I once overheard a couple of guides talking about the "guide flies" they use, which are effective flies that are very easy to tie. My brother in law (who doesn't tie) came back from a succesful guided trip in Wyoming and asked if I could tie up some of the flies they used. He pulled one out that he had kept... and it was a rather short red San Jaun worm which didn't even have the ends shaped to the traditional point. Obviously a quick tie!
So here is my theory: There are a lot of very simple, but very effective flies out there that seldom make it into the shop bins because they have little angler appeal. They just look too simple for someone to be willing to part with a buck to pick one up. Does anyone have any flies of this type they want to share? My favorite is a size 18 or 20 BHPT which uses the same fibers used for the tail for the body, and sometimes a peacock herl thorax... just for looks, because I can lose the herl while fishing this fly and still catch fish just as readily. Another is a fly I tied for my first Caddis megaswap... the dreaded "worm" fly that Byard asks us not to submit. Its nothing more than slightly tapered rust dubbing with an evenly spaced gold rib and a black thread head... but it is a very effective fly. I know we tie flies for more than just catching fish, but when there is more fishing time than tying time, it is nice to have an array of quick and dirty flies. What do you guys use?
