Lake Flies

[Longs for Cutts]

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.

[Jayatwork]

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.

[Rocketfish]

Mosca.jpg This is my favorite in still waters.

[Preston Singletary]

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.

[Lotech]

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

[idlerick]

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.

[Preston Singletary]

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.

[CrookedRiverMike]

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

[harleybob87]

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.

[LeoCreek]

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.