Jump to content
Fly Tying
JappyFish

Speckled Trout

Recommended Posts

So, I just started tying about two weeks ago and already I can't put it down.

 

I've tied the basic buggers and streamers and have even done a few bead heads and dries.

 

I'm trying to branch out now and specifically tie for species that I'm chasing. Does anyone have any good ideas for basic trout flies?

 

Any recipes/photos/directions would help!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

East coast. I live in Charleston, SC but frequent places in Florida like Boca Grande.

 

I have a few chartreuse/white streamers but as you probabaly know, it's always nice to branch out and try something new.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had a lot of success on a version of Lefty's craft fur shrimp on the ML. Tan in a #2 hook and bead chain eyes. Nothing more than a craft fur tail with bars made with a sharpie and a dubbing loop with craft fur and wound around shank like a hackle.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have had good luck with chartreuse over white clousers around the #2 size. I can imagine ep stuff would be good as well. In terms of your tieing, I would recommend a few small clousers with a couple lefties deceivers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you drop down on the page and look at "From the saltwater bench" you will SEE some great files for trout reds, etc. My two favorites are baitfish ims. and seaducers. But I mostly sight fish on the flats in knee deep water and clousers tend to hit hard spooking the gators.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Probably my two favorite for trout here in north Florida are craft fur or polar fiber minnows.

post-18514-0-06024200-1422051248_thumb.jpg

post-18514-0-05277000-1422051289_thumb.jpg

 

This one I developed a few years ago that works really well in my waters, especially with a chartreuse head

post-18514-0-33631000-1422051370_thumb.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks guys. This will definitely help out a lot. I'll check out the bench.

 

Agn54, would it be possible for you to message me the recipie for that second fly that you mentioned above. That fly is beautiful!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you. The bottom one is tail: marabou in light pink; flash: pink pearl polar flash; body: couple of palmered wraps of two tone rabbit cross cut in cotton candy; eyes: medium bead chain; head: ice dub in color of your choice (I prefer chartreuse). In addition to trout, I have gotten pompano, mackerel, and several other other species on it as well. You can use heavier lead eyes if needed but I have found the the bead chain helps the fly sink fairly slowly which really lets the marabou and rabbit come to life

 

The polar fiber minnow is the simplest: bit of red angel hair for gills, 2 clumps of polar fiber, flash, one more clump of polar fiber.

 

The craft minnow is tied using several hollow ties up the shank. It was actually developed to mimic herring in Scandanavia but it catches everything. Here is the video I learned it from:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For the seatrout/weakfish there's an old pattern I had great success with in the past called the Seatrout Special. I think it was originated back in the 60's. It's very simple, tied on whatever hook you like generally in sizes from a 4 up to about a 3/0, with a body of wrapped braided mylar tubing, a wing of bucktail & a hackle collar. Popular colors are yellow with a red hackle, or white with a red hackle, or chartreuse with either a red or an orange hackle. Of course, you could tie any colors you like. I've tied it for LM bass too in many colors, both light & dark. There are now other materials that could also be used for the body, such as Estaz, cactus chenille or Diamond braid.

 

When I first learned about it & started tying it in the early to mid 70's, barbell eyes, beads & cones were not even used. The popular weighting of the day was bead chain or lead wire wrapped under the body material. Now, other options could be added too as you see the need. I usually tied some weighted with the lead wire & unweighted.

 

Here's an article I found about the fly.

 

http://www.flytyer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the help guys. I went up to HPT in Charleston and spoke with the fly guy in the shop and he showed me a few pointers. I definitely need to pick up a UV cement kit and dubbing spinner tool.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Crystal Schminnows work excellent for trout. I've tied them in a variety of colors. Pink marabou tail's with Krystal flash tied in and white chenille bodies work the best!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Read all the above posts and remembered when I was looking for any pattern that trout would bite.... All these years later I'm much less picky about what we put in front of a trout (popping bugs, streamers, clousers, maribou this and maribou that....). Instead I concentrate on where a big school of fish is likely to set up in a "feeding lane" and just work across it. Sometimes we're working at the surface (in less than four feet of water) or we might be deep -keeping the fly moving across the current six or more feet down in a channel that's around 8 - 10 feet deep. Find the right spot and situation and you should have a bite every cast until you get tired of them where we are....

 

The few things I ask my anglers to remember... first -always try to work your fly across whatever current is present (once it swings directly down current pick it up and start again.... second if you're using any kind of surface fly or popper the first hit is almost always short (if you keep retrieving as though nothing had happened the second hit won't miss at all...). Lastly, no matter where we are if it's trout -keep working that bug all the way home since in the 'Glades (where visibility means a short window for the fish) a big trout is as likely to attack a fly or bug right at the skiff as it is 100 feet away....

 

Here's a few pics of the various bugs we use for trout... Almost forgot to mention a big bonus for us - any time we're working trout holding in a feeding lane you never know what other bonus fish you'll encounter (we've taken pompano, permit, mackeral, bluefish, tarpon, snapper, and others while targeting the specks..).. Almost all of our biggest trout never come when we're fishing for them - almost every time a really big trout will show up when we're trying to catch a snook on fly since the big trout feed in the same shoreline tangles that our snook love...

 

The first is a guide's pattern (quick to tie (or re-tie) with a wire weedguard on a 2/0 Mustad 34007 hook. Although primarily a shoreline into cover fly -since it's usually on one rod or other it takes tons of trout when they're biting...

 

The second is a universal pattern called the Silhouette - it's done on a heavy Owner Aki 2/0 hook with lead eyes in various colors. Along with trout it will take anything feeding on small pilchards (my biggest snook on fly ever - a 23lb fish was taken on a white one). I used to fill orders by the hundred for the white version -it's been one of my signature patterns since the early eighties....

 

The poppers are done up on a #1 Mustad 34007 hook - called a Speedbug it's a staple at dawn for everything that will take at the surface. Along with trout, baby tarpon just can't get enough of them if you're where the babies are hanging out....

 

The Blacklight Special is primarily a cold water winter pattern when the dark waters of the 'Glades are crystal clear (although still stained). The black maribou with pearl flashabou can be seen for quite a distance, worked over shallow spots with a current coming across them.... It's done on a #1 Mustad 34007.

 

All of the above except the poppers have wire weedguards (hard to see in any photo...)

 

Hope this helps.

post-30940-0-17023000-1433283203_thumb.jpg

post-30940-0-59553700-1433283217_thumb.jpg

post-30940-0-85638400-1433283248_thumb.jpg

post-30940-0-34465600-1433283283_thumb.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...