The 25 Greatest Flies of All Time

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:56:03 -0400

No one fly catches all the fish all the time. That’s a fact of flyfishing, and it’s why there are thousands of different patterns. Fish, ever whimsical, sometimes refuse to eat on Friday the fly they ate on Tuesday. Fishermen, ever inventive, constantly create new patterns to compensate. Despite this, some standard patterns have evolved. Tested by time, water, and fish, these are the flies that work more often than not. Most are trout flies because the majority of flyfishermen target trout. That’s why my top 20 list leans in that direction. Compiling a top-flies list invites argument, I know. Meet me at fieldandstream.com to join the fray. -- John Merwin