Ah, the Daddy Long Legs—now there’s a fly that’ll save your bacon when nothing else seems to work. You know those gangly crane flies that bumble around like they’ve had one too many? That’s what this bad boy imitates, and let me tell you, trout love ’em when they’re clumsy-dancing over the water late in the season.

Tying it? Keep it simple. Most folks go overboard with the legs—six inches of rubber? Nah. Out here in the Rockies, I stick to size 12, maybe an 8 if the browns are feeling picky. Body’s just dubbing or a bit of deer hair if I’m feeling fancy, and for legs, monofilament or silicone does the trick. Wings? A hackle feather or two, nothing fancy. Funny story—last fall, I watched a 20-inch rainbow ignore every fancy CDC dun in my box, then slam a ratty old Daddy Long Legs I’d tied with leftover foam from a beer cooler repair. Go figure.

Timing’s everything with this one. Late summer into early fall, when those crane flies start kamikaze-diving into the water at dusk? Gold. But if they’re not around, don’t bother—this ain’t a year-round fly. Stick to smaller streams or slower rivers, too; big water tends to swallow ’em up. And when it’s on? Man, it’s like cheating. Just let it twitch on the surface like a tipsy insect, and hold on.

(Oh, and pro tip: If you see fish sipping something delicate but can’t figure out what? Nine times out of ten, it’s a crane fly. Tie this thing on and thank me later.)