A few months back I posted another article on confidence flies and here Domenick Swentosky outlines some of the best flies ever created and definitely add confidence to anyone’s day on the water. For me as I grow and continue to learn, I’ve started dialing into about six to 10 confidence flies myself and I’m seeing my fly box be consumed by these primary critters. Though I like to tie different bugs here and there, more and more I’m fishing the same bugs over and over again.

Two weeks ago on my bi-annual trip to the South Holston and Watauga fishing was great… in fact one day so good that I took about two to three hours and said “you know what, I’m going to take my confidence flies off and play around with all of these other crazy flies I sit around and tie, but never use just to see what happens”.  Uhhh, yeah, ended up back with the confidence flies and a very nice brown and rainbow just lurking on the other side of a downed tree that had been there for years in absolute crystal clear water. I actually watched this fish come up, stare at the dry March Brown I put on, and then hammer it! This was after watching these guys come up, look, and turn back under the log several times. But yep, put that dry March Brown I tie on and there you go.

Doesn’t mean the other flies are less important and that a good assortment will be needed on tricky waters, but more often than not it’s my confidence flies that make being on the water that much better.

A few of my confidence flies are:

  1. Frenchie
    1. Muskrat grey pheasant tail body, UV Ice dub shrimp pink collar, red thread hot spot
    2. Red pheasant tail body, UV Ice dub shrimp pink or UV Ice dub brown collar, yellow thread hot spot
  2. Green Lantern
  3. March Brown – dry and wet
  4. Sulfur – dry and wet
  5. NZ CDC Caddis
  6. Beadhead Prince and non-beadhead Prince
  7. F fly
  8. Polywinged Midge – black, grey, brown
  9. Soft Hackle Frenchie
  10. Soft Hackle – Black

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