Traditional Dry Flies A-G

The term "traditional" might lead the reader to conclude that the flies listed below might not have changed at all for a very long time. While some of the fly patterns appearing on this page are several hundred years old, they are not exactly as they were 100-years ago. While the materials used to tie the fly are much the same, and they are assembled into the fly using the same sequence, advances in technology has made each fly evolve incrementally. These flies are tied on hooks of a quality that was

undreamed of when most of these patterns first hit the water. Dyed colors are much brighter and more color-fast. Threads are smaller in diameter and much stronger. Glues are more transparent and much glossier. In many cases our fish are fewer and much wiser. I have a long personal history with each of these fly patterns and have tied all of them at one time or another. I have caught trout on all of them. Where as the craftsmanship involved in the construction of these flies is as good now as during any period during each fly's history, the materials used now are vastly superior to any previous time period. This is especially true concerning dry fly hackle.

			Adams Originally tied by Lenard Halladay of Mayfield, Michigan in about 1922, for fishing the Boardman River. The Adams has remained one of the most popular dry flies in the country. In the Pacific Northwest it is a very effective searching pattern in sizes 12-16 for most freestone streams. The Adams can be an incredibly productive fly for evening fishing on Oregon's Deschutes. Sizes
14-18 are most popular. Fish your Adams upstream in the conventional manner. Let it float down stream below you then raise your rod and skitter the fly back upstream with short jerks. Many strikes will come as the fly is retrieved upstream. If there is a problem with the Adams pattern, it is very hard to see on the water. Because of that, the Parachute Adams, with its white wing post has become more popular. However, in our view, for anglers who can see it, the original pattern is still more effective in many situations. The traditional Adams is one of the best Callibaetis mayfly patterns for fishing lakes when used in sizes 12-16. A passable Black Drake imitation in sizes 10-12.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1030-10	Adams	10	3 for $5.25
1030-12	Adams	12	3 for $5.25
1030-14	Adams	14	3 for $5.25
1030-16	Adams	16	3 for $5.25
1030-18	Adams	18	3 for $5.25

			Beetle Bug Coachman The original Beetle Bug was made famous by Audrey Joy, who tied at Meir and Franks Department Store in Portland through the 1940-50 era. It is unclear whether the original Beetle Bug had hair wings & tail or whether that was adapted later. The current popular version of the Beetle Bug is basically a Royal Wulff without the peacock herl at both ends of the body. Popularity continues primarily
because of Northwest writer Dave Hughes who used it as a kid fishing forested streams in Oregon's Coast Range. Because of its big white wings, the Beetle Bug floats well in rough water and is easy to see.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1097-12	Beetle Bug Coachman	12	3 for $5.85
1097-14	Beetle Bug Coachman	14	3 for $5.85

			Black Gnat We're not sure who originated the Black Gnat pattern. It appears to be very old and may have originally been tied in the British Isles. It is an effective pattern under many situations. Unknown to many anglers, black can be on of the most easily seen colors in the fading light of evening. Black offers the sharpest contrast in many situations. Even the sharp edges of the black quill wings make it easier to see.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12893-10	Black Gnat	10	3 for $5.25
12893-12	Black Gnat	12	3 for $5.25
12893-14	Black Gnat	14	3 for $5.25
12893-16	Black Gnat	16	3 for $5.25
12893-18	Black Gnat	18	3 for $5.25
12893-20	Black Gnat	20	3 for $5.25

			Blue Dun An old British pattern who's original maker is unknown. Was undoubtedly first tied as a wet fly and later adapted as a dry fly pattern. Eventually the dry version became more popular. Is still very effective as a Baetis or Callibaetis mayfly pattern, even when fish are sophisticated.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12907-12	Blue Dun	12	3 for $5.25
12907-14	Blue Dun	14	3 for $5.25
12907-16	Blue Dun	16	3 for $5.25
12907-18	Blue Dun	18	3 for $5.25
12907-20	Blue Dun	20	3 for $5.25

			Blue Quill Great early season pattern for eastern and mid-western rivers where Paraleptophebia mayfly hatches occur. The origin of the Blue Quill is lost to antiquity. It was probably an American pattern evolving in the Catskill Mountain streams. The body which is made from peacock herl, from which all of the fuzz has been removed from the barbual. This gives the fly a segmented look.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12919-14	Blue Quill	14	3 for $5.25
12919-16	Blue Quill	16	3 for $5.25

			Blue Wing Olive The product of another nameless originator. The Blue Wing Olive is a great pattern for imitating many common species of mayflies which occur in nearly every region of the Northern Hemisphere. This pattern was undoubtedly first tied as a wet fly with quill wings. Hackle tip wings have proven to be much more effective on the currently popular dry fly listed here.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12929-12	Blue Wing Olive	12	3 for $5.25
12929-14	Blue Wing Olive	14	3 for $5.25
12929-16	Blue Wing Olive	16	3 for $5.25
12929-18	Blue Wing Olive	18	3 for $5.25
12929-20	Blue Wing Olive	20	3 for $5.25

			Dark Cahill Named after Dan Cahill, who is credited with stocking the first rainbow trout in the Delaware watershed in 1884. This happened while Dan was a brakeman on the local railroad. On board his train were some big brood stock rainbow trout, presumably headed for the Caledonia fish hatchery in upstate New York. When his own train was blocked by a derailed work train,
Cahill knew the trout would never make it in the mid-summer heat. They were transported by hand to Calicoon Creek. The trout flourished in the little Catskill stream, a tributary in the Delaware watershed. Dan was a popular angler/fly tiers and his flies were popularized by such angling luminaries as Ray Bergman and Edward Hewitt.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1041-14	Dark Cahill	14	3 for $5.25
1041-16	Dark Cahill	16	3 for $5.25

			Gray Wulff Lee Wulff was the most famous fly angler of the 1960-80 era. A bush pilot of daring and skill, Lee pioneered much of the Alantic Salmon fishing in Labrador and Nova Scotia. A highly skilled angler, Lee caught many salmon on tiny rods and tiny flies while being filmed with movie cameras. Many of his films appeared on the popular TV series, American
Sportsman. The Gray Wulff is a high floating, durable hair wing fly that has remained very popular for both trout and Atlantic Salmon.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
4040-10	Gray Wulff	10	3 for $5.85
4040-12	Gray Wulff	12	3 for $5.85
4040-14	Gray Wulff	14	3 for $5.85
4040-16	Gray Wulff	16	3 for $5.85

			Brown Hackle Peacock This was the fly of my teens. During the summer months, in the streams in the Idaho Panhandle, this small drab fly accounted for numerous fine trout of all species. During the 1950's, all the oldtimers used wet flies in size six or four. My experimentation lead me to believe that many of the local trout fed on smaller insects and preferred smaller flies. It is a belief that has become the norm with most anglers.
The Brown Hackle Peacock is still a very productive pattern, especially on freestone streams.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1095-16	Brown Hackle Peacock	16	3 for $5.25

			Gray Hackle Peacock The old man who taught me how to fly fish for trout when I was a little kid carried a leather fly wallet, which had felt pages. In it, he carried an assortment of wet flies. The vast majority of his collection was made up of three patterns; Royal Coachmans, Brown Hackle Peacocks and Gray Hackle Peacocks. Most of his flies were size-6. All were fished wet. He
was a deadly fisherman, and the Gray Hackle Peacock was his favorite pattern. It stands to reason that I caught my very first trout on a Gray Hackle Peacock fly. Then as books by east coast authors were read, and sophistication was acquired, matching the hatch became the approach and practice. Thirty years later a friend who has a reputation for embellishing the truth, purported to have caught an extraordinary number of trout from the Deschutes River on a size-14 Gray Hackle Peacock. Everyone thought it was another one of his stories, until one evening we observed him catch several dozen nice fish while using his Grey Hackle Peacock fly, fished wet. It has now become a standard fly with our group. Sometimes the old thing becomes the new hot thing.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1096-10	Gray Hackle Peacock	10	3 for $5.25
1096-12	Gray Hackle Peacock	12	3 for $5.25
1096-14	Gray Hackle Peacock	14	3 for $5.25
1096-16	Gray Hackle Peacock	16	3 for $5.25

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	Our Waters		Order Info	Weekly Newsletter	Events

Adams	Blue Dun	Gray Wulff
Beetle Bug Coachman	Blue Quill	Hackle Peacock, Brown
Black Gnat	Blue Wing Olive	Gray Hackle Peacock
	Dark Cahill