Aside from the fact that I side with Old Man about Opening Day and like to hit the year-around lakes early to up my chances for big fish, I like to go with:

1. Olive Woolly bugger for initial searching

2. Bead-head Chironomid pupa pattern, color to match the general tint of the water. If there is a hatch and, especially if fish are rising, one can hardly go wrong with this pattern. My biggest fish (18") of the year was on this one! Hookups were fast that day, and the fly had to be retired by the time I left the water. Very tough day at the office!