Egg Flies

[Guest fisherman]

Just wondered if anyone had used them and what you think of them ? Any preference in colour or size.

Dave

 

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ANMC Founder Member

[Guest Nightwing]

I use them for steelhead and salmon. There is no best color, but if I were forced to use but one, it would be natural roe orange. I use chartreuse/orange in colored water, roe or orange in clear. But, I always have a variety along just in case the fish want something different. BTW, egg flys are killer on big browns also, especialy when they are feeding on salmon roe. They are obviously going to be seasonal in nature, best when active spawning by some species is going on.

I tie mine very simply, using common household yarn in the appropriate colors.

[Guest fisherman]

Nightwing, I was using them over the christmas break on some lakes and had great fun with yellow ones. The orange (roe colour) did not take a fish. The funny thing is that I did get a good brown 5lb. on them.

All the others were triploid rainbows. Cannot wait to try them again.

Dave

 

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ANMC Founder Member

[Guest Nightwing]

Fisherman, are you casting to sighted fish, or simply dead drifting. Reason I ask is that while most of our fish are wild, we do have a few stocked lakes, where the trout were raised on pellets. In those waters, a tan or yellow egg fly looks like a pellet, and can be deadly on sighted fish. I have not had much luck just blind casting them in still waters, however. I use them primarily on rivers, often in the runs below spawning redds, to great success on the afformentiond browns and steelies. Salmon(I have taken Atlantics, coho, and Chinook) will also take them with relish.

[Guest Dan]

Sorry to be thick guys but whats an Egg fly? Do you think it will be worth trying for Saltwater Fly Fishing for Bass, my next summers project?

Dan

[Guest fisherman]

Nightwing, the only time I did cast to sighted fish was in one of the lakes where a spring was coming into it, there was a small current there and the egg was tossed into it. There it was possible to pick your fish and as you say the eggs were deadly in the movement of the current. The rest of the time it was just dead drifting, or blind casting, letting the egg hit bottom then giving a couple of pulls to bring it back up a bit and letting it fall agian. Most of the takes seemed to come as the egg was falling back down.

Dave

 

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ANMC Founder Member

 

[This message has been edited by fisherman (edited 09 January 2002).]

[Guest fisherman]

Dan,do not think Bass would take them but I am pretty sure they could work on Mullet. Might even give them a go myself this summer.

Dave

 

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ANMC Founder Member

[Guest Dan]

Fisherman

Thanks, but I still dont know what they look like!! & I dont want to look a wally when I go buy some! or can I make'm at home?

 

I'll hoping to try flyfishing for Mullet, Garfish, Mackerel (they'll eat anything and fight great on light tackle), Ive also seen someone fly fish for Pollack late in the evening.

 

Have a look at http://www.travelling-angler.co.uk they have a load of goodies (no egg flies!) and dont be put off by the game fishing slant theres plenty of other goodies and its a UK company.

 

Dan

[Guest Nightwing]

Dan, assuming that the U.K. and U.S. versions of egg fly are one and the same, here is the U.S. version. Quite simple really, just a small(somtimes as slmall as 3mm) uniform "pom-pom" of yarn. It is tied by laying a pinch of either a single color, or multi-colors of yarn, marabou, flashabout, old carpet:-) or some other material of choice(yarn is the easiest, and seems to work best for me), material along the shaft of an egg hook(octopus style over here, have no idea what they would be called on your side of the pond), so that it goes from just past the bend of the hook, to a roughly equal distance beyond the eye. You then cinch it with a coupfl of wraps of thread followed by a half hitch or two, just beneath the eye. You can add a drop of head cememt to stabalize the knot. This tight cinching causes the yarn or other material to "puff" up into an almost perfect little ball, which, once trimmed to shape and size, simulates a fish egg.

One of the simplest, yet deadliest patterns I know. Here in the U.S., egg patterns have been elevated to a high science, with hundreds of different variations(single, double, even skein patterns), as well as hybrid patterns combining eggs with nymphs(simulates an aquatic insect stealing a fish egg, almost illegal in its effectiveness at times).

The Steelhead site(www.steelheadsite.com), has, I believe, some good info on them.

Needless to say, along with stonefly patterns, one of my faves for steelhead and salmon.

[Guest Nightwing]

Dan, assuming that the U.K. and U.S. versions of egg fly are one and the same, here is the U.S. version. Quite simple really, just a small(somtimes as slmall as 3mm) uniform "pom-pom" of yarn. It is tied by laying a pinch of either a single color, or multi-colors of yarn, marabou, flashabout, old carpet:-) or some other material of choice(yarn is the easiest, and seems to work best for me), material along the shaft of an egg hook(octopus style over here, have no idea what they would be called on your side of the pond), so that it goes from just past the bend of the hook, to a roughly equal distance beyond the eye. You then cinch it with a coupfl of wraps of thread followed by a half hitch or two, just beneath the eye. You can add a drop of head cememt to stabalize the knot. This tight cinching causes the yarn or other material to "puff" up into an almost perfect little ball, which, once trimmed to shape and size, simulates a fish egg.

One of the simplest, yet deadliest patterns I know. Here in the U.S., egg patterns have been elevated to a high science, with hundreds of different variations(single, double, even skein patterns), as well as hybrid patterns combining eggs with nymphs(simulates an aquatic insect stealing a fish egg, almost illegal in its effectiveness at times).

The Steelhead site(www.steelheadsite.com), has, I believe, some good info on them.

Needless to say, along with stonefly patterns, one of my faves for steelhead and salmon.

Oh, and if you ever want to give carp a go, just tie one a bit larger and of the proper color, and bingo, you have a boilie fly!!(it works, I have done it).