| The 4 you mentioned are definitely amongst my top dries. I'd say my fav of those is the caddis. I've had more luck with an elk or deer hair caddis fly (size 12 or 14) than anything on the top of the water - year-round. I was out on the local stream in November using a caddis/nymph dropper rig, and got more hits on the caddis than the nymph...And there wasn't a damn thing hatching at the time! I don't know what it is about that fly pattern, but the trout seem attracted to it just about any time of year.
If your timing is right and your on the right stream, another fun dry to fish is the hopper. There's a dozen or so different patterns I've seen, but they all have the same basic look on the top of the water. That's gotta be one of the most exciting flies to get hits on, too...the trout nail those things like a great white once they've comitted to it! |