True-Fly Patterns

Black Caddis Selection

Several caddis species share the common moniker "Black Caddis" (or "Mother's Day Caddis"), and can be found hatching throughout spring and summer.  While some western states such as Montana and Idaho have been blessed with black caddis hatches of...

Blue Winged Olive Mayfly Selection

The Blue Winged Olive Mayfly is one of the most prolific mayfly families in the United States and can be found on rivers and streams at every elevation and in almost every state.  This mayfly family will often have two generations per year, with...

Callibaetis Mayfly Selection

Found in nearly every roadside ditch, pond, lake and reservoir in the central and western United States, the Callibaetis mayfly is one of the most important stillwater food sources for trout.  While the nymphs of the callibaetis are available to...

Damselfly Selection

The smaller cousin to the dragonfly, Damselflies are commonLY found in lakes and backwaters at every elevation.  Hatching throughout the summer, the adults can produce explosive strikes, while stripping the nymphs next to weedbeds or along the...

Golden Stonefly Selection

Among the biggest and baddest bugs on the river, the Golden Stonefly hatch is one of the most eagerly anticipated hatches of the summer!  These large bodied stoneflies take up to two years to reach maturity as a nymph before they are ready to crawl...

Hendrickson Mayfly Selection

Hendrickson is a common name that anglers have used to encompass both the species of Ephemerella invaria (also known as the Sulphur of Light Hendrickson) and Ephemerella needhami (Dark Hendrickson) because they are often found living in the same...

Hex Mayfly Selection

Populating lakes and slack waters in every US State (except Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico), and spreading throughout every Canadian province except the furthest reaches of Nunavut and the Yukon, the Hex Mayfly (or genus Hexagenia) is one of the largest...

Leech Selection

Found in ponds, reservoirs, creeks, and rivers at every elevation and in all 50 states, leeches are a must-have pattern for the fly fisher who loves to catch big fish!  Most commonly found swimming along the bottom of the lake or river, retrieving...

Pale Morning Dun / Pale Evening Dun Fly Selection

While the Pale Morning Dun and Pale Evening Dun mayflies are members of different families, they are largely similar in size and profile, allowing them to be matched by many of the same fly patterns.  Both families can be found in streams and rivers...

Salmonfly Selection

The stonefly genus of Pteronarcys could have come straight out of a Japanese monster movie taking on Godzilla in a fight to the death!  Known regionally as the Salmonfly or Giant Black Stonefly, these massive nymphs of crawl out of the river each...

Scud Selection

Though often confused with fresh water shrimp, scud are among a family of "side swimmers" and are a key staple in the diet of trophy trout in both lakes and rivers. Varying in color from olive to pink, these protein-packed crustaceans try to stay close...

Sculpin Selection

Found in rivers, streams, at every elevation and across most of the US and Canada, sculpin are one of the favorite foods of big trout and bass! Varying in color from a mottled brown to olive, sculpin spend their lives darting between the rocks and algae...

Shad Selection

Big fish eat big flies, and shad are among the favorite foods of many warm water predators (bass, pike, crappie, walleye, etc.) as well as large trout.  A school of shad looks like a tasty plate of sushi to a trophy fish, and you don't want to be...

Sow Bug Selection

Cousins of scud and freshwater shrimp, these crustaceans are best described as underwater roly polys.  While these tasty trout treats are common in a number of lakes and rivers across the country, their numbers can reach epic proportions in waters...

Sulphur Mayfly Selection

Found in rivers and streams throughout the entirety of the Eastern US and Canada as well as most of the Midwest, the Sulphur Mayfly (formally known as Ephemerella invaria or locally as Light Hendrickson) is one of the earliest and most anticipated mayfly...

Trico Mayfly Selection

What the Trico mayflies lack in size, they make up in quantity!  This mayfly family comes off in late summer to fall, and is renowned for its' "Blanket Hatches" that cover the rivers and streams they inhabit.  While the small dark nymphs can be...

Western Green Drake Selection

If the Blue Winged Olive is the tiny Cessna of the mayfly family, the Green Drake is the hulking Boeing 787!  The Green Drakes are one of the largest mayfly families and are also one of the most eagerly-anticipated and pursued by trout...

Yellow Sally Stonefly Selection

Yellow Sally Stoneflies, also known as the "Little Yellow Stoneflies", can be found in rivers and streams across the continent and offer some exciting late summer dry fly action.  This family of small to mid-sized stoneflies live up to their name...