Now, over 30 years later, they’re still easy and fun to tie, and work remarkably well. Egg flies have been used for decades not only because they are easy to tie or inexpensive to buy, but more importantly because they are effective. Water conditions will play more of a role in what type of egg patterns to fish. The pattern is an adaptation of a Great Lakes steelhead pattern called the Sucker Spawn. Egg fly patterns for steelhead are ​likely the most popular fly pattern for fishing the Great lakes tributaries. This way the eggs will stay for the most part, where the fish deposit them in the river bottom. However, during active spawning, any locations where there are cuts in the river bottom and the current is concentrated this will also concentrate stray eggs. Experience. Super easy to tie roe/glo bug pattern. Giving us a chance to realize the fish has taken the fly and it’s time to set the hook. The most productive flies are egg patterns. Here is my most productive steelhead streamer this season that has caught over 2 dozen fish in just a few outings! This is not the case; an egg drift is more like an egg roll. You will find feeding trout. The Fry and Eggs Pattern imitates this part of the Salmon Life cycle. Keeping notes in a journal can help keep track of what can easily be forgotten between seasons and a few beers. The reason for this, when a trout takes an object into its mouth and instantly decide this is not what it want and reject that object instantly. As a result, millions of eggs drift down the river becoming a significant food source for all fish in the river, notably steelhead. If you fish for steelhead, browns, salmon or trout, you MUST have Knotty Eggs in your box. The river offers opportunities to fish for two strains of steelhead: the Washington and the Skamania strains. In streams that have natural reproduction, it seems counterintuitive to allow anglers to pursue steelhead in the act of spawning while wading on eggs barely covered with gravel. Eggs are everywhere in the flow, the smell and taste adding to the excitement and urgency of the moment. Egg patterns are synonymous with steelheading. In these situations, fishing an egg imitation will almost invariably out fish any other method available. When this is the case, I have found patterns larger than naturals to be the most effective. I used to fish steelhead exclusively on the fly. Series 5263 nymph hook. These two fly patterns have proved effective in our forays on Oregon and Washington waters fishing salmon and steelhead. That is, the egg does more rolling or bouncing along the bottom than drifting just off the bottom. We think of eggs drifting through the water column similar to the way aquatic insects, nymph do. The egg pattern at this point is as natural as it gets. The Steelhead Jig has historically been the most popular choice for float fishing, but there are many great alternatives. An attractor pattern useful when you need to cover a lot of water. As you can imagine, with all the attention and fisherman using egg patterns, there is a large variety of patterns, ranging from very complex to the very simple and basic. Most of the time this veil is lighter in color than the egg itself, and it’s designed to mimic a piece of the membrane that encases natural salmon and steelhead eggs. This is not without warrant. Excellent late season flesh/egg pattern. Another overlooked fly for these tribs is the baby rainbow streamer (size 8). This is not without warrant. The How-To tying videos in this piece are brought to you by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions. Even though egg patterns are relatively simple patterns to tie, there is wide range of flavors and styles of patterns. Fly tiers will often try to imitate the nucleus of the egg and even incorporate minute blood dots. Box of Eggs in Various Color Combinations. Stocked trout are suckers for them, but even wild trout will gladly snack on them if you correctly put it in front of them most of the year. Matching the Hatch is often associated with trout fishing, but not necessarily with Steelhead fishing. Not to mention just about every other salmonid species in the western US. On Steelhead Alley, a good stonefly can out-fish an egg pattern in cold water, according to Weixlmann. I offer a “new” pattern, the Ham ’n Eggs, that is the ultimate guide fly – it is simple and quick to tie, uses three or less materials, and catches fish – Oh does it catch fish, especially rainbows. This is a great Steelhead Pattern for BC Rivers and Streams. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Even when the fishing gets tough, we can often depend on egg flies to save the day. Lots of egg patterns tied on the live stream. Beginning as early as September, steelhead, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and brown trout beginning running up nearly all the tributaries of Lake Ontario; the biggest difference is in the numbers of fish and durations of the spawning runs. Beads closely imitate a salmon egg, and their profile can offer a big time advantage when jigs just won’t cut it. Fall Run Egg Fly Patterns for Steelhead and Salmon. Obviously, the trick here is to imitate this egg drift – rolling along the bottom. Sizes: 2, 4, 6 only. The largest numbers of fish are in the river sometime in March and April depending on water levels and temperatures. when a smaller pattern could easily be lost in all of the When fishing rivers that have a respectable trout population, use their selectiveness as an indication of the right color and size. Hook - Raven Sz10 Octopus Bead - 1/8 GoldThread - GSP 50DTail - Krystal Flash Root BeerBody/Yarn - Mcfly Foam FL Peach Fishing the Mckenzie, which is one of the clearest rivers in Oregon, I could see the steelhead go out of their way to grab it. Nymphing becomes more and more popular every year for steelhead, which ignites the old argument whether or not steelhead eat once they enter the river. Look on the ground at access sites or near fish cleaning stations to match your egg patterns – its not that much different than catching a mayfly out of the air and matching it to a fly in your box when trout fishing. We are trying to imitate a very basic food source. So keep this in mind when you are trying to decide what to fish. Steelhead eat egg patterns all season long, so it pays to have various colors and sizes in your bag. When fishing for steelhead in the fall directly behind spawning salmon – color and size becomes more important and is where “matching the hatch” is key. This article’s goal is to provide you with a better understanding of what egg to use and when. Since egg patterns are easy to tie and we use in expensive materials, it is always a good idea to carry a large selection and supply of flies. Video. All of this fly design does not mean much unless the fly is properly presented. Learn how to tie 4 different egg patterns – go to the Fly Tying page and select the pattern you want to tie. © 2020 Current Works, LLC — All rights reserved. Depending on the timing of your fishing trip in relation to the “egg drop”, color plays a large factor and there are two ways to determine what is ideal: 1. This egg bite will last for a few days to a week after water flows stabilize. This quick tie is set up with a stinger hook, so you can also swing this pattern. The Nuke Egg 5 killer patterns for all-around steelheading: Egg-Sucking Leech, Glo Bug, Max Canyon, Purple Burlesque, and Kaufmann’s Stone. It does not matter if these fish are actively spawning or not. Here’s how to fly fish egg flies and some of our favorite egg fly patterns for winter trout or fall steelhead. But those times of the spring when the absence of rains and thaws leave the water with good clarity, size and color becomes significant. The Rag Style Clown Egg is a deadly fly for Manistee River steelhead fishing. Video tutorial on how to make micro egg patterns. Regardless of when you fish steelhead and what egg you are trying to imitate, know that the eggs themselves change. Pink Nuke Egg, Size #8-#14 a Proven Pattern for Steelhead. In these conditions you do not want to visually overload the fly. When tying and designing new egg flies, I always incorporate a light veil over the pattern with some sort of egg yarn. ​Why are egg patterns so effective? Different areas or rivers have more of one type of insect over another, however, if you are just starting, there are some tried and true patterns that you need to have in your box: Having egg patterns in various sizes, colors and shapes and learning when to use them and why can be the difference between catching steelhead on a consistent basis and catching a steelhead. The same holds true in the spring when imitating natural steelhead eggs. Deadly on both steelhead and trout. This type of tying material does not have a lot of flash in it. But, there's good reason for their excitement: they work. A well stocked fly box for trout fishing is important to success and it’s no different for steelhead. Obviously how flashy you would like a fly or subtle an egg pattern is, will depend on fishing conditions. It’s a good idea to run this egg pattern in a large size when the water is full of leaves The boys from Spud Valley put their heads together this morning to cover a few bases when it comes to Steelhead. I prefer to keep egg fly patterns simple, because, fished correctly, right along the bottom, we have a tendency to go through quite a few flies. to other egg patterns. ​Just like steelhead, trout and salmon will readily respond to eggs that are freely drifting. Egg patterns are often tied with various colors of yarn and Estaz, glow chenille, and other basic fly tying materials. "The egg sucking leech combines an egg pattern and streamer on a single hook for another versatile steelhead fly. Line it up two sizes lighter than the rod weight because it’s essential to get your fly to the bottom where the steelhead will be. There 's good reason for their excitement: they work bouncing along the bottom in. 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