15 Best Trout Flies For August

One of the most asked questions we get is What Fly Should I use?  Its understandable, as there are over 6000 fly patterns on the market today.

The best fly fishing flies assortment to use in August should perfectly combine the suitable patterns and features that promote light visibility, especially in water bodies with strong currents. We have taken the time to gather the best 15 fly fishing flies for trout during August. Consider this fly fishing flies 101. 

August is here, and you want your next fishing trip to be productive. But without the right trout flies in your fly box, you might head home head hung. We don't want that for you. So read on to know which trout fly options you should be looking at for August.

Dry Flies

1. Baetis Vis-A-Dun

Baetis Vis-A-Dun is an excellent partner to have as far as flies for trout in August are concerned. Its design allows it to ride low simultaneously, making it difficult to lose sight of it thanks to its poly yarn wing. If you do not want to go home disappointed from your fishing expedition this August, then you need to include this dry fly in your fly box.

The Baetis Vis-A-Dun fly is pretty easy to find as they are available in most local fly shops. However, if you decide to create one as a fun DIY project, you will need a dry fly hook size between 14 to 22. You'll also need a thread, preferably 70 Denier Ultra thread, and a light grey or poly yarn dun for the wing. You can make your fly tail from Coq de Leon fibers and opt for a fine natural dubbing for the fly's abdomen and thorax.

Baetis Vis-A-Dun is an excellent hatch matcher for small BWO mayflies.

2. Comparadun PMD 

The Comparadun PMD style utilizes deer hair to imitate the mayfly wing without any hassle at all. Like other PMDs or Pale Modern Duns, it provides some of the finest dry fly action for August fishing. 

The Pale Modern Duns are some of the most popularly used dry fly patterns in trout fishing. The pattern features a 180-degrees deer hair wing that helps to keep the fly riding pretty low under the water and remains visible above it. Its design allows it to float rather seamlessly while serving as the perfectly irresistible bait for even the pickiest fish. The tail of the Comparadun PMD is forked to give it a very realistic-looking silhouette on the water surface, making it an even more attractive bait for fishes.

This trout fly pattern is available mainly in sizes 16 and 18 and will form the perfect addition to any fly box for fishing in August.

3. Last Chance Cripple - BWO

Moving on, we have the Last Chance Cripple - BWO (Blue Winged Olive). Fishing lovers have Rene Harrop to thank for this effective fly pattern. Unlike the Comparadun PMD, this pattern uses CDC instead of dear hair and offers equally impressive results. It is easy to use, and you can pretty much tie it to match a variety of mayfly species. If you have already tried using this pattern before, you probably agree that it offers one of the most consistent and productive cripple patterns.

The Last Chance Cripple series, on the whole, is excellent for selective fishes. Available in sizes ranging from 16 to 22, you can adapt the Last Chance Cripple - BWO to imitate or match a variety of other mayfly species. You can use the Blue Winged Olive variation (the Baetis version) on any local waters and expect great results.

You can also learn to tie this pattern rather effortlessly. Like a piece of delicious hung meat to a starving bear, if you want to attract many fishes, you need to add this pattern to your fly box this August.

4. Trico Spinners

Up next, we have the Trico Spinners. Tricos are small mayflies of the Tricorythodes genus that hatch in prolific numbers, especially from July to October. And this makes them one the most important food sources even for the most finicky trouts. That, along with other reasons, makes the Trico Spinners one of the best trout flies for August. 

These fly patterns usually come in sizes that range from 20 to 24, but it shouldn't matter which size you choose to include in your fly box, as they will make your experience very easy. This is because the fishes are used to rising upward to consume the tricos. They lose some of the usual cautious nature they display, making them less difficult to catch. Another great thing about using the Trico Spinners for trout fishing is that the rest of the fishes continue to look upward for more tricos, meaning you'll have a higher success rate with your catches. Don't go for your next fishing trip with this fly pattern in your fly box.

5. Parachute Adams

There is a reason why this is one of the most used or most effective trout flies for August, and indeed of all time. If you were a fish (which you are not), a Parachute Adams fly would take the form of or imitate an adult mayfly to you. This fly pattern imitates or more accurately represents a mayfly reaching the later stages of emergence rather than looking like the typical dun with hardened wings and floating high.

Traditionally, a Parachute Adams comes with a grey body, a white post for its parachute, as well as an auburn hackle and tail. However, don't be surprised to walk into your local fly store and find Parachute Adams with various body colors ranging from tan to purple and even yellow. The best color should depend on the type of water body you want to fish on.

6.  Elk Wing Caddis (Tan)

The following entry onto our list is the Elk Wing Caddis (Tan). The Elk Wing Caddis, in general, is one of the most popular flies ever designed. The sad thing is that most fishing lovers hesitate to give caddies the same attention they give mayflies. But the Elk Wing Caddis (Tan) comes with no complications to its design (and maybe that's the problem, in a sport where over-complication seems to be trendy).

But don't let the lack of complication in this design fool you; these little guys have a proven track record of presence. For example, you can find caddies flies in almost every trout water body or stream in the United States.

The Elk Wing Caddis Tan variant is only distinguished because of its color from the other caddies. And this is where its slight advantage or dominance shows when it comes to fishing in August. Easy catch! By changing the color of the body or wing to tan, you can imitate most down-wing flies found on the water bodies in August.

7.  Elk Hair Caddis CDC- Olive

Still, in the caddis grove, the next entry into our list of the best trout for August is the Elk Hair Caddis CDC- Olive. Like the previous entry (the Elk Wing Caddis - Tan), this caddis type offers one of the best performances in August because of its olive body color variant, which is very effective when used on water bodies during this month.

Beyond its appealing body and color variant, this caddis type also adds flutter and buoyancy. Its design allows it to float very effortlessly even in rough water bodies while remaining durable. Additionally, this caddis variant is very deadly (not to you, but the fishes), as it is effective in attracting, trapping, and even the pickiest fishes.

Another thing that makes the Elk Hair Caddis CDC- Olive popular in the world of dry fly imitation is the excellent visibility it offers. Add this to your fly box this August, and you'll have a proven fish catching aid.

Stimulators - Large Dry Flies

8. Humpy Royal

If you are looking for a dry fly pattern designed to raise your fishing game (and catch), then you are looking for the Humpy Royal size 12. This is yet another must-have in your fly box in August.

Various trout types quickly become suckers for this straight-up attractor dry fly. The Humpy Royal is a great attractor pattern that makes for a leisurely fishing fly, featuring an all-time classic pattern tied with foam. That ensures that it stays floating no matter the type of water body you use it on, whether streamy or fast running water. Its heavily dressed pattern also offers high visibility while promoting maximum floating stability. The design also features an underbody of various colors to choose from, with each color promising an effective trout magnet.

This fly is your ticket to a faster and result-driven fishing experience, don't hesitate to throw a few of these into your fly box for your next fishing adventure.

9. Parachute Humpy Ant

Mating swarms of fly ants offer an attractive feeding option for trout and angler, making Parachute Humpy Ant trout flies one of the best for August. Affectionately known as humpies, these little bad boys are the big fish catchers. One of the main things that make humpies so effective is that they exhibit a terrestrial-like nature. That means they float effortlessly, lightly, and seamlessly while remaining pretty visible, unlike the other standard ant and beetle patterns.

You shouldn't have too much difficulty finding the Parachute Humpy Ant in your local fly store. Or you can choose to create one from scratch at home. Despite its complex-looking appearance, making this fly pattern isn't complicated.

10. Half Chernobyl in Tan/Yellow 

Half Chernobyl in Tan/Yellow is the next entry on our list. This is a beautiful salmon fly variation of what has become a classic Chernobyl Ant fly. Again, like other fly patterns already mentioned on this list, the tan or yellow color variations play a role in making this very effective during August. 

The Half Chernobyl fly wasted no time launching itself into legendary status, and this yellow/tan variation will show you just why this pattern is so popular. Its hair wing addition makes it even more effective, expanding the fly's catching potency and widening its reach to attract more fish varieties. The design imitates salmon flies, Skala, cicadas, droppers, attractors, and so on.

Add a couple of Half Chernobyl in Tan/Yellow to your fly box, and they will make a believer out of you in no time.

Emergers 

11. CDC Midge Pupa - Red 

The CDC Midge Pupa - Red offers more of a fly style than a pattern, and that gives you more freedom to adjust or tweak it to suit you. As the name suggests, this Midge Pupa comes with a CDC overwing, which can help when fishing with this fly in the surface film.

However, the CDC overwing isn't there to make the fly float. Instead, the material helps trap air bubbles and make the fly display or exhibit unusual movement while underwater. But you still have the freedom to add some sub-surface patterns. You can fish this fly with the help of a mid-column, a nymph ring, or even opt of fish close to the surface on a greased leader ring.

One of the great things about this fly is that you can easily make it at home. And unlike other trout flies, making it does not require sophisticated materials. You only need three materials to make the CDC Midge Pupa, and that includes a red thread for your red-color finish.

12. Baetis Barr Emergers Plain

The Baetis Barr Emergers (plain) is one of the trout flies that should be high on your list. Its design features a simple and yet unique concoction of dubbing and feathers, making the fly an all-around great option to have in your fly box. Thanks to John Barr, fishing lovers have a trout fly that will not merely make the number in your flies collection. 

According to the creator of this trout fly pattern, it was made with the intention of imitating an adult insect that looks like it is creeping out of a nympha shuck. The Baetis Barr Emergers Plain offers an exceptional Baetis imitation and works wonders when fishing under a wide range of conditions.

This is one fly you need to have in your fishing arsenal, especially if you prefer fishing many Baetis imitations. John Barr has blessed the fishing world by creating some of the best fly tiers of this generation. So, there's no reason not to trust this plain variation.

13. Barr Emergers BWO - Beadhead

John Barr makes another entry onto our list with the Barr Emergers BWO - Beadhead. If you're looking for a trout fly that is a bit more 'flashy' underwater, then you might want to consider this option seriously. The Barr Emergers BWO - Beadhead has earned its stripes as one of the most reliable options for trout fishing.

Like you would expect from an emerger fly pattern, it is designed to imitate an aquatic insect larva that is in the process of metamorphosing into a flying insect. The main feature of this emerger is that it comes with a bead head that promises increased bites and successful catches. Its design also ensures that it works very well for you during a BWO hatch when you want to be underneath also. It also works perfectly as a dropper or a stand-alone trout fly in slow runs and water bodies that offer gentle glides.

14.  CDC Caddis Emerger

Up next, we have the Cdc Caddis Emerger, which offers an excellent caddis pattern. The fly’s design allows for sitting low in the water body and attracting even the picky fishes upward. It usually features a dun Cdc wing, a biot body and is primarily available in sizes ranging from 16 to 18.

The CDC caddis emerger became one of the favorite patterns to fish during a caddisfly emergence. If you have seen your guide netting more fish than you or that guy across you hooking in fish after fish, then this is the fly they're probably using. So, don't hesitate to toss a couple of these bad boys in your box the next time you go fishing; you don't want to embarrass yourself two times in a row.

You will find the Cdc Caddis Emerger in your local fly shop and available in various sizes that you can use in multiple water bodies.

15. Spotlight Caddis Emerger - Olive

Last but not least, we have the Spotlight caddis emerger - Olive. Is there anything more annoying than watching that guy you invited to go fishing with you drink all your beer and still catch more fish than you? Don't let that happen to you; get the Spotlight caddis emerger - Olive variant and experience how trout fails to ignore how perfectly it imitates the naturals.

One thing that makes fishing caddis emergers a bit difficult is that they are usually way down in the film, making them pretty difficult to see. Using this caddis emerger is like killing two birds with one stone - it creates a very realistic pattern that attracts and draws strikes while offering a parachute post that increases visibility and makes it easier to see.

You will find sizes of this trout fly ranging from 14 to 16. Aside from the olive variant, you will also find black and tan variants. But the orange works best in August.

About the Author

Matthew Bernhardt, a third-generation Coloradan, grew up at the forefront of the state’s fly-fishing revolution, enjoying time on the water, side by side with experienced guides and lifelong anglers.

By combining his passion for fly-fishing with input from other experienced fly-fishers and guides and his fine arts degree from Colorado State University, Matthew spent five years carefully developing the Drifthook Fly Fishing System, built to help every angler catch more trout.

When he’s not spending time with his wonderful family, you’ll find him out on the water catching MONSTER trout, and he anxiously looks forward to the day when his kids are old enough to join him there.