What is your 'go to' dry fly for small streams?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Mine would be an Elk Hair Caddis in size 14 on 5x tippet.

[cdevine]

Bill, hard to argue with that setup. I fished Leavitt Creek and a few other streams over by Sonora Pass last week and pretty much the caddis dry, small stimulator stone fly, and ant pattern all seemed to work well. I was using 6x but it didn't matter that much. Brookies/ Rainbows were crushing it. Really fun w/ a 3wt butterstick.
Most of these freestone streams at high elevation are damn near perfect right now. (Its almost Sept and I'm saying that)

[tcorfey]

EHC is always a good choice.
I can also vouch for an Adams or a PMD.
Recently when all else failed I pulled out a bushy Royal Wulff which turned the day around big time for me.

Regards,
Tim C.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Royal Wulff is a darker fly and sometime that makes the difference.

About 20 years ago Umpqua would send us their top selling 100 flies.

It was fun to look at it.

[Idadon]

Parachute Adams! But secretly I never leave home without a a few Yellow Humpies.

[PV_Premier]

Parachute Adams! But secretly I never leave home without a a few Yellow Humpies.

Same for me, P Adams.

Second place would probably be an orange stimulator or PMX

Honestly, in most small streams, food isn't always super-abundant and fish are highly opportunistic feeders (not hatch driven), thus they are pretty responsive to attractor dries when water temps are appropriate for dry fly fishing (IMO/IME...)

[Mr T]

Parachute Adams! But secretly I never leave home without a a few Yellow Humpies.

Same here- that adams gets fish to bite

[Bob G]

Elk Hair Caddis , size 8, tied by the fly's originator, Al Troth. While Al is gone now, and the largest EHC size he offered in his catalog was size 10, Al was good enough to also tie them for me in a size 8.

Best, Bob

[John Sv]

size 16 Wright's Royal

[EricO]

Mini Stimulator in size 12 or 14 on a 200R hook.

Eric

[Bob Loblaw]

On many small creeks the fish, especially Brookies!, will hit just about anything that looks remotely buggy. I have tied on two dries on occasion, a bigger Purple Haze with a small Elk Hair Caddis that tends to skate a bit if you tie it off the bend of the hook, and the fish go for both with no favor.

[SteelieD]

Orange/Yellow Stimi #14

[El Rey]

EC Caddis and Parachute Adams. One or the other will almost always work.

Harlan

[cyama]

When the fish start getting picky during the summer I always bust out a Trina's Yellow Stone. Otherwise a yellow stimulator or a Parachute Adams always works. Finally got to try out a new to me Boo yesterday. Fish were loving the Adams.

[SST Flies]

All great choices so far. However, my go to is a Fl. Yellow Humpy.

[RaffiB]

All solid choices. I use a small stimi or yellow humpy most of the time!!

Rafadwg_34

[mems]

In Montana, a Purple Haze works the best. Mems

[Baja Fly Fisher]

Parachute Callibaetis ( Adams ) second Elk Hair Caddis

[audax]

13260
I seldom pick favorites, but I do have one here. My choice...without hesitation...is the Goddard Caddis. It's a versatile and fun pattern on small waters. It floats flush on the surface, presenting a profile that gets quickly noticed. It's a skittering performer, and allowing it to swing with a gentle wake across the tail-out is an effective tactic. It's durable. It still floats after many takes with minimal attention. And it's satisfying to tie. It's been a staple for me for years.

[gitt]

Part of Jack Dennis’ program at a Tracy Fly Fishers club meeting years ago showed out takes of his underwater videos. One particular out take had a series of nymphs in the drift. Occasionally, there was an insect on the surface. The insects sitting on the surface possessed a double or reflected image due to the mirrored effect of water’s surface. What stood out though and actually caught my eye was an insect below or broken through the surface. It did not have that dual image. I had previously experienced pretty consistent success fishing anything that would be considered knock offs or similar but minimalist style of Bob Quigley’s Cripple or the Klinkhammer Special. That vertical positioning both above and below the surface provided that single image for the fish as well as something on the surface to follow its drift. Jack’s video only re-enforced what I had experienced fishing these particular styles. Some might not consider them dries, but they have a special place in my fly box due to their effectiveness.

[PV_Premier]

Part of Jack Dennis’ program at a Tracy Fly Fishers club meeting years ago showed out takes of his underwater videos. One particular out take had a series of nymphs in the drift. Occasionally, there was an insect on the surface. The insects sitting on the surface possessed a double or reflected image due to the mirrored effect of water’s surface. What stood out though and actually caught my eye was an insect below or broken through the surface. It did not have that dual image. I had previously experienced pretty consistent success fishing anything that would be considered knock offs or similar but minimalist style of Bob Quigley’s Cripple or the Klinkhammer Special. That vertical positioning both above and below the surface provided that single image for the fish as well as something on the surface to follow its drift. Jack’s video only re-enforced what I had experienced fishing these particular styles. Some might not consider them dries, but they have a special place in my fly box due to their effectiveness.

Outstanding commentary. I find this to be a major issue where fish are more highly pressured. I rarely if ever fish a dry fly pattern that doesn't sit in or below the film on the Yuba or Truckee, for instance.

[BobVP]

I will have to go with the rest of the folks here that use a Stimulator 12/16 for a "go to" dry. Yellow/orange. It just seems to work best for me when I do not have a lock on what the fish are after.

[wineslob]

I use a home-brew AP Black, I'll call it. Black Hackle, Peacock body and Moose Hair tail, in size 12-16. Almost never fails.

[kyburz]

Yellow humpy size 14 & 16. Thats my default dry with EHC following close behind. Limp and long 6x tippet for longer float.

[John Sv]

I use a home-brew AP Black, I'll call it. Black Hackle, Peacock body and Moose Hair tail, in size 12-16. Almost never fails.

This is kinda similar sounding to my go to wet, a size 14 starling and herl...with a tail

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Locally famous fly fisher of the Greatest Generation, Walt Bennett, is gone now but he told us lots of important stories.

He would wade up a stream in the afternoon with a big dry fly, a size 8 black bodied dry with a down white wing (Rio Grande Trude).

http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag128/SBPatt/Tying/Tying002/IMG_6313_2_zpse32c7b98.jpg

Big fish would come up and look at it but would not eat it.

He would mentally noted the runs with the big fish and come back later in the evening with a size #14 Adams and get some of them.

__________________________________________________ _

Andy Guibord and I were down at the Rosaschi Ranch on the East Walker in Nevada.

In the day time Andy was running a very big deer hair mouse along the far side.

A Brown trout with big jaws came up and pecked at it but did not eat it.

I believe at sunset it would have.......

[PV_Premier]

Andy Guibord and I were down at the Rosaschi Ranch on the East Walker in Nevada.

In the day time Andy was running a very big deer hair mouse along the far side.

A Brown trout with big jaws came up and pecked at it but did not eat it.

I believe at sunset it would have.......

This reminds me that I have a couple of mouse flies in my box that I haven't had a chance to fish yet this summer...maybe there is a window yet this summer with the continued warm weather...

Headed to the McCloud this weekend, maybe a big brown there might be interested...

[Scott V]

Size 12 rubber legged stimulator

[lairdbaird]

Gotta add a griffiths gnat, has been a consistent producer for me on both sides of the sierra. Also muddler minnow dry

[hwchubb]

Size16 Royal Wulff, or Parachute Adams in slower water. Wait, that's two flies...

[Woodman]

Lately it's been parachute hare's ear in size 14, but I also hammered a lot of fish on a Hippie Stomper while in Colorado the last week.

[luckydude]

Mine would be an Elk Hair Caddis in size 14 on 5x tippet.

I have 3: your elk hair caddis, parachute adams in 14 & 16, hopper in 12 & 14. Those are for the sierras and have worked for me for years.

I'll sprinkle in a royal humpy, some other stuff, but if I had to limit myself to 3 it would be those 3 for sure.

[amoeba]

Parachute adams #16 or 18.

[Ralph]

#14 E/C caddis, #18 foam ant, 16 rusty spinner

[timmosazz]

Especially when fishing with friends I like to use what I call a sunken ant. It is apattern I developed. Basically I tie a ant pattern on a hook an tie a parachute with a long post so that the ant is just under the water column. Ha sent failed me yet. Not sure if that qualifies as a dry pattern.

[Jimmie]

Ralph, trying to contact you. Call me at home. Jimmie

[finsandfeathers]

Absolutely #14 EC Caddis. Also started fishing Sierra heritage flies a few years back and enjoy fishing the Sierra Bright Dot.