There are many theories as to “Why do steelhead enter our rivers in the fall?”, but there is no clear, general accepted theory. For a hook, a Dai-Riki #135 in size 8 or 10 is an excellent choice. Video. Some days egg patterns can’t be beat but we’ve been tying and using these small streamers for years and I’ve probably caught 70-80% of my steelhead on 18 Mile, Canadaway and Little Brother on these easy-to-tie flies. The Rag Style Clown Egg is a deadly fly for Manistee River steelhead fishing. 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. Crystal Egg 1:37 McFly Foam Egg 5:33 Bloodspot McFly Foam Egg 12:20 Micro Chenille Egg 17:00 Thunder Egg 21:55 Bead Head Estaz Egg 28:47 Eggstacy Egg 32:42 Crystal Sucker Spawn 39:47 Estaztacy 47:56 Nuke Estaz 54:47 Jake's Estaz Egg Plus 59:55 Not to mention just about every other salmonid species in the western US. Even when the fishing gets tough, we can often depend on egg flies to save the day. 5 killer patterns for all-around steelheading: Egg-Sucking Leech, Glo Bug, Max Canyon, Purple Burlesque, and Kaufmann’s Stone. When I lost my last egg pattern I found a small red bead in my bag and put it on. During this time period, the river is also used by walleyes, resident rainbow trout, suckers and carp (typically in that order with steelhead spawning the same time as rainbow trout) as their spawning area. A good fly box will contain several different egg patterns, stone fly nymphs and several different types of steelhead nymph patterns. 1. This way they can feed more efficiently. So keep this in mind when you are trying to decide what to fish. Prev 1 2 Next . For rainbows, I … When it comes to trout, they will key in on eggs faster than any other food source. Learn how to tie 4 different egg patterns – go to the Fly Tying page and select the pattern you want to tie. It’s a good idea to run this egg pattern in a large size when the water is full of leaves Video. But, there's good reason for their excitement: they work. Both spring steelhead and brown trout will feed on these easy meals. The pattern is an adaptation of a Great Lakes steelhead pattern called the Sucker Spawn. But with time, understanding, and some luck, I have learned that this multi-color configuration and approach can be significant to my success fishing for steelhead right here in Michigan. Though it can work well in a variety of conditions, I've had a lot of success with this pattern on the Ontario tribs during dark and cloudy conditions. Good for rainbow, steelhead, char, silver, king, and sockeye salmon. There are times when egg flies are the most productive fly patterns on the rivers. As a result, millions of eggs drift down the river becoming a significant food source for all fish in the river, notably steelhead. Highly visible pattern even under high water conditions. While these might be partially or absolutely correct, I prescribe to the theory that fall weather and wind conditions bring steelhead close to river mouths, and the scent of pheromones and millions of salmon eggs drifting down the river triggers them to follow a gravy train of protein. Learn your favorite river, the spawning times of the various species, and what works in particular conditions and key in on what steelhead are eating. Egg fly patterns for steelhead are ​likely the most popular fly pattern for fishing the Great lakes tributaries. Simple sounding concept, but, the trick is to find these prime feeding spots. Matching the Hatch is often associated with trout fishing, but not necessarily with Steelhead fishing. These flies will be tied with egg yarn in natural looking colors. It's a simple fact. Very simply, locate actively spawning fish, down river where the current is being compressed forming a cut in the river bottom. It’s the first true steelhead pattern I ever tied and, if memory serves, that was in the early 80’s. Here is my most productive steelhead streamer this season that has caught over 2 dozen fish in just a few outings! It is an egg pattern with a tungsten bead embedded in the center to add the weight necessary to get the egg near the stream bottom where it belongs. I used to fish steelhead exclusively on the fly. Our Egg Fly Patterns For Steelhead Are Tied on Gamakatsu, Tiemco or Daiichi Hooks, By The Worlds Finest Fly Tier's. These egg flies are tied with flashing material such as Estevez and glow chenille. 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. 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. I've added timestamps to patterns if you want to skip ahead. When it comes to a food sources for ​steelhead, eggs seem to have one of the strongest food attractions as anything you can find in the wild. One of its key attributes is the veil or shroud of yarn that covers the nucleus of the pattern giving it a natural, transparent look when wet. Feb 15, 2019 - Explore Ray Travis's board "Egg Patterns", followed by 340 people on Pinterest. Deadly on both steelhead and trout. When I want to try something other than a Steelhead Jig, these are a few of my favorites. I don't get excited about fishing egg patterns like some fishermen do. 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. When spawning is over and winter settles, the eggs are not as accessible to the fish. Here’s how to fly fish egg flies and some of our favorite egg fly patterns for winter trout or fall steelhead. Video tutorial on how to make micro egg patterns. You can purchase our UV enhanced fishing yarn by clicking on the image below. The best flies I ever used weren't flies. 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: 2. The Nuke Egg or Nuclear Egg is an oldie but a goodie. Regardless of when you fish steelhead and what egg you are trying to imitate, know that the eggs themselves change. Worthy attractor colors are Chartreuse over Flame, or Flame over Cerise. The Tungsten Embryo has caught everything from Steelhead to Bull Trout to Alaskan Rainbows, dollies, and grayling. Now, over 30 years later, they’re still easy and fun to tie, and work remarkably well. 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. 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. Excellent late season flesh/egg pattern. In these situations, fishing an egg imitation will almost invariably out fish any other method available. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We need to slow down the speed of the drift; an egg drift is considerably slower. This way the eggs will stay for the most part, where the fish deposit them in the river bottom. A dirty water box and a clear water box helps to keep it organized. And in the winter I use lots of egg-sucking leeches, bunny leeches, and bright egg patterns like the Sucker Spawn. Fishing and having certain successes or failures can help you define color combos for particular times. 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