Dry Fly Catalog

All flies are tied on Dai-Riki hooks with the barbs pinched down. Custom orders are encouraged.

Dry Flies:

Ant Sizes: 16 - 18

Fish love to eat ants. This common insect falls into streams regularly so an imitation fished closed to the bank can be very productive.

Beetle Sizes: 12 - 20

This pattern is a floater and works well on stillwater as well as streams. The legs provide some enticing motion and the built-in indicator on top helps the angler keep track of the fly during the presentation.

Bluegill Fly Sizes: 12 - 16

A fun little fly that was a hit this summer on a local bluegeill pond.

Blue Wing Olive Sprout Sizes: 14 - 22

This is my "Go-To" fly when the Blue Wing Olives are hatching. The Sprout pattern imitates an emerging BWO.

Bunny Dun Sizes: 14 - 20

Snowshoe rabbit foot hair is used for the wing as its' inherent flotation properties allow for both a realistic fly and a sparse pattern. The Bunny Dun floats well, has a very realistic silhouette, and is quite durable.

Chenobyl Ant Sizes: 6 - 12

Colors: Black, Black/Tan, Dark Brown/Tan

The Chernobyl Ant was created in 1990 by a group of guides on the Green River in Utah. The fly resembles a large black Cricket found in that area. This fly is great as an indicator with any type of nymph hanging below it.

Double Trico Sizes: 18 - 22

The Double Trico is actually two flies tied on one hook. This allows us to use a bigger fly for the small Tricos hatch. I have had some good fishing in Eleven Mile Canyon on the South Platte with this fly.

Elk Hair Caddis Sizes: 12 - 18

Colors: Tan, Olive, Dark Olive, Bright Green, Gray, Brown, Dark Brown, Black, Peacock, Orange

One of the best, if not the best, adult caddis pattern. Try this fly when fish a taking adult caddis flies, or as a very effective searching pattern when no hatch is present.

Griffiths Gnat Sizes: 18 - 22

George Griffith, one of the founding fathers of the American Trout Unlimited, created one of the most important midge dressings. This popular American Fly is used to imitate egg-laying adult midges and emerging midges. Some even say that it imitates a cluster of midges rather than a single fly.

Its-A- Bug Sizes: 6 - 10

A very nice Bluegill fly that also works for Bass in larger sizes.

Jamie's Caddis Sizes: 12 - 18

Colors: Tan, Olive, Dark Olive, Bright Green, Gray, Brown, Dark Brown, Black, Peacock, Orange

Fly fishers who are smart enough to take the time to fish caddis patterns regularly find that fish in their favorite trout streams and rivers will start keying in on caddis during the early spring months of April or May. Thin bodied, lightly hackled darker colored patterns like Jamie's Caddis will be able to consistently entice fish into biting no matter how tight-lipped the fish seem to be.

Japanese Beetle Sizes: 10 - 16

Beetles are great flies to have during the summer months. Beetles are not very good fliers, and end up in the water all the time. They fall off overhanging bushes and trees. Wind blows them into the water. Their landing is usually a pretty good splash just like grasshoppers. Usually they are found close to the banks and that is where you need to fish this fly.

Manuka Beetle Sizes: 10 - 16

The Manuka Beetle is a native beetle to New Zealand and is a bright-green bug. It is now one of my favorite small stream summer-time flies. One afternoon in July, I fished one of these flies on a little stream in Rocky Mountain National Park, where I guide and at the end of the day, the fly was very chewed up (but still intact) by all the trout that took the fly. Look for this fly in the March/April 2008 issue of the Southwest Flyfishing magazine in the "Guide Flies" section (page 26).

Midge Dry Sizes: 18 - 22

A nice little Midge Dry to use when trout are sipping adult Midges. It is suprisingly easy to see the white wing on the water.

Mike's Peacock Fly Sizes: 10 - 16

This is a fly that my friend, Mike, had me tie up for him. He swears by this fly up in South Park rivers. It is a great stone fly pattern, and is very visible on the water.

Miracle Caddis Sizes: 12 - 18

Colors: Tan, Olive, Dark Olive, Bright Green, Gray, Brown, Dark Brown, Black, Peacock, Orange

The Miracle Caddis is an extremely effective and versatile pattern for a Caddis Adult.

Multicolored Parachute Sizes: 12 - 16

A gentleman from California e-mailed me and asked if I could tie this fly for him, since the shop where he was buying them no longer had them in their fly bins. I took a look at the fly and knew this is a great fly. I just love peacock as the body material and the white wing and tail make it very visible on the water.

Orange Asher Sizes: 18 - 22

When no trout are visibly feeding, I have had success with an Orange Asher dry fly, a simple but effective pattern.

Pale Morning Dun Sprout Sizes: 14 - 22

This is one of my patterns for Pale Morning Dun emergers. The PMD imitates the common light-bodied varieties of Mayflies. These Mayflies are very common in late spring and early summer.

Parachute Adams Sizes: 14 - 20 

One of the most effective dry flies ever devised. It can be used during a caddis hatch or as a searching pattern when no fish are rising. This one is a must include in your fly box.

Parachute Blue Wing Olive Sizes: 14 - 20 

Parachute drys are unusual in that they float very well while at the same time lowering the body into the surface film, showing trout a silhouette similar to that of an insect at rest on the water. They can be at once excellent searching dry flies and great imitations.

Parachute Flying Ant Sizes: 12 - 18

Ants are a terrestrial insect. They are often blown out of trees, bushes, and tall grasses onto the surface of lakes and rivers, where they become trout food. Any time you venture to mountain lakes or streams surrounded by trees, you should have some ant patterns in your fly box.

Parachute Pale Morning Dun Sizes: 14 - 20

The PMD imitates the common light-bodied varieties of Mayflies. These Mayflies are very common in late spring and early summer.

Peacock Trude Sizes: 10 - 18

The Peacock Trude is a classic fly fly that continues to work today. The down wing provides fish with a different silhouette than most attractor flies and can work when stoneflies and caddis are about on the trout stream.

Poly Humpy Sizes: 10 - 16

Colors: Green, Orange, Peacock, Red, and Yellow

An effective searching pattern and popular fly, the Humpy (also known as a Goofus bug) is a fly you should have in your fly box. There are several stories about how this fly came into being, but all that counts is that this fly catches fish. The fly is ideal for fast-flowing waters because of its inherent buoyancy. The great advantage of this fly for the beginner is that it is almost unsinkable, and it offers great visibility in fast water for both the fisherman and the trout.

Secret Weapon Sizes: 12 - 18

This pattern catches fish year-round in sizes #12-18, although it was originally tied to imitate emerging Hendricksons. The deer-hair wing rides flush in the surface and also imitates an emerging caddis.

Web Wing Caddis Sizes: 14 - 20

Colors: Tan, Brown, and Dun

The Web Wing Caddis has a slightly different silhouette when compared to most patterns. The wing is longer and lays flatter along the length of the body. The wing material is durable and keeps it's shape after numerous fish.

Click Picture to Enlarge

Wonder Midge Sizes: 18 - 22

Another nice little Midge Dry to use when trout are sipping adult Midges. It is suprisingly easy to see the white wing on the water.

X-Caddis Sizes: 12 - 18

Colors: Tan, Olive, Dark Olive, Bright Green, Gray, Brown, Dark Brown, Black, Peacock, Orange

This fly imitates a crippled caddis that is unable to fully break free of the pupal shuck. The shuck trails behind the the helpless insect. After a hatch ends the only insects left on the surface are cripples and trout will often key on them. A pupa/x-caddis rig is very effective.

Yarn Wing Dun Sizes: 8 - 18

Colors: Tan, Olive, Dark Olive, Pale Morning Dun, Cream

"When the fish are feeding on duns, then this is the fly that I grab to represent the mid-range sizes (#8-18)". Gary Borger. The Yarn Wing Dun body design lets the imitation sit on the water like the natural and the wing nicely simulates the characteristics of the natural: shape, color, translucency, and highlights.

 

All pictures provided by Bill Cronin of Cronin Photography  Thanks Bill!