How to Tie Lure for Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout has prominent pinkish, red horizontal lines along each sides and back with spotted dorsal and caudal fins. Rainbow trout feed on aquatic insects, small fish, larvae and small mollusks. They can be caught using flies patterned after their food including salmon flesh. Tie your own lures and experiment with different thread colors and patterns to find the most effective fly for your local fishing grounds. The flesh fly lure works in many fur colors including olive, white and black for imitating various trout prey like leeches, sculpins and minnows.

Things You'll Need

  • Non-stainless hook, size 2 to 10
  • Non-crosscut stripped rabbit fur in white, tan or cream
  • Thread, white or pink
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Instructions

    • 1

      Secure the hook onto the vise by attaching it on the hook bend with the point downward.

    • 2

      Tie and wrap the thread on the shank starting next to the hook eye up to the point just before the hook bend. This helps prevent the fly materials from moving and sliding around the shank.

    • 3

      Decide the length of the fly tail depending on your hook size. A 1.5-inch tail is ideal on a size 6 hook. If the tail is too long or short, the fly won't have much movement to attract rainbow trout.

    • 4

      Place the fur on the shank. Expose the skin by stroking the rabbit hair back with your fingers at the point where you want the tail to start. The exposed skin should be right at the hook bend.

    • 5

      Tie the fur down with the thread starting at the exposed skin. Secure by making four to five wraps around the hook shank. Move the wraps from the exposed skin of the fur to the shank and continue wrapping up to the hook eye. Allow the fur to hang down.

    • 6

      Stretch the rabbit fur a bit and wrap it around the hook shank in a clockwise direction. The tighter the wraps, the more sparse the fly profile will be. The looser the wraps, the more dense the fly will be and the less fur you'll need. Adjust depending on your preference.

    • 7

      Tie off the rabbit fur a the point next to the hook eye. Trim the strip on a slight angle to prevent excess build-up. Tighten and whip finish.