World's Greatest Trout Fly

Outdoor Canada arrives at my door periodically, courtesy of Trout Unlimited. This issue there is an article where they claim The Despair might be the world's greatest trout fly. For me, The Despair is the most Romantic trout fly, because it evokes a world I imagine, before my time, when you had to tie your fly onto tippet behind a tree, lest a trout leap from the water to ingest it.

I think the greatest trout fly is The Usual. There are many ways to tie it, so it is adaptable to many situations. It can be dunked and allowed to float up like an emerger. It can be a mayfly; it can be a caddis. It is straightforward to tie. It is easy to see. I tie it with tails; I tie it with shucks. It is scruffy and buggy. And, in my experience, it is hands-down more killing that The Despair.

My brother always refers to the white marabou streamer - the same one illustrated in Bergman's Trout - as the world's greatest trout fly....and it is a very good fly. However, if you think I'm going to put a streamer in the category of the world's greatest fly, you've got another thing coming.