Hundreds of flies exist for catching trout and there are hundreds of thousands of places to fish for trout in the United States. When looking for places to fish near you a variety of ways can help--onWater Fish is one of the best and your local fly shop is another great resource. But what do you do when you are finally on the water, knee deep in a great fishing river near you and it is now time to choose the best fly pattern for catching trout? You start by making sure you at least one of the 8 Best Trout Flies .

With the myriad of fly patterns available to anglers today, it is impossible to create one list to end all lists, but if you ask a hundred anglers wanting to fly fish for trout, it is very likely these 8 best trout flies will be on nearly every anglers list. In no particular order here are the 8 best trout flies for fishing near you.

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Parachute Adams. A time tested classic take on the original Adams dry fly. Tied to imitate a mayfly, it is easy to see, floats high, and most trout feeding on a mayfly hatch will give a well presented Parachute Adams a good look.

Beadhead Pheasant Tail. Keep in line with a proven mayfly pattern, every fly box should have a beadhead Pheasant Tail. Mainly used for imitating mayfly nymphs, this can also work as a caddis pupa or midge larva. With peacock hurl and just enough flash, it is an essential trout fly to use.

Elk Hair Caddis. Caddis live in nearly every trout river in the United States. Because of this and because caddis make up a good portion of a trout's diet, don't be caught fishing without this high-floating and natural looking adult caddis imitation.

Wooly Bugger (beadhead, conehead, or unweighted). Trout eat other trout, baitfish, crayfish, and large nymphs. A Wooly Bugger can imitate all of those important trout foods. With the ability to be tied several different ways and in a variety of colors, don't leave home to fish a river near you with out this fly.

Stimulator. Created by Randall Kaufman for the waters of Oregon, the Stimulator can imitate a lot of different hatching insects. From a stonefly to a caddis to a hopper to a cricket and anything else buggy that may fall into the water, the Stimulator is a time-tested favorite fly for fishing for trout.

Beadhead Prince Nymph. Just like a beadhead Pheasant Tail is crucial for imitating a mayfly or midge nymph or larva, a beadhhead Prince is important to imitate caddis and stonefly nymphs. Also with peacock hurl and flash, a hungry trout chasing caddis or stoneflies will give this a good gander.

Scuds and sowbugs. Granted, there are several patterns that have been created to imitate scuds and sow bugs. If you fish on tailwater trout rivers and spring creeks, you must have a good selection of Ray Charles, scuds, and the like.

Copper John. This weighted nymph burst onto the angling scene in the 1990s...and for good reason. It catches fish. Imitating a variety of subsurface trout foods, carry a good selection of Copper Johns anytime you go fishing near you.

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And....one bonus fly:

Zebra Midge. This small fly is meant to imitate midge larva but can also be used for caddis and mayfly nymphs and emergers. It is simple but very effective to catch picky trout when other flies might not work.

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There you have it! 8 of the Best Trout Flies for fly fishing a river near you or one far away. The next time you go fishing for trout be sure to have these proven patterns.

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