Go-to Trout Lake Patterns

[jaredoconnor]

What are your most dependable lake patterns, for trout, and how do you fish them? If you could be specific and include size and color, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm gearing up for my first foray into lake fishing. Thanks!

 

[RCF]

Dragon fly and damsel fly nymphs. Size 10 - 14, olive green, intermediate sink line stripped in. I also slow troll them.

Look at Carey Specials for patterns...

 

[Burt Dagger]

Olive Willy. If I only had one pattern to fish that’d be it. Really easy to tie, too. Screengrab from the old site that I’ve had in my phone for a couple years below, not my SBS and apologies to the unknown author who got clipped off of the screenshot.

Edit - felt bad about the non-attribution since I love this fly so much. I think my screenshot was itself of a screenshot, of this article?

Commentary: The Olive Willy is apparently not just for lake fishing

lmtribune.com

 

[Zak]

Small (12 or 14) beadhead black jig leeches. Tiny slim muddlers for the surface.

 

[troutpocket]

Leeches, aquatic nymphs (damsels, dragons, and callibaetis for example), and baitfish are good places to start. Specific patterns don’t matter nearly as much as finding active fish and putting your fly in front of them. Most of my stuff is in the size range of #8-14.

When I fish from my tube I carry one setup with a full sink (usually a type 5), and one with a floating line/indicator. I cover water with my sinking line until I find fish then try to get a bite going with my indicator setup, which is very efficient when the fish are keyed into a specific depth.

As always, read this to get your mind in the proper frame:
Amazon product ASIN 0811711374

 

[Tom Butler]

Simi-seal leech with a red glass bead sz. 10 (or 8) 3xl. Line depends on depth but usually type 6, cast, count down and strip.

 

[Tom Butler]

Leeches, aquatic nymphs (damsels, dragons, and callibaetis for example), and baitfish are good places to start. Specific patterns don’t matter nearly as much as finding active fish and putting your fly in front of them. Most of my stuff is in the size range of #8-14.

When I fish from my tube I carry one setup with a full sink (usually a type 5), and one with a floating line/indicator. I cover water with my sinking line until I find fish then try to get a bite going with my indicator setup, which is very efficient when the fish are keyed into a specific depth.

As always, read this to get your mind in the proper frame:
Amazon product ASIN 0811711374

Tim's book is money Jared, I became a much more confident and successful lake fisher last year after studying it. I have this version:
Amazon product ASIN 0811719642

 

[Zak]

Tim's book is money Jared, I became a much more confident and successful lake fisher last year after studying it. I have this version:
Amazon product ASIN 0811719642

Also, Phil Rowley's youtube videos and his book Fly Patterns for Stillwaters.

 

[Buzzy]

I probably need to reread Stillwater Strategies and start utlizing some of Tim's advice on paring down my stillwater fly boxes.......... but what's the fun in that? A couple years ago @RCF shared his recipe for his damselfly nymph: I had a lot of success with it despite it being quite fragile - I fished it in skinny water with a floating line and longish leader and in deeper water with an intermediate line. Chironomids? I have four fly boxes filled with midges of various sizes, colors - with beads, without beads, with gills, without gills, UV treated, fuzzy, ribbed, unribbed. Leeches? Yeah - as streamers and balanced. Streamers, woollybuggers, minnows, crayfish (even booby style crayfish). Speaking of boobies: yup, and blobs. I really like jigs fished under a bobber (I don't prefer the term strike indicator because I'm being contrary). One box is albled "STN and hares ears" (squirrel tail nymphs). Jeff (@Bakerite) turned me onto the benefits of deer hair dragonfly nymphs - they float, that type-7 line will get the bug down to bottom and as you strip/pause/strip/pause the fly dives/floats...

 

[Billy]

I catch so many fish on this fly:Some that have worked very well last few years:i think you can see some themes to my madness

 

[Dennisoft]

I catch so many fish on this fly:View attachment 53485Some that have worked very well last few years:View attachment 53486View attachment 53487View attachment 53488View attachment 53489View attachment 53490View attachment 53491View attachment 53493View attachment 53492i think you can see some themes to my madness

Are you typically jigging these flies or do you cast and retrieve, or both?

 

[dep]

buggers and leeches (black, olive and tan colors) sz 8-10 and also a gold ribbed hares ear sz 12-14 - all stripped back on an intermediate line.

 

[Billy]

Are you typically jigging these flies or do you cast and retrieve, or both?

Well they naturally jig on the the retrieve. Fish often take them on the pause or kill if you will.

I will occasionally fish them deep vertical in the 15-25 foot range if I mark a lot of fish or just to mix up a retrieve. I will also fish them under an indicator and do well.

 

[Burt Dagger]

I catch so many fish on this fly:View attachment 53485Some that have worked very well last few years:View attachment 53486View attachment 53487View attachment 53488View attachment 53489View attachment 53490View attachment 53491View attachment 53493View attachment 53492i think you can see some themes to my madness

I’d recommend against using any of these patterns due to risk of graboid copyright infringement.

 

[Eastside]

I’d recommend against using any of these patterns due to risk of graboid copyright infringement.

But they WORK!

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

@jaredoconnor are you planning on fishing lakes a cerain way? Meaning, do you want to troll, or do you want to throw chironomids, or do you want to cast and retrieve? Might help people suggest patterns that fit what you want to do.

 

[Paul_]

@jaredoconnor Jig leeches work great.
If you want to test some of these, send me your address and I’ll mail you a few to try-

 

[Hobbyranch]

@jaredoconnor Jig leeches work great.
If you want to test some of these, send me your address and I’ll mail you a few to try-
View attachment 53524

These look great! I’ll have to try to concoct something like them.

 

[Wetswinger]

If you have some classic Wooly Buggers in your other fly boxes, give them a go...leech are a good idea also..

 

[Scott Salzer]

I never fish near TL if I can help it. I may even go to another lake.