Information on Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Lures

Trout fishing is poetry in human form. It provides sport, tranquility and meditative peacefulness. As noted author Kurt Vonnegut remarked, "It's using time charmingly." But tricking fish into believing they are about to eat a Mayfly or grub or minnow is as challenging as knowing the weather, what insects live near a stream, when they hatch and when trout are looking for certain food to eat. Fly fishing lures come in thousands of varieties, each mimicking the characteristics of most everything that lives in and around the stream or lake --- so it requires skill and knowledge of not only the fish but the environment in which they live.

  1. The two basic kinds of flies

    • There are wet flies and dry flies.
      Wet flies sink beneath the water's surface and replicate the look of various bugs and water creatures that skirt along the bottom of the stream or lake, taking refuge among the sand, rocks and stones. They can also be other fish, like minnows that dart around at various depths. They can represent drowned insects, bait fish and other underwater prey. Wet flies require more skill because the fisherman must feel the trout strike underwater, as opposed to watching a surface strike.
      Dry flies masquerade as insects, many of them that fly like caddis flies, that have flown too close to the water or have gotten stuck on top of the water from surface tension.

    Essential trout flies

    • Trout, while aggressive and voracious eaters, spook easily. This means that any unnatural movements, unfamiliar shapes and awkward delivery of flies into the water don't usually work well to trick a trout into your frying pan.
      According to well-known trout angler Mike Hatfield, the basic kinds of wet and dry flies that should be included in every trout fisherman's tackle box are nymphs, terrestrials (duplicating things like ants, beetles and grasshoppers, wet and soft hackle flies, streamers (minnow-looking), woolly worms and buggers, scuds, worms and shrimp look-alikes, eggs, saltwater flies and still water flies.
      The thing to keep in mind is that each has its own pattern, different footprint in the water and a unique profile.

    Match the hatch

    • At certain times of year, hatches of mayflies and stoneflies occur, depending on the region and season. It's important to know these times to most closely imitate the insects the fish are comfortable seeing and eating. The same goes for other types of insects that are prevalent at some times of year and less so at other times. There is another rule of thumb followed by veteran anglers: Use dark flies in murky water, such as after heavy rains, and lighter colored flies on brighter days and in more clear water.

    Caddis vs. Baetis

    • This is about as intricate as fly fishing can get. In Arkansas, for example, the Caddis and Baetis flies often hatch at the same time, so knowing which the trout favors at any given time on any given day in any given river requires a sharp eye to fill your stringer. Are the trout sipping or splashing? If they are sipping, they're eating Baetis larvae as they slip to the top of the water and fly away. The trout sip at these. Caddis, on the other hand, pupate as larvae in a cone-shaped shell, emerge from the shell, ascend to the surface and then rocket skyward --- if the trout don't catch them first. Thus the splashing. Similar hatches with different insects often occur throughout the United States, so get to know the indigenous insects, terrestrial and river environments.

    Fish stories

    • One of the tried and true ways to find out what trout are biting on is to ask other fishermen at the local bait and tackle shop or by the river's edge. They tend to be an affable group and there are plenty of fish, and fish stories, to go around.