There are thousands of different trout fishing flies available, every fly fisherman has their own favourite trout fishing flies and everyone their own opinion of what is the best trout fishing flies. Trout fishing flies vary based upon the season, water colours, species of trout, from brownie to rainbow or other being targeted and trout fly fishing techniques used.
Trout Fishing Flies
There are thousands of different trout fishing flies available, every fly fisherman has their own favourite trout fishing flies based upon the season, weather and even light conditions, water colours, species of trout being sought and trout fishing techniques used.
Rainbow Trout Fishing Flies
The Rainbow Trout was originally introduced into the UK and also into New Zealand and Australia from the USA . The Rainbow Trout is used for stocking trout fisheries and for supplying the food industry. Mainly the Rainbow Trout remains contained in specific lakes, gravel pits, reservoirs etc. Escapees compete for food and habitat with Brown Trout. The Rainbow Trout will eat almost anything, from bottom-dwelling invertebrates, to fish and insects from the surface. As they mature they become increasingly piscivorous. Rainbow Trout have a high growth rate, but tend not to breed in the UK, as they require warm water temperatures. Another reason for no breeding is that now, most farmed fish are usually triploid and sterile - these use all their energy input for growth rather than reproduction. Fishing flies for Rainbow Trout run from imitative flies like Caddis, damsel nymphs or Epoxy minnow flies to impressionistive flies like GRHE flies and Pheasant Tail fishing flies through to flies like blob trout fishing flies and lure flies or streamer fishing flies which do not look like anything natural but are fishing flies that trigger the Rainbow Trout's predatory nature!
Brown Trout Fishing Flies
The Brown Trout is a natural species of fish found in many rivers and occassionally in lakes and fisheries where these many be stocked by fishery owners. Brown Trout are generally looking for trout flies that are immitative of the natural food found in their environment, it may be a Blue Winged Olive or Caddis or shrimp or Rhyacophila invertebrate nymph fishing flies look similar i.e. they are imitative or exact imitative of the naturate. With imitative trout fishing flies the look similar to the natural or invertebrates found. Generally imitative must be fished so that they look like the 'natural' i.e. when fishing dry such as a Blue Winged Olive they cannot be dragged across the current by the fly leader, after all natural Olive flies do not skate across the water.
Alternatively the trout fishing flies may be suggestive trout fishing flies. Suggestive or impressionistic may be trout fishing flies like the gold ribbed hares ear or pheasant tail, these trout fishing flies do not imitate any invertebrates or natural but trout fishing flies will appear to look and act like the natural food for the Brown Trout. Above 12" in size Brown Trout will prey heavily on fish so try using woolly bugger or epoxy minnow which are good imitators of small fish.