SELECTING DRY FLIES

This article is intended to give helpful information on dry flies and their selection. There are many conderations in choosing the dry fly for a given situation. With the variety of dry flies available in color variation and hook size, the task is not simple, but with some basic information on insects and the dry flies that immitate them, even the novice fly fisher will be able to confidently choose a pattern. Below are some attributes and situations to consider when selecting dry flies.

COLOR: During cool weather ( spring / fall and cloudy weather ) many of the insects that hatch are dark.  This adaptation allows for solar heat gain to aid in getting their metabolisms going and for them to get airborne for their nuptial flights.  The classic example of this is the Baetis or Blue Wing Olive.  The adult of this group has generally a dark slate blue/gray wings legs and back.  A look at hatch charts will show that this bug hatches during the cool weather months.

Conversely during the hot weather months most insects tend to be light.  Shades of yellow ,tan and white are common.  This adaptation prevents dehydration in the intense summer sun.  Most insects cant drink water in adult stages. A classic example of this is the E. infrequens or Pale Morning Dun mayfly.  The most notable colors are cream to pale yellow.  This bug hatches June to September in the Western US.

WATER TYPE: Often times I will choose what type of fly to use based on the
water I am going to fish.  The construction of dry flies is aimed at making them float  while looking like an insect.  These two goals are often at odds and you must sacrifice exact imitation to gain floatability. In rough water the fish have just a brief moment to take the fly or let it pass.  In this instance exact imitation can be sacrificed in favor of buoyancy. with flies such as the Irresistible which has a
spun deer hair body and is heavily hackled.  Deer, elk  and many other hairs have small air pockets inside each hair which provides insulation for the animal.  This also makes a very buoyant tying material.  Hair also holds floatant well.  This pattern floats like a cork and the plump body is a far  from exact imitation. 

The opposite is true on smooth surfaced waters, here the fish have a long time
to look at your offering and the surface tension is enough to float your bug. 
The Adams Family can easily illustrate the point.   The classic Adams is designed to float well, the fly rides on the hackle tips and the tail with the hook suspended above the water surface.  It is the second most buoyant of the series. 

The Parachute Adams is the next in terms of approaching imitation and leaving
floatability.  The parachutes are really emergers rather than true dry flies.  The fly hangs by the hackle with the hook, body and tail in the film.  The surface tension has been broken and it will not take as rough a surface as the Adams.  

The Adams Cripple also hangs by it¹s hackle and is more conducive to smoother flows.  

The other end of the spectrum from the Irresistible is the Compara Dun, Adams.  It is the most exact imitation of the profile of an adult mayfly when viewed from under water.  It has no hackle and it sits in the film.  This has become the fly style of choice for the serious spring creek angler.  

I consider the Adams as a color scheme (gray body with brown and gray hackle), it is possible to have all of these pattern types as Blue Wing Olives, Pale Morning Duns or Black Gnats.  Take a look at the caddis images and you can see the progression from buoyant to imitative in this order: Goddard, Elk Hair Caddis, Little Yellow Sally, Kings River and X-Caddis.