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A when-in-doubt-fly that can be a sedge/caddis, beetle, moth or anything you – or the fish – might fancy

This neat little beetle’s body is made from extruded neoprene cord, which is widely available and a really useful tying material

This little beetle imitation is amazingly lifelike. Using few and ordinary materials, Russian tyer Dmitri Tseliaritski makes it quick and easy to tie.

Russian Dmitri Tseliaritski's Narova foam dry fly is an easy and robust pattern template for terrestrials, beetles in particular

While looking at steelhead flies with a BC guide, one fly in particular stood out: a somewhat ugly contraption with a deer hair wing and not least an "overhanging" head, in other words tied so that the hook eye was under the fly and not in front.

The tendency is, that flies become smaller and smaller trying to fool the fish. We end up using 7X, size 24 hooks and stealth moves on the river banks. Sometimes you need to go the opposite way, if you want a big fish at end of your tippet.

Ant patterns are usually a bit of foam and a chaotic dry fly hackle. But why not tie it more imitative? It's quite easy.