Essential flies for sea trout

I’ve been spending some time at my fly-tying desk lately tying up some trout flies for a fishing trip for sea run trout later this month. I want to make sure I have a good selection, in a variety of sizes before I hit the water.

I know I’ll never run out of flies, I have boxes and boxes of them and I could also take my tying gear along to tie up some flies while we are on the trip. But since the trip is only for a few days I want to spend my time fishing, not tying flies and there are a few patterns I want to make sure I have enough of before I hit the road.

When selecting the flies I wanted to tie my list was fairly short. My number one choice for the first cast when fishing for sea run brook trout at this time of year is a Muddler Minnow so I want to have a good selection of them in various colour and sizes. If I can’t tempt a trout with this fly my next offering is usually a Mickey Finn. This fly has hooked a few trout for me over the years so I have great faith in it. A simple pattern, it consists of a silver tinsel body combined with a wing made up of red and yellow buck tail. Being a fly tier I can’t leave good enough alone so I sometimes add a red butt along with some red hackle for a throat, and some crystal flash in the wing for some added flash.

If the unthinkable happens and I haven’t tempted a fish with these two offerings I have a couple of other secret weapons I can turn to. In recent years orange flies have been growing in popularity on the Bras d’Or Lakes. I tie a simple pattern with a copper or gold tinsel body, orange calf tail wing and several wraps of orange hackle. I’ve hooked some nice trout on that fly in recent years.

Another favourite I won’t be without is an Elk Hair Caddis in green and brown. Another trout fly I always have in my fly box is the Queen of the Waters. This old pattern from England has been fooling trout for hundreds of years.

If you are making a trip to fish new waters either in, or outside the province, a good source of successful patterns is local fly shops and sporting goods stores. When I am in Newfoundland I always make it a point to check at gas stations and other stores that sell flies. If I find a card of flies with only a few left on it I know that is obviously a successful pattern which is catching fish and that is the one to buy.

If you buy some new flies while away on a trip make it a point of buying two of the same pattern.

One to fish with and one to copy when you get home in case you lose the other fly to a big trout.