Frank Sawyer's Pheasant Tail nymph is a fly that has caught fish for years, and will be doing so for many more to come.  During this video, I offer some slight variations to the original, such as Coq de Leon for the tailing fibers.  This version is a very fast one to tie, one that I would classify as a "guide fly."

Lance Egan's Frenchie is a pattern that has been popular in the competitive fly fishing world, eventually transferring that success to fly fishermen all over.  This fly is a modified Pheasant Tail, adding Coq de Leon to the tail, and a hot spot in the front.  Feel free to vary the thorax color to determine what combination works best on your local waters.

The Partridge and Orange is a traditional soft hackle that still works very effectively today.  The pattern, utilizing silk thread for a body, can represent many insects, including caddisflies and various mayflies.  I like to fish this as a dropper tied above my blood knot connection for the tippet.  

Those who fish spring creeks on a regular basis know the impact an effective scud pattern can have.  This Olive Scud nymph is a buggy-looking fly that is representational to the natural, all the way down to the burnt monofilament eyes.  There is no bead on this pattern, but one can be added if you feel the need to have additional weight.

This heavy fly, designed by Charlie Craven, gets to the fish quickly!  The Two Bit Hooker utilizes two beads for weight, plus has a slim body profile.  This combination has really paid off for those using this fly, plus you can modify the colors to match mayfly nymphs on your local waters.

Stonefly nypmhs are great patterns to fish throughout the winter and spring, though I utilize them as searching patterns all year.  This Biot Stonefly nymph is a combination between Scott Sanchez's "Rubber-Leg Biot Bug" and Clark "Cheech" Pierce's "Twitchy Chicken Stonefly."  Combining these flies gives us the best of  both, and makes for an effective pattern to fish, and easier one to tie.

This is a great pattern that I first came across on the Orvis website.  The Holy Grail nymph is a fly that can be varied for both caddisflies and mayflies, depending on your need.  The colors can also be changed, and I recommend olive, tan, and black for starters.  There is a bead on this pattern for weight, and the Holy Grail is a fly I suggest trying when fishing a dry-dropper combo.

Categorized as a "guide fly" because it takes such a short amount of time to tie this pattern, the Sulphur Soft Hackle is an effective fly to catch trout on during a hatch.  I recommend fishing this pattern with a split shot at the beginning of the hatch, eventually drying it and fishing the Sulphur Soft Hackle on the surface as the fish begin to feed on emergers and duns.  This is also a great fly to swing, with great strikes from fish!

How can you go wrong with one of Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard's favorite flies?  This soft hackle, developed by Nick Nicklas from Blue Ribbon Flies, has some great materials that, when combined, prove to be very effective on trout.  In this tutorial, the pattern is tied to mimic the Slate Drake, though the Shakey Beeley can be modified to match the natural fly of your choice.