The Essential Wet Fly patterns are the oldest patterns used in fly fishing. There were wet fly patterns long before there were dry fly patterns. These patterns were being tied and were catching fish as far back as the 15th Century. In the early days, in fact until quite recently Wet flies were fished differently than dry flies.
The wet fly rod was typically a slow action rod and casts were made with large open loops. Since there was usually more than one fly on a line the large loops allowed one to cast and not get the flies all tangled up.
Casts were usually comparatively short by today’s standards. In the old days the wet fly was usually cast downstream and retrieved close to the angler.
Most of the Essential Wet Flies were invented in the British Isles, but many were invented in America, when the fishermen found that the insects in America were different from those they had seen in the UK.
The Essential wet fly patterns were tied using materials that were stiff and not very lifelike. Many of the patterns have today been reinvented using modern materials that give the patterns more action and appear more lifelike in the water.
Some of the most popular Essential Wet Fly Patterns include:
| Iron Blue Dun | Blue Dun |
| Blue Quill | American March Brown |
| Wickham’s Fancy | Yellow Dun |
| Olive Quill | Light Cahill |
| Pale Evening Dun | Timberline Emerger Gray |
| Timberline Emerger Olive | Black Gnat |
| Leadwing Coachman | Alder |
| March Brown Emerger | Mayfly Emerger |
| Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear | Dark Hendrickson |
| Quill Gordon | Ginger Quill |
| Black Quill | Cowdung |
| White Miller | Blue Wing Olive |
| March Brown | Light Hendrickson |
| Dark Cahill | Brown Hackle Peacock |
| Coachman | Royal Coachman |
| McGinty | Alexandra |
| Grizzly King | Pink Lady |
| Trout Fin | Parmachene Belle |
| Red Ibis | Professor |
| Doc Spratley | Brindle Bug |
| Zulu | Picket Pin |
| Morse’s Alder Fly | Downwing Adams |
| Western Coachman | Mormon Girl |
| Early Brown Stone | Gray Spider |
| Carey Special Brown | Carey Special Olive |
| Carey Special Peacock | Woolly Worm |
| Brown Bomber | Hornberg |
| Bordens Special | Golden Stone Wet |
| Dark Wet Stone | Dave’s Woolly Worm |