For those who prefer to fly fish for stream trout, here's a list of the five flies I always carry. If allowed more than one size, I'd be comfortable on virtually any trout stream with this selection.
1. The Stimulator
This fly's effectiveness lies in its ability to replicate a wide variety of natural insects, including stoneflies, caddisflies and grasshoppers. Don't leave home without a selection in sizes 4 - 14, with orange, yellow and green most effective.
2. The Adams
The Adams is an attractor pattern that flat out looks "buggy", though I suppose it most closely resembles a mayfly. It's the searching pattern many experienced fly fishermen use first. Fish it in sizes from 10 - 20. A variant of this fly, the Bastard Adams, has white wings, making it easier to see on the water for guys like me whose eyesight isn't what it once was.
3. San Juan Worm
Very much resembling the wire worm used by ice fishermen, the San Juan Worm remains a favourite trout nymph, especially on Alberta's two blue-ribbon rivers, the Bow and the Crowsnest. Fished under a strike indicator, under a dry fly, or in tandem with another nymph, the "worm" is a consistent fish producer.
4. Bead-Head Prince Nymph
When we remember that trout feed 80% of the time subsurface, it's not surprising that nymph patterns are so important. The Prince is a standard on trout streams, though if it is intended to represent a specific insect, I have no idea what that bug might be. Like many others have found, I just know it catches fish.
5. Wooly Bugger
Streamers are trout flies "super-sized" to represent minnows, leeches and other larger prey items, and the Wooly Bugger is the acknowledged patriarch of streamer patterns. Generally fished downstream and across, the Bugger can trigger strikes on a tight line swing, on the dead drift, or when retrieved. Sizes 2 - 10 are most popular, with black, brown and olive colours prevailing. Don't be shy about fishing them for walleye or pike, either.
