Fly Fishing Flies for Trout - Streamers, Dry Flies, Midges, & Nymphs

Flies can make or break your day on the water. When you’re chasing trout, the right pattern, thrown at the right time, is what separates a slow morning from a full stringer.

We broke it down fly by fly. Hooks, colors, sizes, and what makes each one worth tying on when it matters. Having a variety of these in your fly box ensures you’re ready for whatever the water throws at you. This list features dry flies for surface action, nymphs and midges for subsurface feeding, and streamers for targeting aggressive, larger trout in deeper or murky water.

Here’s the no-BS breakdown of flies that earn their place in your box, and why they land fish when others don’t.

Dry Flies for Trout Fishing

These are your topwater troublemakers. They skate, they float, they get crushed. When trout start sipping off the surface during a hatch or the water lays flat as glass, this is your time to shine.

Adam's Parachute

The Adams Parachute shows up and does the job. It’s a mayfly mimic that fools even picky risers in slow, clear water. It’s available in a gray variant with a white post and works best on hook sizes 16 to 22. This one shines on tight creeks and technical tailwaters, where trout have seen it all and still fall for the post.

The fly’s parachute-style post increases visibility in varying light, and its ability to mimic the Dun stage of a mayfly makes it a reliable option during hatch season.

Elk Hair Caddis

If you only packed one dry fly, make it this one. The Elk Hair Caddis gets eaten in fast water, skinny water, and everything in between. Designed to mimic caddisfly hatches, this pattern performs excellently in knee-deep, shallow water or riffles where trout readily attack surface insects.

Available in tan and grizzly colors, best tied on hook sizes 14 to 18, this fly rides high on the water, staying visible and effective, even in moderately choppy conditions. This one’s earned its keep in every serious angler’s box.

Nymphs/Midges for Trout

Trout feed low most of the time. If you’re not nymphing, you’re probably missing fish. These flies imitate underwater insect stages and larvae.

Pheasant Tail

No surprises here. The Pheasant Tail puts in work all year, whether the hatch is on or not. It comes in two main versions: Natural and Bead-Head. The natural variant is lighter, sinks slowly, and works well in clear water. The bead-head version, on the other hand, is heavier, sinks faster, and is ideal for murky water or when targeting aggressive trout.

Hook sizes typically range from 14 to 18. It does a damn good job standing in for everything trout eat beneath the surface.

Prince Nymph

Call it a fantasy pattern or a classic. The Prince Nymph shows up when the current’s ripping and the trout are eating big. It typically runs on hook sizes 12 to 16 and features a peacock green body, white biot wings, and brown hackle.

Its peacock body, biot wings, and tungsten bead help it sink quickly, while the flashy materials attract trout in deep, fast currents. Drop it upstream, dead-drift it low, then give it a twitch. It’ll move like a meal tumbling in current.

Zebra Midge

Tiny but deadly. The Zebra Midge comes through when trout get picky and the water’s cold. Available in black, red, and olive variants, it’s typically fished on tiny hook sizes 18 to 22.

Whether under an indicator or Euro-nymphed along the bottom, this one stays in rotation when the bite goes soft or the fish has seen too many bugs.

Streamers for Fly Fishing Trout

These are the flies you tie on when you’re hunting something big. They look like bait, leeches, even trouble. Perfect for deep cuts, murky water, or when you’re after a trout that eats first and asks later.

Woolly Bugger

If you’re only packing one streamer, make it a Woolly Bugger. It’s the workhorse of every box. Available in black and olive variants, it typically requires hook sizes 6 to 10. This fly performs well in both clear and stained water and is highly effective against aggressive fish.

It mimics a wide range of prey, including leeches, minnows, and crayfish. Strip. Pause. Strip. That twitch is usually when they hammer it.

Muddler Minnow

The Muddler’s a wild card. Sometimes it’s a sculpin, sometimes a mouse, sometimes just enough chaos to get a hit. Tied on hook sizes 6 to 8, it features a natural tan deer hair head and olive or brown body. The Muddler Minnow excels in clear water and works well near the surface or along structure and undercuts.

It imitates sculpins, baitfish, or even small mammals like mice when fished aggressively. Best fished near undercuts and banks, where the big boys lie low and wait to pounce.

Conclusion and Final Tips for Fly Fishing

If you want to catch fish, not just cast, the right fly matters. The selection listed above covers the key categories, i.e., dry flies for surface feeders, nymphs and midges for underwater feeding, and streamers for hunting big, aggressive fish.

Quick Tips:

• Use dry flies when trout are visibly rising.
• Switch to nymphs or midges in deeper pools, faster runs, or cold water.
• Tie on streamers when targeting larger fish in murky or high water.

Keeping a mix of these flies in varied sizes and colors ensures you’re prepared for different water types and trout behavior. Stick with what works, and you’ll come back with stories. Not just sunburn.