Dry Flies, Nymphs, Streamers and Wets (forget the eggs, worms, terrestrials and mouse patterns for now). As a beginning fly fisher, I would suggest the inclusion of a few wet flies and streamers in your arsenal. And, as you hone those skills on a drag free drift for the dry and watching for the strike indicator/sighter to dip for the nymphs, don’t forget to learn how to present a wet fly (it is more than just down and across swings) and the streamer.

Slow your presentations down to move with the current speeds and dissect the holding lies to move the fly via mends into prime holding spots. Simply swinging the wet or streamer through a stretch of water will catch some fish, but you will up your odds if you guide the fly’s path through the water. Learning to correctly present these two pattern styles can also greatly enhance anyone’s efforts to learn traditional fly fishing for steelhead or salmon too.