Lake Flies

I'm trying to assemble a collection of fly patterns most suitable for lake fishing with trout being the primary target. I know, of course, about the Wooly Buggers and Soft Hackles and Chironomids, but what I'm currently interested in are some of the older flies like Carey Specials various other winged streamers and nymphs. I'm looking forward to your input here. I am no longer able to fish rivers and streams, so most all of my fishing is from my 12' Jon boat. So a good collection of decent lake flies would be most appreciated. Thanks ahead.

Don't forget about dry flying around the reeds and shallows. My favorite dry flies on lakes are the Parachute Adams, Renegade and Griffith's Gnat.

Larry ---sagefisher---

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Originally Posted by sagefisher

Don't forget about dry flying around the reeds and shallows. My favorite dry flies on lakes are the Parachute Adams, Renegade and Griffith's Gnat.

Larry ---sagefisher---

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Thanks Larry. I'm guessing that early morning and just before dark are the best times for the shallows.
Joe

Joe,

I use both The Carey Special and it's variant, The Six Pack, in still and moving waters in the Eastern Sierras. Both of those ties are here along with a few others that might be of interest:

https://planettrout.wordpress.com/tag/carey-special/


PT/TB ;)

Joe,

Flies of the Northwest has been around for a while and has some great stillwater patterns (quick look on Half.com turned up spiral-bound editions for under $5.00). Anything you can find from Randall Kaufmann should help out, too; I've caught a lot of fish on his simple Marabou Damsel. Phil Rowley has a number of excellent tying videos on Youtube; lots of other ones on there as well.


Regards,
Scott

The Sixpacks shown on the planettrout site are not Sixpacks. They appear to be what are referred to as "self-bodied Carey Specials". The self-bodied Carey can use any natural or dyed pheasant rump feather, and uses the same feather for the hackle and wound up the hook shank to form the body (hence, "self-bodied"). The Sixpack falls into the category of the self-bodied Carey as well, but is specifically tied with yellow-dyed pheasant rump feathers. These iridescent gray-green feathers, when dyed yellow turn a rich olive color while retaining their metallic greenish highlights.

The pattern was developed by Carl Haufler in the late 'fifties and was introduced at Pass Lake at the northern end of Whidbey Island, in Washington State's Puget Sound. On that day the fly proved to be so spectacularly successful and Carl was so overwhelmed by fellow anglers offering to buy, beg, borrow or steal an example of the fly that he came up with the simple barter offer which gave the fly its name.

I like a shaggy, unkempt-looking body and usually add a wire rib to reinforce it.

We were the "new guys" at a camp last June where everyone was there to fish the dozen or so FFO trout ponds in the area.
A couple of the more hard core fellows kept talking about the dragonfly hatch. How things were really going to bust open.
Sure enough, toward the end of the week we hit one pond that was alive in dragon flies.
A muddler type fly made for a good dragon fly nymph and on that day fooled about 3 dozen fish for me

None of these folks even bothered to fish moving water. Still water trout only.
"We don't have the suits" was a direct quote from 2 different people. :shock:

As mentioned be sure and include damsel fly nymph patterns and dragon fly patterns ...also I like the Slumpbuster and/or John Scott's Pine Squirrel Cheater.

You're in "St. Joe Special" country - might they work around those edges?

Of the old patterns, Carey Special is still good, as is the Hornberg. Another old pattern to never leave home without is the Diawl Bach...although the more "modern" Prince works just as well. Cannot think of any other historical patterns that people in my area fish with any regularity, but if you are looking for contemporary patterns, Jay Fair's Wiggle Tail, San Juan Worm, Kaufmann's Damsel, FBPT, and scud patterns should definitely be in any well stocked lake box.

A pattern called a Woody has worked for me in the smaller lakes in YNP and the private ranch ponds. Real easy the way I do it:

Hook: #16 1xl nymph (Dai-Riki #060).
Thread: 8/0 black.
Tail: lemon woodduck.
Body: peacock.
Rib: pearl midge flash.
Wing/hackle: lemon woodduck over top 180 degrees of hook.

Basic unweighted Prince nymphs fill the same niche.

I never visit any lake anywhere without BLM Nymphs in PMD and Brown-Olive. My largest rainbow ever was taken on the brown-olive in Trout Lake in 2009. My one regret was that fish was the only one I caught that day that I caught fishing blind rather than sight-casting.

Some old patterns that are in my stillwater box:

The Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear is a serviceable Callibaetis nymph imitation.

Cate's Turkey is a very effective small nymph.

The TDC (Thompson's Delectable Chironomid) is an excellent early chironomid pattern.

Zug Bugs work well.

Attachment 13909 This is my favorite in still waters.

While the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear may be a serviceable imitation of the Callibaetis nymph it bears scant resemblance to one. The Callibaetis nymph is a "swimmer" and, as such, has a much longer and more graceful appearance than the typical GRHE nymph pattern. I tie my imitation on a size 12 Tiemco 2312 (a 2x long, 1x fine hook, with a slightly curved shank and straight eye). The tails are marabou fibers which are then wound up the shank to form the abdomen and reinforced with a fine gold or silver wire rib. The secondary fibers, growing longer from tip to butt, form a slight taper as well as simulating the gills along the sides of the abdomen. I tie in a strip of pheasant tail just behind the eye, leaving the tips (long enough to form the legs) stick out over the eye and lay it back over the hook as far as the forward end of the abdomen. I use a little dubbing to bulk up the thorax then bring the pheasant strip back over the top, tie it down and clip it off. I tease the tips down and back to form the legs and finish it off with a small head.

This has proven to be a very effective pattern.

That's a really nice looking bug Preston. I tie one similar to that but with chain eyes.

Preston, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you have a substantial damsel population where you fish that calli pattern, because that's what they HAVE to be taking it for. LT Joe even completes that thought with his bead eyes.
Look up Larry Tullis' Twisted Damsel pattern some time (I think it was the FOTW here many moons ago). I use it a lot, and it's your tie, right down to the exact materials, with the addition of a bead head but on a shorter, stronger hook. (I quit using any Tiemco nymph hooks for big lake fish years ago.)
Great addition, tho. No lake box should be without a damsel nymph AND a dry (foam) pattern.

Yes, most of our lakes have good populations of damselflies but the fly shown was tied as a Callibaetis imitation and has proven to be particularly effective in the half-hour or so prior to the hatch of Callibaetis duns when the nymphs are making their way to the surface. I do tie a damselfly nymph, based on a pattern developed by my friend Dale Dennis. I also tie and fish patterns imitating damselfly tenerals and adults. The teneral is a just-emerged adult which has not yet achieved its mature adult form and color. They are poor fliers and are often blown or knocked off of their perches to fall on the water and can sometimes be more effective than imitations of the fully-mature adult. My version of Dale's damselfly nymph utilizes a thin strip of squirrel Zonker strip for its abdomen.

Never overlook a damselfly dry pattern over weedbeds....explosive!!

One of my go to fly's is the stayner ducktail from days gone by.Denny's still water nymph and the Halloween leech, are my favorites and are always in my box.

My go to nymph for trout on inland Northwest and northern Rockies lakes is a flashback pheasant tail. I wouldn't want to be without some damsel and callibaetis nymphs as well, and sometimes even the venerable prince and zug bug nymphs, wooley buggers, etc.... but the pheasant tail (especially with the flashback) is a great one.

If you go to this link & log in the correct info it will tell you what insects are in the lakes
in your state (all the states are available). Good US Gov't study.
http://www.flyfishingentomology.com/...oticSurvey.php

A Glens leech is a very simple and good pattern and the Butlers Bug is a great dragon fly nymph. Phil Rowley's book "Fly Patterns for Stillwaters" is hard to beat as every pattern in the book is good. None were put in just to fill pages

Did anybody mention that staple of Arizona, the Arizona peacock Lady? Or her brother, the Purple Luigi?

don't forget snails and leeches. small franke shiner patterns work well also. half back and full back patterns. honey bugs.

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Originally Posted by BBBruce77

A Glens leech is a very simple and good pattern and the Butlers Bug is a great dragon fly nymph. Phil Rowley's book "Fly Patterns for Stillwaters" is hard to beat as every pattern in the book is good. None were put in just to fill pages

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I went by Barnes & Noble today to see if they had a copy and the parking lot was packed. Maybe after the New Year.
Lotech Joe

Although I tend to shy away from "still" waters ( if the waters don't move, I DO) , I , when despite my preferences, find myself in such waters, I have never had to lose sleep over bait specificity. I may not have filled my creel but i've never been skunked. The number of posts above and the variety of baits suggested are evidence upon which I rest my case.
On the other hand, if this was a tournament (YUUUKKKK), I may be a bit more choosey and do some serious investigation.
Mark

I have huge success in high country lakes and even in the big low valley Okanagan Lake with believe it or don't a #12-#14 pheasant tail nymph. I caught a 14lb4oz Rainbow out near the middle (a mile from shore ) Okanagan lake on a #14 nymph fished with a #7sinking line (not a 7 weight line) #7 is the heaviest sinking line in a 5 weight. I was trolling 2.2 mph which is best for trout about 1.5mph for kokanee (land locked salmon)
If upon inspection I find the trout stomach is full of minnows I use a black doc spratley with silver wraps.
a red Dawl bach is also one of my go to lake patterns.

GnuBee, Nice to have you back. Missed ya buddy.

Speaking of the Okanogan (the region, not the lake), one of my absolute favorite patterns for the Callibaetis hatches at Lake Chopaka is what I've long called the Chopaka Emerger. A friend of a friend showed me the original pattern which was given to him by an "old timer at Lake Chopaka". After tying and fishing (and, bit-by-bit, modifying it) over many years, it reached what I consider its final form. Tied on a size 14 dry fly hook and fished on the surface it is highly effective during the hatch of Callibaetis mayflies. Although it bears a strong resemblance to many other mayfly emerger patterns, I still think of it as the "Chopaka Emerger"