Top 15 Flies for Trout in Lakes

Top 15 Flies for Trout in Lakes

The lakes are warming up and bugs are beginning to hatch. Trout are finally past the long, cold winter months and it is time to put the feed bag on. For fly anglers, spring is a special time on lakes. Chironomids, damsels, Callibaetis mayflies, and the list goes on. It is a great time of year to dedicate a few days to your favorite trout lakes.

The following flies are ones that have risen to the top over many years on the water, talking with friends, customers, fly designers and guides. When you talk about flies for a living, it's easy to spot trends and begin to see when "something is different about that fly". It simply gets fish to eat it. Those are the A-listers! Those are the confidence flies. Those are the ones we've added to this list.

	Hale Bopp Leech - Olive Perhaps our most productive fly for trout in lakes over the years. The key to the success of the Hale Bopp Leech is to fish it close to the bottom on a sinking line. Get good at that and it is game on. We like this Olive version particularly in summer and on very clear lakes with vegetation. More...
	Olive Willy - Red Bead This fly was developed in our local area and has been a staple for trout lakes for quite a few decades now. Is the secret that little red, glass bead? Or is it the flowing pheasant rump hackle... or maybe the soft little tail? Who knows, but in our part of the world, the Olive Willy is a fish catcher. Fish it on a full sinking line and fish it right above the weeds. More...
	Chan's Chironomid Bomber - Black and Red Brian Chan is a famous fly angler specializing in stillwater trout in the Kamloops, B.C. area of Canada. Brian was also the region's biologist in charge of the many famous lakes in that region. Needless to say, he is an expert trout angler, especially when it comes to lakes. Brian once did a presentation at our store and it was such a delight to get to talk to him. I asked him, "If you only had one color of chironomid, what would it be?". Yep, you guessed it. He quickly responded, "Black with red rib". More...
	Balanced Leech - Bruised Balanced Leeches have added a new tool to the stillwater angler's arsenal. Balanced leeches are suspended below a strike indicator like a chironomid usually is. With a little chop on the surface, the balanced leech suspends horizontally below the indicator and has a subtle swimming motion from the chop on the surface. There are days when the trout don't like the swimming motion of a leech fished on a sinking line but they will eat a balanced leech just fine. The Balanced Leech - Bruised has been one of our top balanced leeches to rise to quickly rise to the top among stillwater patterns. More...
	Gold Bead Bouface - Black A big, black leech lazily swimming along the lake bottom must be irresistible to trout and the Gold Bead Bouface - Black does a great job of imitating them. With a rabbit strip body and a light bead at the front, the Gold Bead Bouface has that slow fall that, with a proper stripping cadence, will make the fly look like it is swimming and completely unaware that it is about to be a big meal for Mr. Trout. More...
	Master Damsel Nymph - Olive This little damselfly nymph is a secret slayer for us. Most damsel nymphs are pretty small and most flies we purchase to imitate damsel nymphs are pretty big in comparison. That is where the Master Damsel Nymph steps in a crushes fish looking for those tasty morsels. Especially in the Washington area, many of our damsel nymphs will be barely bigger than half an inch when the hatch. The Master Damsel Nymph comes in sizes down to a size 16 and can certainly be the ticket on certain days. More...
	Rickard's Stillwater Nymph #1 Olive This small nymph-like pattern is great at simulating a number of trout foods in lakes. It would be a Callibaetis nymph, a damsel nymph, a scud, a water boatman, etc. When you look at the most popular and effective flies in fly fishing history... those that everyone know for a reason... most of them don't look exactly like anything. But, they sure look like they could be a lot of things. We like to recommend the Rickard's Stillwater Nymph for high elevation lakes, for lakes with newly planted trout, and lakes with a lot of food choices for the trout. Find some mid-depth weed beds and fish this fly on an intermediate sinking line and you'll do juuuuuust find on most days. More...
	Rowley's Gray Boy There are more than 2500 known species of chironomids in North America. Figuring out which one is hatching can be quite the task. Maybe that is why the subtle coloration of the Gray Boy is so effective. The hatching chironomids on the surface usually tell us what size to fish but the color can be more challenging to figure out. Next time you're on the water and are questioning what chironomid color to start with, start off with the Gray Boy and things may be off and rolling right out of the gate. More...
	Ice Cream Cone - Red The simple Ice Cream Cone is a long-time fish catcher when trout are feeding on chironomids. It sinks fast and simulates those chionomid pupa with that big, white bead head representing the white gills on the naturals. A list of the top flies for trout lakes wouldn't be complete without it. More...
	Rowley's Balanced Leech - Black CBO This balanced leech from famed BC angler, Phil Rowley, has been a very productive pattern for our customers at the store. That bright orange bead must be good a calling fish in and the multicolor dubbing on the leech body has been very productive in leech patterns for decades. Imagine suspending the Rowley's Balanced Leech from a chironomid indicator and letting it slowly bob its way across a lake point on a windy day. Yes, it is highly productive in the right conditions! More...
	Callibaetis Challenged When Callibaetis mayflies start hatching on lakes, the trout often won't take anything else. This Callibaetis Challenged pattern has been a great fly for imitating the hatching adults and will get results when other dry fly Callibaetis mayflies are getting refused. The suspended "half in and half out" nature of this fly really gets them to sip it up. We recommend the size 14 as this fly runs small. More...
	Rowley's Water Floatman Another Phil Rowley pattern that we all hope we need. If you've ever fished a water boatman fly when the naturals were returning to the water from their mating flights, you'll agree that this is a fly to keep on hand. When water boatman enter the water and try to skoot back down to the bottom, the trout are all over them. This can certainly make for one of those days not soon forgotten. Also a good fly to try on a sinking line anytime! More...
	Chan's Bead Head Blob - Daphnia/Tequila Blob flies are getting more and more popular in our parts because they are productive and catch fish. Do trout think they are a clump of daphnia when they eat them? I don't know, but they do eat these flies either suspended under a strike indicator for slowly crawled along near the bottom on a sinking line. The Blob is a great fly to have on hand when your first, second, and third string players aren't producing. Put in the Blob! It might just win the game. More...
	Carey Special The Carey Special is a long-time favorite lake pattern with its origins in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. The Carey Special is an excellent pattern and probably most known for imitating large sedge pupa, but it can hold its own when dragonfly nymphs are on the menu or simply as an attractor pattern. There are numerous versions with different body materials or colors of chenille, but this peacock herl version is our favorite. More...
	Sexton's Booby - Olive If you haven't heard of these flies, no, that is not a typo. Booby flies have large floating (eh hem) eyes that cause the fly to float off the bottom. Fish them with a full sinking line and let the floating Booby lift and swim above the weeds. Booby flies have reached international status as a productive fly. Sexton's Booby is available in Olive or Black. Start with Olive in the spring and summer and Black is our first choice in fall and winter. More...

There you have it! Fifteen great flies to have you confidently fishing for and catching trout in lakes. If you haven't tried any of these proven winners, give them some time this spring and summer on your favorite trout lake.