Fly Library

Dry Flies

Dry flies ride on the surface film, imitating adult mayflies, caddis, stoneflies, and other insects. Few moments in fly fishing rival the explosive take of a trout sipping a well-presented dry.

25 patterns in this category

Parachute Adams

The most versatile dry fly ever tied.

Sizes 12–20

Elk Hair Caddis

The tent-wing dry fly that revolutionized caddis fishing.

Sizes 12–18

BWO Parachute

The essential hatch-matcher for every Blue-Winged Olive event.

Sizes 16–22

Griffith's Gnat

The midge cluster pattern that saves the day on flat water.

Sizes 18–24

Stimulator

The attractor dry fly that mimics everything big on the surface.

Sizes 8–14

Royal Wulff

The king of attractor dry flies — regal and irresistible.

Sizes 10–16

Blue-Winged Olive Comparadun

The Comparadun's deer hair fan wing sits flush in the film, presenting a realistic mayfly silhouette

Sizes 16–22

Sparkle Dun

Craig Mathews' Sparkle Dun combines a deer hair fan wing with a Z-lon trailing shuck, bridging the g

Sizes 14–20

Pale Morning Dun

The PMD pattern imitates one of the West's most important hatches — Ephemerella infrequens and E. in

Sizes 14–18

X-Caddis

Craig Mathews' X-Caddis omits the hackle of an Elk Hair Caddis, creating a lower-riding fly that han

Sizes 14–18

Adams

The original Adams dry fly is the foundation of American mayfly fishing. Its mixed grizzly and brown

Sizes 12–20

Green Drake

The Green Drake is the biggest mayfly hatch of the year in many western rivers. This large, heavily

Sizes 10–12

Humpy

The Humpy is an indestructible attractor dry fly built for fast pocket water. Its deer or elk hair s

Sizes 10–16

March Brown

The March Brown imitates Rhithrogena morrisoni, one of the first significant mayfly hatches of the s

Sizes 12–14

CDC Blue-Winged Olive

A CDC-winged BWO that rides perfectly in the surface film with no floatant needed. The natural oils

Sizes 18–22

Sulphur Dun

The Sulphur Dun imitates Ephemerella dorothea and E. invaria, the signature evening hatch on eastern

Sizes 14–18

Trico Spinner

The Trico Spinner imitates the spent Tricorythodes spinner fall — one of the most technical and rewa

Sizes 20–24

Henry's Fork Hopper

Mike Lawson's Henry's Fork Hopper is the standard foam-body grasshopper pattern for slick water. Unl

Sizes 8–12

Callibaetis Cripple

This cripple pattern imitates a Callibaetis mayfly that failed to fully emerge from its shuck — stuc

Sizes 14–16

Olive Thorax Dun

Vince Marinaro's Thorax Dun design places the hackle at the center of the body rather than the head,

Sizes 16–20

Quill Gordon

The Quill Gordon is a Catskill classic tied with a stripped peacock quill body that creates a delica

Sizes 12–14

Goddard Caddis

John Goddard and Cliff Henry's spun deer hair caddis is the most buoyant caddis imitation ever conce

Sizes 10–16

Comparadun

Developed by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi, the Comparadun revolutionized dry fly design with its fan-sh

Sizes #12–#20

Blue Dun

One of the oldest and most storied dry fly patterns in the history of fly fishing, dating back centu

Sizes #14–#18

Rusty Spinner

A spent-wing spinner pattern that imitates the final stage of the mayfly lifecycle when egg-laying f

Sizes #14–#20