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2 For $50: Full-Price Ball Caps | Details
To take advantage of this offer, choose any two eligible full-price Orvis® Ball Caps and add them to your shopping cart. The price will be automatically reduced at checkout. Valid on select full-price styles. Exclusions apply. See orvis.com/exclusions for details. This offer is valid for purchases online at orvis.com and at participating Orvis retail stores. Not valid on sale items, previous purchases, or at Orvis Outlet stores. Cannot be combined with any other promotional offer. Limited-time offer.
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Dry flies are fished on the surface and imitate insects that trout and bass expect to see there, hatching, drifting, or falling into the water. Most dry flies represent the adult stage of aquatic insects like mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies, along with terrestrials such as grasshoppers and ants.
Proportions offer the biggest clue. On most dry flies, the body covers about 60–75% of the hook shank. The wings and tail are typically about the same length as the shank, and the hackle is about one-and-a-half times the length of the shank. These features help the fly float and sit correctly on the surface. Wet flies, by comparison, are designed to sink. They often include bead heads or weighted bodies and have a slimmer, more streamlined profile.
The difference comes down to where they fish. Dry flies stay on the surface, while wet flies are meant to sink and fish below it. Visually, dry flies tend to look lighter and more buoyant, with hackle and materials that trap air. Wet flies rely on weight and denser materials to get down and imitate subsurface prey like aquatic insects, baitfish, crayfish, or frogs.
The Adams Parachute, regular Adams, Stimulator, and Elk Wing Caddis are reliable choices on many trout waters. When fish are focused on emergers, patterns like the Sparkle Dun can be especially effective. Larger attractor patterns, such as the Chernobyl Ant, also work great when trout are willing to look up.
The Fluttering Blue Damsel is a consistent option, along with patterns like Dave’s Cricket and the Black Toast Ant, which work well when bass are feeding near the surface.
The Adams Parachute is widely considered the most popular dry fly, thanks to its versatility and ability to imitate a range of insects. Other longtime favorites include the Stimulator and Elk Wing Caddis.
Our dry fly fishing flies, made to mimic spring mayflies, midges, and caddis, come in a range of sizes to match the hatch and draw strikes from selective fish. They ride low in the film like real insects, and trout can’t seem to resist them. These patterns have earned a permanent spot in our fly boxes, and we think they’ll earn one in yours. Choose from proven single flies or boxed assortments with patterns that bring up fish again and again.