The Deadly Dozen

[dtp916]

Ok fellas, I want to hear your opinions on the best 12 trout flies. 12 total and why you picked them. Dries, wets, nymphs, streamers, cripples, emergers, whatever, you name it. For fishing western trout streams 8) (or in the world if you want :shock: ). They don't have to be ranked 1-12, just listed.

What is your deadly dozen? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

-James

[dtp916]

Here's my list:

Parachute Adams sz. 12-22
Elk Hair Caddis sz. 10-20
Overly's Spotlight sz. 16-20
E/C Caddis sz. 14-18
Bird's Nest sz. 10-18
BH Micro Mayfly sz. 14-20
Fox's Poopah sz. 12-18
Flashback PT sz. 16-22
Dave's Hopper sz. 8-12
Cutter's Perfect Ant sz. 10-14
Midge Pupa sz. 18-22
Wooly Bugger sz. 8-12

Is it me, or am I fishing small flies a lot? :shock:

[Darian]

I'm reminded, from my past, that a good Trout fisherman probably carries 25-30 different patterns in his fly box but consistently uses only 6..... Makes this question difficult to answer. Altho I carry many patterns, I only use flies that I have confidence in..... I'm more likely to carry the patterns I have confidence in in a range of sizes than more patterns of the same sizes. 8) 8)

Other than fishing at Pyramid Lake or The Feather River, I haven't deliberately set out to fish for Trout for some time. My favorite Trout flies are any type Bucktail Caddis (wet or dry), Wooly Buggers, Egg patterns, Fox's flies and Ted Fay style flies. 8) 8) The latter flies are the only ones that I carry in a reloatively narrow range of sizes. 8) 8)

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

#16 Adam's Paradun
#18 BWO Paradun
#16 Quigley cripple
#10 Dave's Hopper
#14 Elk Hair Caddis
#12 Irresistible




#14 caddis larva
#16 PT nymph
#10 Black Janssen Leech
#14 Olive Damsel nymph
#16 Callibaetis Emerger
#14 FB black AP nymph


that is hard

[flyfshrmn]

since i don't tie strictly to patterns and fish pretty much wets only, this may be a little confusing:

1) My top pattern is a general imitation caddis with either a gray or brown wool body, size 12, 14, 16. I tie these with many variations of body color, ribbing, and with/without zing wing. I constantly experiment with different combos and am now tying them on smaller hooks as well and with olive, green, dark browns, and black bodies. I have one large perrine box that contains almost no other patterns.

2) Adams - size 12, 14, 16, 18

3) gray hackle peacock - size 10-20

4) Brown hackle peacock - size 10-20

5) Elk hair caddis - size 12, 14, 16 - various combos of body colors and
hackles, palmered and not.

6) Barr Emerger 12-16, in various colors

7) PT nymph - 12-18

8)Renegade 10-16

9) Blue Wing Olive 14-18

10) March Brown 10-16

11) Muddler Minnow 2-4

12) Hopper imitations

[bigtj]

1.EC Caddis
2.EC Caddis
3. EC Caddis
4. EC Caddis
5. EC Caddis
6. Birds Nest
7. Birds Nest
8. Birds Nest
9. Birds Nest
10. Birds Nest.
11. Tarantula
12. Tarantula

Detect some bias? I thought so.

[bigtj]

I almost forgot my steelhead dirty dozen:

1. Black rabbit leech
2. Black rabbit leech
3. Black rabbit leech
4. Black rabbit leech
5. Black rabbit leech
6. Black rabbit leech
7. Black rabbit leech
8. Black rabbit leech
9. Black rabbit leech
10. Black rabbit leech
11. Black rabbit leech
12. Black rabbit leech

Not very exciting, is it?

[dtp916]

1.EC Caddis
2.EC Caddis
3. EC Caddis
4. EC Caddis
5. EC Caddis
6. Birds Nest
7. Birds Nest
8. Birds Nest
9. Birds Nest
10. Birds Nest.
11. Tarantula
12. Tarantula

Detect some bias? I thought so.

hanging around the Truckee River, I see.... :lol:

[bigtj]

Ummmm...I live about 100 yds away from it, so yes you'll catch me hanging around there "from time to time". But I don't care if it's the Truckee, the Madison, the McCloud or whatever, those are the two flies I'm tying on 99.999999% of the time, with the Tarantula used to float the birds nest when I fish dropper-dry.

[Sturmer White]

Hey bigtj
I like the way you think!
Keep it simple and catch more fish.

[Frank Alessio]

Cool topic..... I started with Flies based on Flies tied by Ted Towendolley and Leroy Barnes.... They were just a little ahead of Ted Fay.... I based most of my Flies off of a couple of Gunney Sack flies. I still base my flies off of those patterns adding a few raps of lead to some.... My Dad who is 87 years old took an Upper Sac rainbow 20 inches long last year on one of my ties.... I love the Upper Sac......Frank

[flyfshrmn]

thought I'd post a further caveat on this subject. one has to remember that it's the flies that one fishes that catch fish, not necessarily because they are the best possible fly for that situation or that water, but because they are on the end of your leader (or the dropper). You probably won't get a lot of agreement on the best dozen, because everyone fishes what they believe in and what works for them. I firmly believe that the fly matters much less than where and how one presents it. Everyone fisherman I have ever talked to has had days when every fly in the box fails and days when it doesn't matter what you throw out there and every variation in between.