Top 12 Guide Flies and Confidence Flies for Subsurface Trout
One of the most common questions I hear is “what flies do I need for fly fishing?” Answers vary greatly depending on the species you intend to target, the waters you plan to fish, and the insects and baitfish available in those waters. The first two aspects – species and location – can help you narrow down fly choice to particular patterns, but the third part is trickier.
Truth is, most new anglers have no idea what insects and baitfish live in their local waters. They’re new to the sport, after all. They may have a general idea, such as mayflies, caddis, stoneflies, and minnows, but they may not know how to identify the differences between mayfly species, for example, or how to match the hatch. That’s where guide flies and confidence flies come in. These are proven patterns that anglers have faith in because they often work in a variety of situations, and while they may not represent a specific species, they’re often general enough to imitate a variety of insects. And that is exactly what makes them so effective.
Let’s discuss the differences between guide flies and confidence flies. In this particular article, we’ll focus on nymphs and streamers because subsurface foods can make up to 90% (or more, in some streams) of a trout’s diet. Therefore, most of your time on the water will be spent either nymphing or fishing with streamers, and you’ll have more success using flies that have proven their worth.
Keep in mind, though, that my selections might differ slightly from yours. The curious part of confidence on the water is that so much of it involves the mental aspects of fly fishing, almost to the point of superstition. Regardless, these patterns are a great place to start as you build your own selection of guide flies and confidence flies.
Guide Flies Versus Confidence Flies
Essentially, guide flies and confidence flies are different names for the same thing. The main difference is that guide flies are typically patterns that require only a couple materials and can be tied quickly – after a long day on the water as you prepare for the next trip, for instance.
Confidence flies, on the other hand, can be any pattern, regardless of tying difficulty, that we have faith in. When we hit the water, we typically start the day with one of these flies tied on our tippet because we know they work.
As a licensed fly fishing guide, I definitely appreciate effective patterns that are easy to construct. At the end of a long day on the water, the last thing I want to do is spend all night replacing patterns that were lost by clients. That can be exhausting, and I’ve learned that a good night’s rest makes me an even better guide the following day. So it’s no surprise to me that many of the flies in my box are simple patterns that I rely on to catch fish day in, day out. My guide flies are also my confidence flies! All of these patterns require only a couple of materials to tie and can be whipped up in just a few minutes. With these patterns, you’ll spend less time at the vise and more time catching fish.
Top 12 Guide Flies and Confidence Flies for Trout
These patterns cover a wide variety of situations. I’ll mention hook sizes throughout this section, but bead size is perhaps the most important. Although I may tie a fly primarily in size 14, I’ll tie it with bead sizes ranging from 4.0mm down to 2.8mm. This will allow me to fish a variety of water, from slow, deep pools to shallow, fast-moving riffles.
There are nine nymphs and three streamers on my list of guide flies and confidence flies. Let’s start with the nymphs.
1. Purple-Beaded Walt: In my opinion, purple is an under-utilized color for trout. A few years ago, I ended up with a bag of metallic purple beads and wondered what would happen if I used them instead of gold or copper on my Walt’s Worms. And instead of tying the body using natural hare’s ear, I tied it with dark hare’s ear. The results were astounding, and this fly has become my all-around top-producing nymph in sizes 14 and 16. This is the ultimate imitation for baetis (blue wing olive), which are some of the most common mayfly species found throughout North America.
2. Rainbow Walt’s Worm: I’m not exactly sure where I learned about this pattern, but it ranks right up there with the Purple-Beaded Walt. This one uses Light Rainbow Scud Dub for the body and is tied with a green hot-spot collar, and I frequently tie it in size 16. One of the keys to this fly’s effectiveness is that it’s absolutely deadly later in the season when Sulphur nymphs get active. However, it will produce fish year round and in all water types. For early season, I also tie this pattern with Dark Rainbow Scud Dub, which is excellent for imitating Hendrickson nymphs. I carry these in primarily size 14.
Check out the Sexy Walt Assortment in the online store. This assortment includes both Light and Dark Rainbow Walt’s, the Sexy Walt, and a Black and Chartreuse variation.
3. Hare and Copper: For a general, all purpose mayfly nymph, it’s hard to beat the Hare and Copper. This is one that I tie in sizes 12, 14, 16, and 18. The contrast between the dark hare’s ear body, tan collar, and coffee brown hot spot are irresistible to trout! Although this pattern works great all times of year, it’s most effective from May through June, when mayfly nymphs are most active.
4. Blow Torch: I’ve written about this one quite a bit lately, and for good reason. It works. When more subtle nymphs aren’t producing strikes, I throw on a Blow Torch and get to work. The combination of CDC collar and black peacock body give this both life and universal appeal. It represents a large variety of subsurface foods trout like to eat. The sharp contrast of the orange tag and hot spot also make it a great fly for high, off-color, or slightly tannic water, too.
5. Eggstasy Egg: Eggs are an important part of a trout’s diet year round, so you can’t go wrong with a good selection of egg patterns, particularly Eggstasy Eggs. Most people prefer pink for trout, but my overall top choice is Fluorescent Cheese, and I tie it with a metallic orange bead on a size 12 jig-style hook. Fluorescent Cheese works exceptionally well for wild and holdover brown trout, which don’t eat pink eggs as readily. Also, opt for the true Eggstasy Yarn for tying this, not the Roe Yarn, which is larger. Most fly fishers, I feel, use egg patterns that are too big. Natural fish eggs, particularly those of trout and suckers, are smaller. Don’t be afraid to tie your egg patterns in sizes 14 and 16, too.
Read this article to learn about timing the sucker spawn on central Pennsylvania streams. To imitate sucker eggs, tie your Eggstasy Eggs in Sweet Corn color on a size 14-16 hook with orange bead. And check out this article for more tips on which egg colors to use and when: “Egg Patterns for Trout: Best Colors, Sizes, When, and How to Fish Them.”
Also check out the Eggstasy Egg Assortment available in the online store.
6. Squirmy Worm: Yes, it’s considered a “junk fly,” but dang does it catch fish! I tie this on a size 12 hook in natural colors, but hot pink is also a favorite. More than anything, though, I find the Squirmy (tied with a 3.2mm tungsten bead) makes a fantastic anchor fly in deeper and faster water. In that regard, it serves two purposes in my fly box: an attractor pattern that also slows my presentation down when needed. And besides, what trout can resist a juicy-looking worm?
Here’s an article about tying the Squirmy Worm that you might want to check out.
7. Pheasant Tail Nymph: This can include any number of Pheasant Tail Nymph variations, from the Frenchie to the Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, and I tie it in all sizes, ranging from size 12 all the way down to size 20. Also, this is one of the few patterns in my fly box that I use a lot with no bead – yes, no bead! – because it’s perhaps my favorite pattern for dropping under a dry fly in a dry-dropper rig for fishing sections of stream that are low and slow. The past few years have seen incredibly low water levels in the Eastern United States, and as a result, trout have been skittish later in the season. This is when a traditional Pheasant Tail, with no bead, absolutely slays trout.
8. Perdigons: These simple, bullet-shaped flies defy all logic for me. So much of fly tying revolves around creating patterns that represent food sources or appear lifelike in the water. And along comes Perdigons. My two favorite Perdigons are the all-black version tied on a Czech nymph-style hook and the BWO Perdigon tied on a standard jig-style hook. I commonly use both on size 16-18 hooks, heavily weighted with a lead underbody as well a slightly-oversized bead – a Perdigon tied with a 3.2mm tungsten bead on a size 16 hook drops like a rock in even the heaviest current.
To learn more about Perdigons, read “Fishing and Tying Perdigons.”
9. Green-Assed Walt’s: This is perhaps the most “specialized” pattern on my list, but when it works, there’s nothing that compares. I often catch fish on this all spring, from early April through about third week of May here in Pennsylvania, any time you see Grannoms or other caddis in the air. This is basically a peeking caddis imitation, and is definitely the easiest one I’ve ever tied. Here’s a video that shows you exactly how to tie the Green-Assed Walt’s.
The last two patterns on my list of guide flies and confidence flies are streamers.
10. Woolly Bugger: Of course! Woolly Buggers have been used to catch almost everything that swims. They’re a truly versatile pattern that can be stripped, swung, dead-drifted, or any combination of these depending on the mood of the fish that day. They can be tied in endless color combinations, but my top choices for trout are olive, black, and white in sizes 6-12.
11. Sculp Snack: This George Daniel pattern is an absolute killer on trout and bass. I use this one in olive early in the season and in crawfish orange later in the season, in size 8. Tied on a long shank, jig hook, the Sculp Snack can be fished much like a Woolly Bugger, but it’s also a lot easy to jig, which can elicit massive strikes from trout and bass. Also, the rubber legs provide a different type of action than other streamers such as the Woolly Bugger, and it can work when nothing else will. I tie this in sizes 4 and 8.
12. Jiggy Bugger: Fishing streamers on Euro rigs has been the rage in recent years, and there’s no doubt, it’s an effective tactic. I tie my Jiggy Buggers in sizes 8-14 with varying bead sizes. These are basically just scaled down Woolly Buggers that sink quickly and are easier to jig and induce movement, but they are excellent for fishing on mono rigs when Euro nymphing or tight lining. My two favorite colors are black/purple and white.
Finding Flies You Have Confidence In
Over the years, I’ve tied and used so many different patterns that it was hard to keep track of what worked best and when. Some were very niche-oriented and only worked well in certain conditions or specific times of year. Others worked extremely well one time and then never worked again because I never encountered those identical conditions again. Soon my fly boxes became bloated with patterns that went unused 51 weeks out of the year.
Over time, I’ve narrowed down my fly selection to include the dozen patterns mentioned here – although I feel 12 is probably still too many! But each of these patterns serves a purpose in my fly box. They fill a void. Which pattern I use when is more a product of conditions than anything else, and so I have based my selection of guide flies and confidence flies around having something I can have faith in no matter what conditions I encounter.
While most anglers, especially new fly fishers, put a lot of emphasis on the fly pattern for their success, the truth is that how it’s presented often makes the biggest difference. The perfect fly with a poor presentation will never do as well as the wrong fly with a perfect presentation. Even on the most high-pressured streams and rivers where trout are known for their selectivity, if you do a stomach sample, you’ll find an assortment of insects among the contents. This tells me that trout are always feeding on a multitude of foods, not keying in on only one exact species…most of the time. Sure, there are definitely times when fish can become selective – during a hatch, for instance – but for most subsurface fishing scenarios, it’s important to remember that trout are opportunists.
And this is why guide flies and confidence flies are so important. These are patterns you have faith in. Believing a fly will work is half the battle. Regardless of the actual pattern you’re using, if you fish it with confidence, you’ll inevitably have more success.
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