The "Filthy Thirteen" Selection of Flies

If you read my last post you know I forgot my nymph box up North and have feverishly been tying a new fly box up for the early trout season.  160 flies later and my nymph tying mission is mostly complete.  I was reminded artists are willing to suffer for their work; and, suffer I did… tying most evenings after a full day in the office during the last two weeks.  Don't ask about current events during this period… I haven't a clue; other than the Super Bowl is later today and some ape in a zoo in Utah picked the Seahawks to win it.

Everyone has their top ten lists of flies and so on.  I am by no means a master tier but thought I'd share mine for the early season… the "Filthy Thirteen" I call it.  These have been reliable choices over the last 20 or so years waving the long rod on driftless area and karstic streams in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The lost fly box has been rebuilt.  

 The Filthy Thirteen (in no particular order):

1. Gold-Bead Hare's Ear, Tan - Sizes 14-18
2. Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear, Olive - Sizes 14-16
3. American Pheasant Tail - Sizes 16-20
4. Prince Nymph - Sizes 14-18
5. Zug Bug - Size 14
6. RS2, Blue Dun - Sizes 18-20
7. Gold-bead Brassie, Red - Sizes 18-20
8. Serendipity, Red - Sizes 18-20
9. Serendipity, Olive - Sizes 18-20
10. Zebra Midge, Black - Sizes 18-20
11. Zebra Midge, Red - Sizes 18-20
12. Higa's S.O.S. - Sizes 18-20
13. Al's Rat - Size 24

This selection of flies will cover most subsurface mayfly and midge activity on the stream at any given time.  I did not include scud patterns on this list but have found messy Olive Hare's Ears do a fine enough job imitating them.  Caddis pupa are represented in this selection by the Olive Serendipity as well as the Zug Bug, which imitates nicely a cased pupa in addition to being an ambiguous nymph pattern.  

As I write this we are currently in another wind chill advisory with values expected today at -20 to -30 degrees F.  Hopefully, this weather turns around soon so I can hit the stream and send the Filthy Thirteen into action.

  

Learn more about the real Filthy Thirteen here.