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The 25 Best-Selling Trout Flies of the Year
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photo: Courtesy of Umpqua Feather Merchants
Money Bugs by Kirk Deeter

Wonder what flies the fish are biting on this year? We did. So, like handicapping horses, we "followed the money," and asked Umpqua Feather Merchants, the largest producer and distributor of flies in the country, what the hottest-selling bugs of this season are. In some cases, says Umpqua, age-old standards are still leading the field. Yet in others, hot innovations have made a splash. Granted, there are "show" flies and "dough" flies. These are the money bugs that are proving their worth with professional guides and weekend warriors from coast to coast. And if you're in the process of a mid-season "reload" of your fly box, it probably wouldn't hurt to double-up on some of these options:

Parachute: Hot Colors: Olive and Adams.

No surprise here. The parachute dry fly has a profile that cleanly replicates adult mayflies, and its white post makes it highly visible to anglers. The Adams variety has been a do-anything, match-almost-any-hatch pattern since its development in upstate Michigan in the early 1920s (it was named after Judge Charles Adams). It is judicious, in any regard, to have a healthy supply of parachute Adams flies in all sizes in your box. If I had to pick only one dry fly to fish a mayfly hatch, anywhere, any time...this is the pattern I'd pick, and it'd be an easy choice.
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Comment on This Article

At 10:47 PM, 2008-11-07, Justin T said:
There was no yellow humpy or Griffith's gnat? Are you serious? These can get you through a year in the Appalachians. Mark comment offensive

At 7:36 PM, 2008-09-10, LenH said:
#19 best selling fly ever. Size 10 for brookies sizr 8s and 6s for browns Big Flies catch big trout Mark comment offensive

At 7:03 PM, 2008-09-10, Diahestah said:
222 Mark comment offensive

At 4:02 PM, 2008-09-10, Diahestah said:
222 Mark comment offensive

At 3:49 AM, 2008-07-30, Paul said:
KD, I completely agree with you on the purists and the technicality of nymph fishing. Gary LaFontaine said it in one of his videos, a guy can come out fishing after a long winter and fish dries and catch fish consitency. But a good nymph fisherman will take a few weeks to hone his skills to what they were at the end of the last season. Mark comment offensive

At 3:45 AM, 2008-07-30, Paul said:
It seems that there are different phases to flyfishing. A lot of people that I fish with that have been fishing for a while have graduated from dry fly fishing and fish mostly subsurface. I'll admit I love fishing on top over a heavy hatch, but honestly fishing with dry flies can be way too easy. And yes I've fished over may trico hatches and over my selective fish. But I started fly fishing because it was more a challenge than chucking minnows. So I like to catch my fish with tuck casts, split shot, homemade nymph leaders, and one or two droppers on my leader. Or swinging wet flies, but sometimes that can be too easy too. Mark comment offensive

At 11:21 PM, 2008-07-24, KD said:
I see your point Gary, and admit that when the hatch is "on," there's nothing quite like throwing dries. It's the ultimate scenario. But... googan has a point also, and before you dismiss nymphs as "lures," I'd suggest that nymph fishing is actually 3-D fishing, where depth becomes as much a factor as the length or width of your cast. And in my increasingly-humble opinion, nymph fishing is one of the most technically challenging aspects of the flyfishing game. People who dismiss nymphing are, in my experience, more intimidated than they are "purists." And, by the way, if you "chuck and drag" a nymph in most classic trout waters, you usually won't catch squat. Mark comment offensive

At 4:39 PM, 2008-07-24, googan said:
So nymphing is just that easy, ehh Gary? Mark comment offensive

At 1:52 PM, 2008-07-24, gary from NJ said:
I wish there were more dry flys. That is what is really fun. A bead head is a lure not a fly. Just chuck and drag, just like a spin fisherman. There is nothing wrong with chucking and dragging, but just try dry's on rising fish and you will have a ball. Mark comment offensive

At 9:35 PM, 2008-07-23, dubach said:
They didn't include the recipe, because then you could tie it almost exactly on your own, and wouldn't have to pay their high prices to the Umpqua Feather Merchants brand. Mark comment offensive

At 2:32 PM, 2008-07-23, Con Man said:
Recipes don't sell bugs for Umpqua though Mark comment offensive

At 1:06 PM, 2008-07-22, Weston said:
I enjoy tying flies, and so do many other people. This article would of been much better if it included all the recipes as some call it. Although its still a great read. Mark comment offensive

At 10:04 AM, 2008-07-18, Roger said:
brian, did you mean to sound like an a-hole here? Mark comment offensive

At 12:41 AM, 2008-07-18, brian said:
nice work deeter, much better than your normal work Mark comment offensive


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Think you have a killer pattern that's ready for mass production? Umpqua is always looking for talent and ideas. But be warned: the process of pinning your name to a fly design often takes years. First you have to prove it's unique. Then you have to tie dozens of samples. Most importantly, you have to prove that the fly catches fish (and not just fishermen), because ultimately, if they don't catch, they don't sell. For more information on the thousands of fly patterns in Umpqua's arsenal, visit Umpqua's website. - K.D.

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