Which pattern for which trout?

[T_Bone 0]

Up here in New England we have three types of trout currently, (Well four if you count the tiger trout hybrids, but....), Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout.

 

What are your favorite flies for each species of trout. I hav noticed distinctly more effective flies for each species.

 

Brook trout in my findings seem to prefer deer hair or elk hair, such as stimulators, elk hair caddis and even deer hair streamer patterns like the Mickey Finn.

To further add to my findings, I have noticed that the color orange particularly attracts them.

 

Rainbows I have had the most luck personally with streamer patterns like wood duck herons, and well wooly buggers being fished like a streamer. And on warmer days when the actions slows to a still letting a BH zebra midge sway into the riffles seems to bring them in.

 

Brown's well I have only caught two in the two and half years I have been fly fishing, and I have concluded they like olive wooly buggers fished inthe nymph fashion really slow.

 

So how about you what sort of fish do you target and which flies do you find most effective?

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

brookies I fish alot of pink flies from midges to dry flies alot of grayling patterns work great on brookies also lime trudes are one of my favorites

for bows I like stimulators with a copper john dropper in chartruese or a muddler minnow or pork chop streamers

for browns I fish BIG flies like a 4/0 deer hair mouse or zoo cougar and one I have yet to try but will be a favorite for sure is Rich Strolis's hog snare

[Piker20 0]

My locals are wild browns, stocked rainbows and sea run browns. The bows are more likely to hit gaudy bright patterns like the blob, and appear to move around a venue actively looking for food. The wild browns have found a lie and sit in it. You need patterns that match natural baits. The big wild browns hit little fish and the big streamers work well. The sea run browns are very aggresive to baits pulled in the surface although wets work great too.

[Crackaig 0]

That is far to general a question for a simple answer. Are we fishing in still or flowing water? What time of year? What is hatching? Wild fish or stocked? All those would produce a different answer. My trout fishing has been limited to two of those you mentioned, I live within walking distance of Piker20 so our experience will be very similar.

 

Generally I find yellows are more appropriate for browns whilst red and orange attract rainbows more. One of my favorite flies at the moment is my Rough Fly. For browns I'd use it in yellow, brown, claret, For rainbows I'd use it in orange, and red. Olive and black seems to cross the boundary. Everything else being constant, I'd fish a size or two larger for rainbows than browns.

 

Cheers,

C.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Rainbows always seem to like a bit of red, but so do all the others. Browns seem to like a bit of gold flash rather than silver, but then again sometimes so do all the others. I've caught a few truckloads of trout over the years from lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, and I really don't think there is a discernable pattern to what flies what species of trout "like" best. Many times I've fished waters with brook, brown, and rainbows all present and caught them all on the same fly. I've never been in a place where, for instance, there are rainbows and browns, and caught only rainbows on one fly, then switched to something and caught only browns, then switched back and caught only rainbows. If it's a place where there are a few really large wild or holdover browns but predominately small rainbows, and you fish a 5 inch long streamer, you'll only catch a few small rainbows but might catch a monster brown--- not because it's a fly for brown trout, but because it's a fly for big trout. If you're fishing a little native brook trout stream and that is the only species present, then it can't be said that the particular fly works "best" for brookies, because there was nothing else for comparison at that time and place!

[williamhj 0]

I wonder if perceived differences are more about where the fish 'live' than actual preferences. One creek I fish holds all three and I've caught all three on the same pattern. But to do this I often have to fish different parts of the water.

[Crackaig 0]

I wonder if perceived differences are more about where the fish 'live' than actual preferences. One creek I fish holds all three and I've caught all three on the same pattern. But to do this I often have to fish different parts of the water.

 

Different species feed in different ways and places. This lead to a huge problem on the English chalk streams. Trout fishing on these streams is very, very expensive. Membership of one club got to the region of 100 000 UKP before they came to their senses. Nick Faldo bought a mile and a half length and paid 300 UKP per foot. So trout fishing there is a big money business. Sometimes an angler may catch a grayling. The grayling were seen as competition for food with the trout. Wholesale slaughter of grayling ensued. Often hundreds would be caught, and just thrown up the bank. Study showed that the grayling does not compete for the trout's food, but feeds in distinctly different places. Removing a grayling does not provide more food for the trout. This prejudice still exists today, though not as widely as in the past.

 

Here we have more distinct seasons for different species. Trout is from March or April until the end of September. Coarse fish from June 16th to March 15th (coarse fish are so called as when they are in breading condition they feel rough, hence coarse). The grayling, though a game fish, shares the coars fish season, as this is its breading time. Often when fishing for grayling (superb sport) we will catch out of season trout. The solution is simple. Move! You are fishing the wrong bit of water. Usually you will find you have strayed from the fast water into slower water.

 

You'll be able to find parallels in your fishing, Over time you get to suspect what species you'll find by the kind of water you are casting to. The best thing to do is go fishing. But then that is always the best advice!

 

Cheers,

C.

[Hellgrammite 0]

I would probably throw a soft hackle with some color to it, like a partridge and orange, then switch to a darker soft hackle if that did not connect, like a partridge and olive or hare's ear. I might use a dropper of a PT nymph or brassie, smallish in size, if i liked fishing 2 fly setups more, but would switch to one of these if i didnt connect on the soft hackle. I'd fish them fairly slow.

 

If that dosent work (And i know fish are about, and not shut down by weather, etc) i might start throwing something more colorful and fishing it faster, like a mickey finn or queen of waters.

 

If that dosent work, I will get distracted, start flipping rocks over looking for bugs, watching the clouds, and in general enjoying myself while being distracted while continuing to slowly fish until some opportunity presents itself. I have the attention span of a goldfish

[sandflyx 0]

Hare's ear in a multitude of colors for all trout species..

[shoebop 0]

There are waaaaaay too many variables in this equation. To focus on just one facet of this complex subject is to guarantee confusion and erroneous conclusions.

[switch10 0]

Last weekend I had a pretty interesting time. I was fishing an olive birds nest, followed by a zebra midge. I caught around 30 fish, bows and browns. The strange thing is, the rainbows only ate the zebra midge, and the browns only ate the birds nest...

[vicrider 0]

For Brook Trout up in northern MN and WI I only carried two patterns in a few different sizes. I threw either a Mickey Finn or Royal Coachman streamer in sizes from 6-12. Many browns would eat this along with several rainbows, but since brookies were the primary fish available most of the season, those two did all I needed in the free running stone streams of MN and sand streams of WI. For lake fishing for primarily stocked bows I through a muddler minnow on top in 8-12. Don't know if it was a hopper or damsel to them, but it caught all the fish I needed to keep me happy.

[flytyer62 0]

Tbone,

I too live in New England and have found that the type water has more to do with the fly I use than the species of trout. I routinely will pickup a Raibow at the head of a pool a brown throught the middel and brookies in the tail all on the same fly. You would be best serviced to set you boxes up for the seasons as here in new england there are vastly different flies and sizes used through out a season. Keep at it and good luck.

 

Steve

[bowmike 0]

Rainbows always seem to like a bit of red, but so do all the others. Browns seem to like a bit of gold flash rather than silver, but then again sometimes so do all the others. I've caught a few truckloads of trout over the years from lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, and I really don't think there is a discernable pattern to what flies what species of trout "like" best. Many times I've fished waters with brook, brown, and rainbows all present and caught them all on the same fly. I've never been in a place where, for instance, there are rainbows and browns, and caught only rainbows on one fly, then switched to something and caught only browns, then switched back and caught only rainbows. If it's a place where there are a few really large wild or holdover browns but predominately small rainbows, and you fish a 5 inch long streamer, you'll only catch a few small rainbows but might catch a monster brown--- not because it's a fly for brown trout, but because it's a fly for big trout. If you're fishing a little native brook trout stream and that is the only species present, then it can't be said that the particular fly works "best" for brookies, because there was nothing else for comparison at that time and place!

 

I have found that many of these colors trout like are corresponding with the color of their spawning colors. some have even tied brook trout fin flies

[Guest]

I've never broken it down to particular patterns for particular species, but if I was restricted to only three flies that I could carry which have caught all the species of trout in the streams and lakes I fish, they would be a dark size 6 Stonefly nymphy, a black Wooly Bugger with Pearl Krystal Flash in the tail, and a #16 chartreuse caddis nymph or emerger of any style.

 

With these I consistently catch Brookies, Rainbows, and Browns. I haven't had the opportunity to fish for other species.