What fly would you use?

[hungNtree]

TWRA is going to stock the local city pond next Thursday. We just had a really hard and no doubt killer frost yesterday morning. I am sure there probably aren't any insects, certainly no terrestrials left alive. In other words, no hatch to match. I have sat at the park everyday at lunch since I learned it was going to be stocked wondering what flies to use? Except for one black duck, which I have named Daffy, I haven't seen anything alive in the pond. Although, Daffy is diving and eating something out of the pond. Minnows I assume.

Oh, and I should probably point out, I suspect they will be fed lots of corn in the first few days. I have never seen anyone fly fish around here, nearest trout stream is about an hour away and most people think you can only fly fish for trout.

So under these circumstances, what fly would you use?

thanks in advance,

hNt

PS My wife has already pointed out the fact that I am crazy for naming the duck.

[harleybob87]

Stillwater nympth, staynor ducktail, holloween leech, egg sucking leech, and any variety of leechs or leech patterns. Any color of wooly bugger should work as well.

[chewydog]

Chironomid under an indicator or strip a leach. Almost all bodies of water have midges of some sort.

[webrx]

Tan colored scud pattern, some folks also say orange is a good color for stocked trout, but I have nailed them with tan scuds and hairs ear patterns when I take my boy to our little stocker pond If they start rising, throw an adams at em.

d

[GrayGhost]

these will be hatchory fish, most likely they have only seen parina fish chow, so tye up a few pelet flys would be your best bet for some action.
Ghost.

[Eric-WD]

I would use one of these http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...ners/part9.php

size 12 tied in olive dubbing with Squirrel tail and a little red flashabou for grins.

I would fish it wet, cast it out and strip it in slowly with 4 or 5 inch strips.

Lots of fun, that didnt work I would then go to a wolly bugger, that doesnt work anything else in my wet fly box.

Eric

[DG]

You might try this:

http://flytyingworld.com/fly-detail-157-TroutChow.html

or this:

http://flytyingworld.com/fly-detail-...eD-Bugger.html

Just a thought.

[Normand]

stockers = pellets

[EdD]

HungNtree, try an olive woolly bugger with yellow hackle tied on a size 6 or 8 hook. For the tail I really like yellow marabou with a thin sliver of red marabou in the middle. If unweighted, it can be Ginked and fished as a dry. I have had good luck on our stocker 'bows with that fly.

Also pay close attention to anything that Jack Hise or WarrenP tells you. These guys are both retired and consider the week a waste if they don't get on/in the water at least three times a week, every week, all year long. (It's a rough job, but somebody's gotta do it...)

Good luck!
Ed

[Cold]

If they're anything like the PA pelletheads, you need only take variations of 3 flies for the first 2-3 days:

Buggers in black, white and olive, with and without flash & beads.

Eggs in hot pink, fluorescent chartreuse, and bright orange.

Variations (softhackled, beadheaded, flashy, etc.) of a rather large (10-12), very buggy, brown generic nymph.

__________________________________________

Start with the buggers. Cast out beyond cruising fish and strip it in as fast as you can manage. Fresh stocked fish are highly competitive and getting 4-5 fish racing to your fast bugger is not at all uncommon. After catching a few, they may get turned off. Switch to a slight variation...either flash or color. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Failing that, go to either of the other two, starting with the eggs, which are bright and easy to see. The fresh fish will go after these as well. Either drop it in just in front of the cruisers and let it drift down through the water as they pass, or cast well ahead of them, and twitch slightly when they get close...almost on top of it. Again, reaction/competitive/agressive strikes are the game.

Finally, that brown thing represents both the pellets that have been synonymous with food for that trout's entire life, as well as a fair approximation of 95% of what his new diet will become. To fish as a pellet: throw a *small* handful of pea gravel or other tiny stones on water near, but not right above, cruising fish to simulate feeding time at the hatchery. Then toss in your fly and let settle slowly. To fish as a nymph, any type of cast & retrieve may work...try them all.

Stocked fish, IMHO can be much more difficult to catch than wild ones, at least for the fly angler. They dont behave like normal fish and as a result, its hard to read & interpret their behavior, let alone turn that into success. After they're in the water for about 5-7 days, they'll be REALLY tough to catch for a week or so, especially if they see alot of pressure. They'll approach all offerings with caution, and midges may be your best bet. After a week or two of that, they'll behave much more like normal fish.

HTH