Fly Fishing - Brook Trout Flies

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

Assuming there's no real hatch going on, tops among my best bet Brook Trout flies is the Black Crystal Wolly Bugger or the Olive which dropped to second place this year. I especially liked the coneheads which are always a good searching pattern. Then there's the Black Ghost streamer and a fly called the Ligget Special...I like them in smaller sizes.

On ponds during non-hatch times, it's hard to beat a Wulff, either a white or a Royal Coachman or a black...all three are deadly. Equally as deadly are the Devil Bugs in red and white and in orange. Speaking of Orange, I like the Orange Muddler Minnow for prospecting rivers. Brookies love orange. Then there's the Hornberg. What a fly! It can be a streamer or a big Hex nymph. Small sizes work well for me at times. The big sizes are great during the Hex hatch. I need more of these.

And the Hex. I like to fish the nymphs tied in a loop-wing style.

The hands down best nymph I' fished this year was the "Nymph Formerly Known As Prince". Yep, that's the name. It's a souped up bead head Prince with silver mylar horns instead of the goose biots. Killer. I hooked more Brook Trout on this fly at the West Branch this season than any other fly while nymphing. Usually they take the dropper...nope. They ate the bigger flashier NFKAP. It's in the catalog!

So I guess that's it. I'd like to try flies you've had success with. What have been your winners?

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Great info Martial. I wonder why the nymph "Formerly Known As Prince" produced such good results with the Brook Trout? Although, I guess some things are better left not-figured out and it boils down to just be sure you have some in your box! Anyway, I have a couple to add of my Brook Trout "Best Bets"

1. Micro Eggs (size 18,20) - Especially during spring sucker spawn
2. Black Ghost - The Marabou Version
3. Olive Conehead Bugger - Works good swung, stripped or dead drifted as the lead fly in a double fly nymph setup.
4. Flashback Pheasent Tail - Size 16
5. White Soft Hackle

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

Regarding the NFKAP....It's the brightness of the fly! Brookies are notorious for keying in on bright flies in general. They simply do like gaudy, flashy, bright colored flies.

Yes, you can't not mention the little egg flies although they are specific to a particular "hatch".... but it's an egg hatch...kind of like the Hex hatch or Mahogany Duns, or Midges too. There's always a certain time when Brook Trout just go crazy over something specific and won't eat anything else. Just about all fish do this...sometime I guess. Like the whales eating Crill. Or, the Tarpon's "Worm Hatch" or Striper worm hatch...there's a good topic here somewhere...?

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Ya. I think you are right when you say, "They simply do like gaudy, flashy, bright colored flies." Brook Trout are not the "smartest" trout in the world .. but, what the lack in "intelligence" .. they make up for in shear beauty and their aggressiveness. They are predators and anything that gets in their way or pisses them off or looks like a good meal .. they attack it. I don't know about anyone else .. but I kind of see the Brook Trout as the polar opposite of a Brown Trout. You know, Browns keep their guard up and feed in sneeky little places and at opportune times when the light is low and they are very weary and hang out in tough to reach spots .. where as .. Brook Trout just pretty much crush anything withe reckless abondonmnet. Of course, I am talking in generalites and the 80/20 rule applies .. Your thoughts? Have you ever encountered a super finicky and "picky" brookie ... I have, but not many .. in general. You?

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

I have to think back, I have encountered "picky" Brookies, but not yet on a river or stream. In ponds. I was float tube fishing a small ponds in Vienna, Me. and on Cape Cod in the spring and Brookies were rising ONLY to a hatching Midge. They wouldn't take anything else. Then, there was another time when all they'd eat was a Dragon Fly Nymph.

That's the hatch-specific behavior that I think all game fish exhibit when they are on a single species feeding binge. They'll feed electively, and exclude all other offerings. Normal situation is that we can throw them a gaudy wooly bugger 9/10ths of the time and they'll pounce on it.

So then, what to throw to Brook Trout when you're prospecting? If I apply what I'm learning about salt fly selection, I'll be better off chosing a fly based upon water clarity conditions and the flie's ability to cover the likely holding areas top to bottom...IMHO, it's hard to beat the Conehead Wooly Bugger.

Austin · Posted: Wed 11/19/08 7:53 pm Post subject:

When i fish for brookies, it seems like the bigger and uglier, the better. I have always had good luck with white maribou flies like the black ghost. For nymphs, I usually use pheasant tails but I must admit most of the brookies I have caught nymphing were on tiny micro eggs during the springtime as jeremy mentioned before.

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

Yep, Isn't it cool Austin when you can see the marabou streamer at 50 feet as you pump it accross Big Eddy pool then it happens....crush!Zoom! Splat!

The Pheasant Tail Nymph ....whew. For tying flies, the variations, sizes and hybrids of the original PT have gotta be in the hundreds! From Copper Johns to Princes to English-style PTs, Dyed Pts Beaded,..so many too cool....

scottie · Location: newfoundland & Labrador

Here in Newfoundland the best fly I can say is a white Mini-Muddler. It is usually fished quite fast and a great fly for catching Brookies.
Tying instructions:
Hook: Mustad 9671 or equivalent size 12
Tail - Red wool or hackle fibres
Body- Gold or Silver flat mylar tinsel
Wing- Mallard breast feather
Head - White Caribou hair tied Muddler style.
I sometimes tie in a small piece of red wool or hackle fibres for a throat.
White Deer hair can also be .

I once caught a 10 lb. sea-run Brown on a brown Mini Muddler. It is a good all round pattern.
Scottie

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

I remember what good attractors the White Muddlers are. Thanks for the pattern, scotty