Which fly?
 

Let’s say you were heading to your favorite stillwater for the day, but forgot your fly box at home. Which fly would you hope to have tied on your rod to save the day? What’s your number one pick for this time of year?

Fly
 

Balanced leach, under an indicator.

gold bead, hare's ear nymph, flashback

Ditto, worked for me today. But what if you leave your indicators behind?

Then you fish like a man.

Ask the guy with the bobber and the worm for an extra bobber. Same thing.

Yes, but indicator sounds much more "technical"...:thinking-006:

Would have to head home, remove my leader and flies after every trip.

#6 or #8 black leech/wooley bugger with red bead head.

The last 2 seasons I only fished with one fly on well over 200 outings, I'd do the same thing

Gold bead-headed prince nymph, #10, tied on a Tiemco dry fly hook. Positively deadly. Would turn around and head home if I forgot these.

Brass bead head leech.

Brown wooly bugger made with soft hackle. Key being soft hackle. That fly works so well the Ab government is thinking about outlawing it. Hopefully this won't go ahead with a new government.

What?

Olive Scud with light olive ice dub body and Easter Basket grass scud back, segmented.

GroundHogger: Great stream fly but never heard of it being a lake fly. What stillwater bug do you suppose it mimics? I will plan on giving the Prince more lake time after reading your post. Thanx.

And haughty:kick:

For some reason water boatman patterns work well at this time. Usually well back of the boat in 5 fow.

Drewski

Annie, Annie, Annie: I'm going to grow a Tom Rosenbauer beard to earn your respect...:sHa_shakeshout::sHa_shakeshout:

My goto for stillwater is a scud missle!:sHa_shakeshout:
Cat

Olive or black, bead head wooly bugger in smaller sizes, 6-10 is my go to,
Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and saltwater, its worked for me,

Well, I'm here in the east...so typically, "lake fishing" and "trout" are seldom used in the same sentence. lol At least when it comes to fly fishing. The vast majority of our (hundred of thousands) lakes are warm water. Those that have trout populations tend to have seasons that prevent you from fishing them when they're likely to be at a depth where they'd be vulnerable to fly fishing techniques. I still drag a 200gr sink tip at ridiculous depths and find the dumb ones from time to time. :)

That said, it is a nymph I used in streams and rivers to great effect..no matter what time of the season, fish can't seem to resist. If they do, I just go a bit smaller to correct for that. Resident trout, but also (Great Lakes) steelhead in the spring/fall. I've caught pink salmon in the fall with this fly (streams running into Lake Huron and Lake Superior), and have cracked the mystery of big lock-jawed smallmouth with this pattern too. (lake fishing on rocky shoals)

The largest, wild brown I ever caught was on a very simplified PT nymph...but it's a pattern that performs almost as well as the PN, though I only use for river/stream trout.

It is a semi popular fly at Bullshead when the boatman are active. People use it suspended beneath a bobber. I have never personally used it, much prefer a boatman pattern. Most that use it buy their flies as opposed to tying it.

Prince also known as a Brownforked Martinez
 

Works just as well on the Bow I think the key to it are the white goose biots for wings I also tie it using red peacock AKA Bloody Prince

A pretty reliable wet fly for still water in Alberta is a royal coachman.

Gimmee a red doc spratley about a 6 or an 8 please...I'll drag it around the potholes till there's nothing left of it except a couple wraps of thread. Black zonker 2nd pick for stocked trouts.

Which fly
 

I’ve had great luck trolling a black Doc Spratley. Size 10.

😂👍
Haha luv it!! 👍
Fishing flies under a bobber isn’t flyfishing.....bobbers are for worms and 5 year olds....and calling a bobber an indicator doesn’t make it any less gay.😝
Oh yea....almost forgot the topic,lol
#8 black WB if I could only have one fly for life.

Some of the comment on here epitomize why some new flyfishermen don’t post here and why many categorize us who use the long rod as outright snobs!:sHa_sarcasticlol:
Cat

Water Boatmen! lots of little pothole lake rainbows love them!