3 Flies for the Week: November 20

It’s Thanksgiving week which means it’s time for us to gather with our friends and family and give thanks. We’d like to say thank you to everyone who makes the fly shop what it is. We’re a community-based fly shop and without any of you we couldn’t be where we are. But enough of the emotional stuff, let's talk about this week’s fishing. This week is probably going to be slower than other weeks because of the big drop in temperatures. Our fish still got to eat though, so if you have the time to get out we highly recommend getting out there. Due to the temperature drop, expect the BWO hatches to finally dwindle away. It’s now midge season so have your box loaded up with a variety of patterns. To keep things simple though, we’re going to recommend two midge patterns that we feel are going to work excellently this week, as well as a great lead fly. 

#1: Twister Egg - Clown sz18

The twister egg is a relatively new egg pattern produced by Fulling Mill and we’re excited to finally have it in the shop. This egg pattern is tied on a jigged hook with a heavy tungsten bead to allow for optimal depth penetration and help reduce the amount of split shot needed on your rig. Like we mentioned last week with hare’s ear, the tungsten bead on this fly has less of a splat on the water than split shot does, allowing for less fish spooking when the water is low and clear. We recommend the clown color variation because it offers a subtle contrast that differentiates itself from the standard orange egg that most are throwing. This pattern is also much smaller than the average egg pattern which makes it a more subtle presentation and isn’t as loud as other eggs even though it is the clown coloration. We highly recommend the twister egg for this week and the incoming winter season, there’s a ton of eggs in the water and they’ll be available to the fish until the spring. We also have the materials used to make this fly if you want to tie some up yourself. Pro tip: because this fly is tied on a barbless jig, be sure to tie your dropper fly off the eyelet of the twister egg rather than the bend of the hook.

#2: Foamie Homie - Black sz24

Ugh oh, we’re talking about tiny flies. Unfortunately this time of the year is going to require generally smaller flies since midges don’t really get much bigger than a 24. Ideally, fishing a sz26 or 28 would better match the hatch, but the hook up to landing ratio of flies that small is rather low, so we find the sz24s to work much more efficiently. We like the foamie homie because of its natural profile that perfectly imitates an emerging midge pupa. The added bonus with this fly is the small flashy section built into its head. Unlike other midge patterns where the flash is built into the wing or body, this flash is built into its head below the emerging bubble which allows for it to still be super realistic but still able to grab the fish’s eye. The entirety of the fly is also reinforced with a UV epoxy coat that allows it to withstand abuse from the river bottom and the fish’s mouth. Most midge patterns don’t come with this so they fall apart rather fast. Without getting too into this fly, fish it for yourself and see how well it performs.

#3: Zebra Midge - Red sz22

Yep, the all time classic zebra midge has finally made the list. This fly has withstood the test of time for a reason, its simplistic design always works regardless of water conditions. We chose the red for this week because we almost always will have a midge larva on our nymphing rig during the winter. During the times of day where the midges aren’t hatching, or when the fish are being fussy about pupa they’re eating, midge larva seem to do the trick. Midge larva are an easy meal for winter trout because they have no way of escaping predation. Midge larvae cannot swim so when they’re kicked up from the river bottom they’re completely defenseless. Trout love midge larva so much that they will even dig them up from the river bottom. An added bonus with the zebra midge is the tungsten beadhead. Like the twister egg, this added weight in the fly will enable you to use less split shot and avoid spooking wary fish.