What’s your go to, bushy attractor dry fly?

[mcswny]

If you were fishing a freestone in midsummer with nothing rising, what would be your go-to size 12-14 bushy attractor pattern that you would throw on and prospect with?

I’m looking for some more flies to tie for an upcoming backpack and I’m tired of tying the same ole thing. I have a lot of foam attractors and want to tie some buggy attractors for not to selective fish.

 

[kmudgn]

I have had good success with two non-foam buggy flies: Turks Tarantula and Royal Tied Madam X. Both are "buggy" with legs. I tie them on # 8 & 10 on a regular basis, but # 12 has worked well at times too.

 

[John Svahn]

Wright’s Royal

 

[jasmillo]

IMO, not much beats an EHC. Simple and very effective.

 

[Brute]

Libby’s Stonefly…

 

[Wetswinger]

Stimulator... Between the dry hackle and elk or deer hair wing, this thing floats. I would make it using a royal wulff body style,, peacock and red floss..

 

[FinLuver]

Stimulators, H&L, Ants…

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

When all else fails, tie on an ant (that's my mantra).

cheers

 

[RCF]

Stimulators and Humpies

Edited to add: Stimulators in larger sizes (12+) and Humpies in smaller sizes (12-). Fish one of each simultaneously...

 

[Mossback]

Early summer a stimulator
Late summer a hopper/chernobyl type fly
Fall is an ant/ beetle/ October caddis

 

[Creatch’r]

Purple or royal para wulff size 12-14 is a good one to have in the box. Floats high and easy to see and is both small enough and big enough to get attention when nothings happening. I really like hippy stompers a lot for exactly what you describe but I took what you wrote to mean no foam. Sometimes I go hippy stomper and a Parawulff double dry especially in cutthroat country.

 

[troutstalker]

I have more success using a stimulator than any other fly, hands down.

 

[mcswny]

I really like hippy stompers a lot for exactly what you describe but I took what you wrote to mean no foam.

These are my most used attractors

 

[Zak]

Small muddlers and ants. Also the Vermont Caddis.

 

[Hoofer]

Great horned buzzball, the Piano Creek Special.

 

[Matt B]

Peacock bodied stimulator and heavy hackled purple (or bi-colored black thorax w/ tan abdomen) parachute with elk hair for the post.

 

[johnnyboy]

Yellow stimulator size 14

 

[rattlesnake]

I’ll consider this “one answer” as it mostly depends on creek and time of summer.

Stimulator
EHC
Parachute adams
Crowe or foam beetle

 

[Tom Butler]

Stimulators, black is best, muddlers.

 

[FinLuver]

Early summer a stimulator
Late summer a hopper/chernobyl type fly
Fall is an ant/ beetle/ October caddis

Ants come off early/mid Summer on my favorite lil’ blue line. They are big ones too!!