Trout Fishing Flies

Common Types Of Trout Fishing Flies

There are hundreds of different artificial trout fly patterns that are available to fly fisherman today. Trout flies usually fall into two overall categories.

These two categories are:

• Flies to deceive the fish into believing the fly is real food
• Flies to provoke the trout's predatory streak

Essential Flies

There are a few fly musts when it comes to the sport of trout fly fishing. These categories can be further split and include Wet Flies, Dry Flies, Nymphs (and Emergers) and Lures. Every good fisherman should have at least one from each category to help raise the chance of successful catching.

• Wet Flies

  These flies are given to the trout under the surface of the water for best effect. They can have incredible patterns such as the Mallard, Claret, Silver and Teal Blue. Some other wet patterns are simpler and loosely tied, but just as fitting and enticing to most fish in which a fly fisherman might be interested.

• Dry Flies

  These trout fishing flies are shown to the fish in or on the water's surface, which can be more beneficial in some circumstances than other fly types. The fly's buoyancy is usually achieved by winding the rigid fibers from a cock hackle that is around the fly to form a surface. But the fly can also be made out of Deer or Elk Hair. These fibers are hollow, and enable the fly to float. In either case, the floatant can be put on the hackle or hair and will assist in its buoyancy. The most popular one is the Gehrke's Gink.

• Nymphs

  Nymphs are often imitations of the more natural larval stages of aquatic insects. Some examples are the Caddis Fly, the Mayfly, and the Damsel Fly. They are natural colored, and used to help fool the fish into believing the fly is actually natural food.

• Emerger

  There is a stage beyond the nymph that is known as the emerger. An emerger pattern is tied to make the fly look like one of the insects in the most vulnerable stages of the insect's life. As the insects hatch they emerge from the water, they sit on the water's surface. They then shed their skin while drying their wings before taking flight. The emerger or suspender patterns can be classified as dry flies, as they sit on the waters surface.

• Lures

  This is the extreme opposite of natural and imitative patterns. There are a wide range of materials and colors. The purpose is to trigger the fish's aggression and then the fish will "take" to the fly.