Dry Flies

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.

33 patterns in this category

Adams fly pattern
mayfliesgeneral dry fly attractor

Adams

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

Sizes #12–#16

Pale Morning Dun fly pattern
Pale Morning DunsEphemerella mayflies

Pale Morning Dun

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

Sizes #14–#14

BWO Sparkle Dun

Craig Mathews design. Z-lon shuck, deer hair wing. Size 18-20 for spring BWOs.

Sizes #14–#14

Green Drake fly pattern
Green Drake mayfliesDrunella grandis

Green Drake

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

Sizes #10–#10

Comparadun fly pattern
mayfly dunsPMDs

Comparadun

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

Sizes #12–#12

Callibaetis Cripple fly pattern
Callibaetis dunscrippled mayflies

Callibaetis Cripple

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

Sizes #14–#14

Purple Haze

Purple parachute Adams variant. Surprisingly effective on the Madison.

Sizes #14–#14

Blue Dun fly pattern
blue-winged olivesbaetis duns

Blue Dun

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

Sizes #14–#14

Blue-Winged Olive Comparadun fly pattern
Baetis dunsBlue-Winged Olives

Blue-Winged Olive Comparadun

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

Sizes #16–#16

Goddard Caddis fly pattern
adult caddisOctober caddis

Goddard Caddis

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

Sizes #10–#10

BWO Parachute fly pattern
Baetis dunsBlue-Winged Olives

BWO Parachute

The BWO Parachute is a specific-color Adams variant tied to match the ubiquitous Blue-Winged Olive m

Sizes #16–#16

CDC Blue-Winged Olive fly pattern
Baetis dunsBlue-Winged Olives

CDC Blue-Winged Olive

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

Sizes #18–#18

Humpy fly pattern
stonefliescaddis

Humpy

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

Sizes #10–#10

Egan's Corn-Fed Caddis

A heavy-winged CDC caddis dry with a Super Fine dubbed body, Antron shuck, Trigger Point overwing, a

Sizes #12–#12

caddis adultdry caddis
Sulphur Dun fly pattern
Sulphur mayfliesEphemerella dorothea

Sulphur Dun

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

Sizes #14–#14

Royal Wulff fly pattern
general attractormayflies (suggestive)

Royal Wulff

The Royal Wulff is the most recognizable attractor dry fly ever designed. Its split white calf hair

Sizes #10–#10

Front End Loader Caddis

A hackle-stacker elk hair caddis with a Callibaetis Super Fine body, Glo Brite tag, and grizzly hack

Sizes #10–#10

caddis adultemerging caddis

Monster Dry

A hare's-ear-dubbed mayfly dry with a CDC V-wing, Pearl Sulky rib, and Glo Brite wing divider. Spars

Sizes #10–#10

mayfly dunPMD

Olsen's CDC Midge

A black Crystal Flash–bodied midge with CDC wing, pink CDC hot spot, and grizzly hackle. A specialis

Sizes #18–#18

midge adultchironomid
Elk Hair Caddis fly pattern
adult caddisOctober caddis

Elk Hair Caddis

Al Troth's Elk Hair Caddis is the definitive adult caddis imitation. The palmered hackle body and te

Sizes #12–#18

Griffith's Gnat fly pattern
midge clustersmidge adults

Griffith's Gnat

Griffith's Gnat is the most important midge dry fly pattern in existence. Its peacock herl body and

Sizes #18–#18

Sparkle Dun fly pattern
mayfly dunsemerging mayflies

Sparkle Dun

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

Sizes #14–#14

Henry's Fork Hopper fly pattern
grasshoppers

Henry's Fork Hopper

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

Sizes #8–#8

Rusty Spinner fly pattern
mayfly spinnersspent adults

Rusty Spinner

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

Sizes #14–#14

Missing Link

Mike Mercer fly

Sizes #16–#16

March Brown fly pattern
March Brown mayfliesRhithrogena morrisoni

March Brown

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

Sizes #12–#12

Monster Midge

A black-thorax V-wing midge with Glo Brite indicator. For picky tailwater fish sipping in flat water

Sizes #18–#18

midge adultchironomid
Olive Thorax Dun fly pattern
BWO dunsolive mayflies

Olive Thorax Dun

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

Sizes #16–#16

Parachute Adams fly pattern
mayfliesBWOs

Parachute Adams

The Parachute Adams is arguably the most effective all-around dry fly in existence. Its gray body an

Sizes #12–#12

Stimulator fly pattern
adult stonefliessalmonflies

Stimulator

Randall Kaufmann's Stimulator is a large, buoyant attractor dry fly that suggests adult stoneflies,

Sizes #8–#8

Quill Gordon fly pattern
Quill Gordon mayfliesEpeorus pleuralis

Quill Gordon

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

Sizes #12–#12

Trico Spinner fly pattern
Trico spinnersTricorythodes

Trico Spinner

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

Sizes #20–#20

X-Caddis fly pattern
emerging caddisadult caddis

X-Caddis

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

Sizes #14–#14