When temperatures vary, don’t be afraid to throw both large and small patterns. The Beach Body Stone, created by Fly Fishing Team USA member Josh Miller, is prone to fooling large fish in fast moving water. This variation combines the slender Beach Body with a Pat’s Rubber Legs…now we just need a name for it!
Love to fish in the winter and early spring? For me, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Fewer anglers on the water, gorgeous scenery, plus that overall sense of calm. Throw in a few trout and life is good. As I discussed in a prior blog post, a major key is staying comfortable, but what about flies?
With extreme temperature fluctuations from morning to the evening, I make a parallel to the flies we tie and throw. You’ll find distinct categories of the flies I use, from the tiny (i.e. midges) to the enormous (articulated streamers). During this time of the year, some trout are ready for that ONE perfect meal…give them a giant Mop fly! Others are content to nibble on fly after fly, and they can’t resist a WD-40.
Egg patterns are effective all year long, but especially during the winter and early spring. Valued as a high protein item, trout can’t resist an easy meal drifting freely towards them. When tying in smaller sizes, I prefer McFly Foam. Use Eggstasy for larger flies.
Normally when my friends at the Moonshine Rod Company reach out to me, it's to demo a new rod. This time it was related to sharing some of my favorite flies...how could I say no?!? They asked that I put together a list of the top winter and early spring flies. So which flies made the list?!? As you can guess, the Micro Egg is an absolute winner for me all spring. Wild trout and stocked fish alike, they can't resist it. The tungsten bead helps to get it lower in the water column, and the pattern does the rest.
Learn about some other essential patterns here: Moonshine Blog Post featuring Tim Cammisa
While you’re on their site, take a peek at their rod selection, which is stellar. Their VP Tate Cunningham is a great fly fisher, as we fished together in Iceland. He asked me to demo the new Vesper series before it was released and I highly recommend that series. Spoiler Alert: The 10’6” 3 weight rod for Euro nymphing is one of the best rods at that price range. Learn more here: Vesper Rod Series
