Oh the wooly bugger… Aside from the clouser minnow, I don’t think there is a more versatile pattern in existence. It’s easy to tie and includes a variety of useful techniques used in dozens of other patterns. It is the father of all streamers and catches fish in warm water and cold water in rivers and lakes. You can’t go wrong learning to tie the wooly bugger. Once you’ve mastered it, start adding some variations in colors, flash, and different weights. I could have 2 full boxes of these and probably not need another streamer for anywhere I fish for any freshwater species.

Stalcup’s Baetis is the epitome of a perfectly proportioned small mayfly nymph. The d-rib creates some unsurpassed segmentation that will have the fish foaming at the mouth and ready to chow down. They are also easy enough to tie that you should have a few sizes and colors in your box, at the ready, at all times. This pattern can easily become a confidence fly for any angler who fishes baetis often.

The Elk Hair Caddis is truly one of the best flies ever invented. In addition to fishing really well, the Elk Hair Caddis is a great fly to get into tying dry flies; it contains a lot of the basics an angler should know to get into tying the tougher dry fly patterns. The Elk Hair Caddis imitates the classic tent-wing shape of the caddisfly very well, while also imitating several stonefly species, making this fly a spectacular selection for the summer times when the hatch is on. The hackle on this fly acts as legs, but also provides several points for the fly to distribute its weight on the surface of the water, increasing its floatability. The Elk Hair Caddis is a killer fly that is easy to tie; every angler should have this in their fly box.

The Son of a San Juan worm is a really great pattern for use in your favorite tailwater. The San Juan Worm, and annelid imitating flies, will catch flies in every water system on the planet- and this one is great for your pickier fish that still like a good snack. This is an effective pattern as a lead fly, but has great versatility to be used as a trailer as well. No matter where you are fishing, this is a great fly to tie on that fish are sure to eat.