Trout Flies for Fly Fishing
With the vast array of trout flies for fly fishing, how does one know where to begin? The easiest
thing to do is to simplify things and make them simple. Spare the Latin names of bugs for the
entomologists of the world, here is simple guide to various trout flies for fly fishing, broken down into
five trout fly categories. That's how we like to do it at The Fly Stop, lots of options but keep it simple.
Let’s start where the bugs begin, nymphs. Nymphs are simply the subsurface form of aquatic
insects. Technically some species such as caddis do not have nymphs, they have larva and pupa, but
let’s keep is simple. When you are fishing any sort of nymph from stonefly to mayfly you are fishing the
pattern below the surface. As nymphs mature in age and prepare to hatch we transition into the next
stage.
The next stage in the life cycle are where your emerger and wet fly patterns come into play as
trout flies for fly fishing. These patterns represent the transition stage of a nymph hatching into a dry fly
or dun. As this happens the nymphs raise up in the water column, to the water’s surface where they
split their nymphal shuck and emerge. The emerger and wet fly patterns represent this transitional
stage where flies are rising in the water column from the bottom as the nymph to the top as a dun.
Next up is the dun or dry fly. This is what we all think about when we think of fly fishing. This is
where you visions of sipping trout come into play. When fishing dry fly patterns you are fishing the
adult stage of the insect. Duns emerge from their nymphal shuck and float on the surface of the water
waiting for their wings to dry. As soon as capable of flight the dun will fly to the bank, seeking safety
away from the trout.
After emerging the duns became spinners and are sexual mature. Their lives are short lived, and
within a few days they mate, deposit their eggs, and lie “spent” or dead on the water’s surface after the
mating ritual is over. The spinner is similar to the dry as the fish are once again targeting the easy meal.
This is a second chance at a dry fly opportunity.
Another group of trout flies for fly fishing are streamers. Streamers are designed to represent
Baitfish, Crayfish, Leeches, etc. Moving away from the bug imitation of things, streamer patterns are
often tied very big to target larger and more mature trout. This is not always the case, as streamers can
catch a trout of any size, especially in smaller sizes, but often the biggest trout in the river are caught on
streamer patterns.
Clearly there are many more fly patterns categories, and even categories within those
categories, this is just a general outline. One example would be terrestrials which would consist of land
based insects like grasshoppers, ants, and beetles. The more involved you get into this sport, and that
will happen, the farther your understanding and analysis can go. The purpose of this article was to make
things simple, and to generalize what often confuses many new anglers to the sport of fly fishing and to trout flies.
Come by our fly shop in San Diego and check us out!