpole, 2019), and founded the online specialty retailer Tactical Fly Fisher.

Tim Cammisa

Tim is a middle-school teacher, father, husband, vlogger, and prolific public speaker at fly-fishing shows across the country. His YouTube videos have over 4 million views. Tim’s goal is simple: Help others tie better flies and catch more fish through presenting, speaking events, teaching, and writing. His book Fly Tying for Everyone was published by Stackpole Books in 2022.

18 Essential Trout Flies

The essential fly list does not proclaim perfection or to be a unified endorsement by contributors. It’s more accurately defined as a tool derived from expert advice and deductive reasoning about the best fly choice for each “essential purpose.” Many uncommon patterns were also revealed by the experts, but that was predictable. Why? The landscape has changed because of vastly higher modern inventories trampolined by social media vs. historically fewer available flies marketed via pre-Internet channels.

Umpqua’s Brent Bauer confirmed that the number of commercial patterns has essentially doubled since 2000. Fly patterns and types also appear to be mostly influenced by technique (Euro nymphing, streamer enthusiast) or industry leaders like Charlie Craven who are constantly creating new patterns.

These flies will absolutely catch trout, but fishing technique is equally if not more important. Poorly presented flies don’t catch many fish. As Pat Dorsey explains, “It’s not the plane, it’s the pilot.”

Chubby Chernobyl

Dry fly / large terrestrial

HOOK: #6-14 Tiemco 5262.
THREAD: Tan 6/0 UNI-Thread.
TAIL: Pearl Krystal Flash.
BODY: Black 3mm Fly Foam.
LEGS: Ginger or tan Spanflex.
WING: White McFlylon.
UNDERBODY: UV tan Ice Dub.

The powerhouse Chubby Chernobyl earned automatic large terrestrial selection with five votes, and it has caught trout on every continent where they exist. Its popularity is partly due to its high visibility and buoyancy—people love to tie it on. It’s an excellent tool to suspend a dropper nymph, and big trout regularly crush it. Learn to tie the Chubby Chernobyl on the Fly Fisherman magazine YouTube channel.

Fat Angie

Dry fly / small terrestrial

HOOK: #10-16 Daiichi 1167.
THREAD: Red Veevus 14/0.
BODY: Black 3mm Fly Foam.
UNDERBODY: Rusty brown Superfine Dubbing.
LEGS: Black Super Floss.
WING: Rust, brown, tan, black macramé yarn and blue UV Ice Fiber.
HACKLE: Brown rooster.
THORAX: Rusty brown Superfine Dubbing.

Craven’s Fat Angie depicts multiple small terrestrials, pares down to #16, and boasts improbable buoyancy. Umpqua’s Russ Miller reported that in field testing, the Fat Angie supported nine tungsten nymph droppers at once. Learn to tie the Fat Angie from creator Charlie Craven on the Fly Fisherman magazine YouTube channel.

Compara-dun

Dry fly / mayfly

HOOK: #16-24 Tiemco 100SP-BL.
THREAD: Olive Semperfli 12/0 Nano Silk.
TAIL: Gray Microfibetts
BODY: BWO Superfine Dubbing (or desired mayfly color).
WING: Compara-dun deer hair.
THORAX/HEAD: BWO Superfine Dubbing (or desired mayfly color).

The Compara-dun was first tied by Al Caucci in the late 1960s and first written about in the book Compara-hatch (1973) by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi. With simple dubbing and size changes it can imitate almost any mayfly species. If you substitute the tail with a Z-Lon trailing shuck, it becomes a Craig Mathews Sparkle Dun. High-quality deer hair is the key ingredient for this fly; no expensive hackle is required.

Corn-Fed Caddis

Dry fly / adult caddis

HOOK: #12-18 Tiemco 100SP-BL.
THREAD: Rusty dun 8/0 UNI-Thread.
SHUCK: PMD Antron.
RIB: Rusty dun 8/0 UNI-Thread.
BODY: Tan Superfine Dubbing.
WING: Dark dun CDC and white poly yarn.
HEAD: Dark dun CDC.

Lance Egan’s championship pedigree produced this high-floating wonder with a dubbing loop CDC collar. Learn to tie the Corn-fed Caddis from the creator on the Umpqua Feather Merchants YouTube channel.

Parachute Adams

Dry fly/ attractor

HOOK: #12-22 Tiemco 100SP-BL.
THREAD: Dark gray 14/0 Veevus.
TAIL: Brown grizzly spade hackle feathers.
WING: McFlylon, color of choice.
ABDOMEN: Natural gray goose biot.
HACKLE: Brown and grizzly rooster cape.
THORAX: Adams Gray Superfine Dubbing.

Tom Rosenbauer’s comments: “It’s the most popular dry fly in the world, works most days—some people fish a Parachute Adams and nothing else.” Learn to tie the Parachute Adams on the Fly Fisherman magazine YouTube channel.

Antonio’s Quill Midge

Dry fly / midge

HOOK: #18-22 Tiemco 2487.
THREAD: Olive 70-denier UTC Ultra Thread.
BODY: Natural peacock quill.
THORAX: Natural gray SLF Squirrel Dubbing.
WING: Medium dun CDC and Trigger Point EP Fibers UV orange.

A midge dry fly is an essential part of every fly box, and competition anglers favor this fly with a high-vis split CDC wing. Learn to tie Antonio’s Quill Midge on the Umpqua Feather Merchants YouTube channel.

Mercury RS2 Flashback

Dry fly / emerger

HOOK: #18-24 Tiemco 101.
BEAD: Small silver-lined glass.
THREAD: Gray 8/0 UNI-Thread.
TAIL: Dark dun hackle fibers.
FLASHBACK: Small Mirage Tinsel.
WING: Madeira Glamour Thread.
BODY: Gray Superfine Dubbing.

Legendary guide Pat Dorsey explains why his fly is so deadly: “It’s a bit thinner, sparser, and it works when fish get super selective.”

Zebra Midge

Nymph / midge

HOOK: #16-24 Tiemco 2488.
BEAD: 1/16" silver tungsten.
THREAD: Black 70-denier UTC Ultra Thread.
RIB: Small silver UTC wire.

Pat Dorsey’s Zebra Midge is a no-brainer for the midge category. Honorable mention goes to Dorsey’s unweighted Top Secret Midge and Craven’s Two Bit Midge.

Pat’s Rubber Legs

Nymph / stonefly

HOOK: #4-12 Daiichi 2220 or Tiemco 5262.
BEAD: Tungsten (optional).
WEIGHT: .015" lead wire.
THREAD: Black 6/0 UNI-Thread
TAIL/LEGS/ANTENNAE: Ginger or tan Spanflex.
BODY: Coffee/black variegated chenille.

Pat’s Rubber Legs convincingly earned the votes of many experts as the #1 stonefly imitation, and remains a top seller for Solitude Fly Company year after year.

Jigged CDC Pheasant Tail

Nymph / mayfly

Studio photo of a jighead CDC Pheasant Tail fly. — (Dennis Pastucha photo)

HOOK: #12-18 Umpqua C400BL.
BEAD: 7/64" pink tungsten.
THREAD: Red 8/0 UNI-Thread.
TAIL: Medium pardo coq de León
BODY: Natural pheasant tail.
RIB: Small copper UTC wire.
THORAX: Peacock herl.
COLLAR: Brown CDC.

The Pheasant Tail received more votes than any other fly in the nymph category, but there are myriad variations of this classic pattern. Bret Bishop used this Jigged CDC Pheasant Tail to win a gold medal at the Masters World Fly Fishing Championships in 2022. Other mayfly nymphs that received votes from the experts included Craven’s JuJu Baetis and Mercer’s Micro Mayfly.

Psycho Prince

Nymph / caddis & large attractor

HOOK: #12-16 Tiemco 3769.
BEAD: Gold tungsten.
THREAD: Camel 8/0 UNI-Thread.
TAIL: Brown goose biots.
ABDOMEN: Caddis green Ice Dub.
SHELLBACK: Dark brown mottled turkey tail slip.
RIB: Brassie size copper UTC wire.
WINGS: White goose biots.
WINGCASE: Yellow Angel Hair.
COLLAR: UV Brown Ice Dub.

The Prince Nymph earned automatic assignment by popular vote, and filled two slots—large attractor and caddis. Mercer’s Psycho Prince (caddis green shown here) is a popular Prince Nymph variation with a little more color and flash than the original.

Olsen’s Quilligon

Nymph / small attractor

HOOK: #14-20 Hanak 230 BL.
BEAD: Copper 2.5-3mm inverting tungsten.
THREAD: Olive or olive/dun Veevus 16/0.
TAIL: Dark speckled corzuno coq de León.
FLASH TAG: Pearl or Mirage Micro Flashabou.
BODY: Olive, golden olive, or natural Polish quills.
WINGCASE: Black nail polish.
GLUE: Loctite Brush-On Super Glue.
RESIN: Solarez Bone Dry.

The Perdigon received five votes in the small attractor category. Competitive angler and nymphing guru Devin Olsen created this variation of the Perdigon type, and offered, “this is one of my most reliable patterns anywhere I fish.”

Galloup’s Hare’s Ear

Nymph / suggestive

Studio photo of a Hares Ear fly. — (Dennis Pastucha photo)

HOOK: #12-20 Fulling Mill 5050.
BEAD: Gold tungsten (optional).
THREAD: Copper 12/0 Semperfli Nano Silk.
TAIL: Hungarian partridge.
RIB: Pearl Krystal Flash.
BODY: Hare’s mask dubbing.
WINGCASE: Peacock herl.
THORAX: Hare’s mask dubbing.

Utilitarian Hare’s Ear variations earned automatic assignment to the suggestive nymph category, but once again, there are endless variations. Kelly Galloup’s version sports a “fishy” peacock wingcase that absolutely works.

Mason’s Peep Show (Dark)

Nymph / mid-size attractor

HOOK: #14-18 Daiichi 1120.
BEAD: Copper tungsten (14-1/8", 16-7/64", 18-3/32")
THREAD: Fire orange 8/0 UNI-Thread.
TAIL: Brown hackle fibers & Pearl Krystal Flash.
RIB: Pearl Krystal Flash.
BODY: Rusty brown turkey biot.
THORAX: Peacock herl.
OVERWING: Brown hackle & Pearl Krystal Flash.
LEGS: Brown hackle & Pearl Krystal Flash.
HOT SPOT: Fire Orange 8/0 UNI-Thread.

Paul Mason’s Peep Show is a top seller for Rainy’s Flies, and was the most popular vote for our mid-size nymph attractor. “It fishes well everywhere, and is popular across Montana,” Mason explained. Egan’s Rainbow Warrior and Olsen’s Blowtorch were also top contestants.

Feather Tail Jig

Streamer / heavy

HOOK: #3/0-4 Gamakatsu Jig 90 Big River.
HEAD: Custom poured 1/16-, 1/8-, or 1/4-ounce lead painted to match.
TAIL: Whiting American rooster feathers, paired.
BODY: Pearl Magic EP Sparkle Brush.
UNDER COLLAR: White EP Foxy Brush.
WING: Pearl Letera’s Magnum Dubbing.
FLASH: Two strands of red Krystal Flash.
EYES: 6mm Super Pearl.

The Feather Tail Jig is a deep-diving, Euro-inspired fly created by Rich Strolis. It is unafraid to roam the river bottoms, and confidently catches trout in their deep, dark hiding places. Olsen’s Back Flop Jig, Strolis’s Headbanger Sculpin, and Cammisa’s Double Play were close contenders.

Pine Squirrel Leech

Streamer / moderate

HOOK: #10-16 Tiemco 2457.
BEAD: 3/32" copper tungsten.
THREAD: Rusty brown 6/0 UNI-Thread.
FLASH: Red Flashabou.
TAIL: Rusty brown pine squirrel Zonker strip.
COLLAR: Rusty brown pine squirrel Zonker strip.

Craven’s Pine Squirrel Leech earned an automatic selection with 4 votes from among 14 experts. It’s subtle, not overdone or complicated, and it works. It’s important to note Charlie Craven didn’t even vote for his own fly. It was selected objectively by his peers.

White Krystal Bugger

Streamer / light

HOOK: #6-12 Tiemco 5263.
BEAD: Gold bead or conehead.
THREAD: White 6/0 UNI-Thread.
TAIL: White marabou and Pearl Krystal Flash.
RIB: Small silver UTC wire.
BODY: White Woolly Bugger chenille.
HACKLE: White saddle hackle.

The Woolly Bugger predictably won automatic selection with six endorsements. While a black Woolly Bugger is the original classic version, the White Krystal Bugger is a fine baitfish imitation in fresh water, and draws a lot of strikes. Bugger enthusiasts should also check out Flagler’s Squirrel & Herl Bugger and Egan’s Ginger Bugger.

Galloup’s Sex Dungeon

Streamer / attractor (trigger)

Studio photo of a yellow Sex Dungeon streamer fly — (Dennis Pastucha photo)

THREAD: White GSP 100.
REAR HOOK: #2 or #6 (mini) MFC 7050.
TAIL: Yellow marabou.
RIB: Copper UTC wire, Brassie size.
FLASH IN TAIL: Gold Flashabou.
BODY: Yellow Pearl Ice Wing (dubbed).
HACKLE: Yellow grizzly variant schlappen.
LEGS: Yellow/gold flake Barred Crazy Legs.
CONNECTION: AFW Surflon 19-strand wire with red glass bead.
FRONT HOOK: #1/0 or #4 (mini) MFC 7050.
SKIRT: Yellow grizzly variant schlappen.
RIB: Copper UTC wire, Brassie size.
BODY: Yellow Pearl Ice Wing (dubbed).
HACKLE: Yellow grizzly variant schlappen.
LEGS: Yellow/gold flake Barred Crazy Legs.
EYES: Yellow/white lead eyes with black pupil.
HEAD: Yellow deer hair.

Kelly Galloup’s Sex Dungeon checks the “trigger” box for streamer fanatics. John McClure commented, “If I could only fish one streamer for the rest of my life, it would be a Sex Dungeon!”

Andrew Albright’s ultimate goal is to combine the creativity of his fly-tying influencers—Dr. John E. Albright, Charlie Craven, and Kelly Galloup—to create the most successful commercial trout fly pattern to ever hit the water.