10 Winter Flies

[afishinado]

Interesting list of 10 trout flies that work well in the winter.

I can't argue with any one of them >

https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/top-10-flies-for-winter-in-the-northeast?fbclid=IwAR0mfWOtiSQVOQCycCWdYo6nnBSc9mo_aCHSErOuC06FRyxprrsrmfbA250

 

[PennypackFlyer]

I would have tossed in a Copper John Red.

 

[JoeE]

I would only add a Prince Nymph.

 

[drakeking412]

A newer pattern that's doing really well right now (so I hear) is the 'Slush Egg' check it out

 

[dc410]

Looks like a great winter line up. Thanks, Afish.

 

[Tigereye]

Not a bad selection. One wouldnt be handicapped fishing just these 10 all year.

 

[tomgamber]

No peeking caddis?

 

[redietz]

Most of them were ones I expected to see. Not necessarily my choices, but not a bad mix, either.

 

[dryflyguy]

I would have BWO's there.

With the milder winters we've been having lately, I've seen them hatching earlier than usual.
I've been regularly fishing them the third and fourth week of february the last 5 years or so on spring creek.

One year, I hit a tremendous hatch of them valentines day on yellow creek

 

[evw659]

I would add a green honeybug, at least for central pa.

 

[redietz]

dryflyguy wrote:
I would have BWO's there.

With the milder winters we've been having lately, I've seen them hatching earlier than usual.
I've been regularly fishing them the third and fourth week of february the last 5 years or so on spring creek.

One year, I hit a tremendous hatch of them valentines day on yellow creek

I agree, but for me the pheasant tail in sizes 18 and 20 fills that slot. Lose the bead, fish it in the film. I prefer a soft hackled version.

Not only do olive hatches start early in the season, they last late in the season. I've fished fairly heavy hatches of them on both Big Spring and on Gunpowder Falls the first week of January. Really, only mid-January through mid-February is the only only time of year that I've never seen them somewhere.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I'm with Joe E. here...One of my top Winter producers is an Orange Psycho Prince #14. Same with Tom's suggestion of a Peeking Caddis. For the Peeking Caddis, this is what I tie along with variants in yellow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDhdkMkoQOY

 

[CathyG]

My best winter day was with a size 20 Griffiths gnat. I lost count of how many I caught.
Another winter favorite is Grobert's pumpkinhead midge.
My biggest winter trout was caught on a sexy Walt's.

 

[jeffroey]

Let's really get to know each other.

There's always threads popping up that are built around lists like this of the best patterns, inevitably amended with a few of your personal favorites. Let's bound the exercise just a little bit more:

Winter fishing. You can only carry one box that hold 60 flies. No more. Which 60 are you taking - pattern and size? For me, and some small stream eastern PA hike-in fishing I'm doing:

3 x #10 conehead black wooly bugger
3 x #10 conehead Olive wooly bugger

3 x #14 bead head Pink Squirrel nymph
3 x #16 bead head Pink Squirrel nymph

3 x #14 flashback hare's ear nymph
3 x #16 flashback hare's ear nymph

3 x #14 SOS nymph

3 x #18 zebra midge

3 x #14 pheasant tail nymph
3 x #16 pheasant tail nymph

3x #10 orange/yellow Stimulator

6 x # 12 Adams para
6 x #12 olive klinks

6 x # 14 purple haze sparkle para
3 x #18 Griffith's

6x #12 squirmys (probably green or pink)