Favorite Brown Trout Flies

[rustneversleeps]

I have been back on the vise for a bit and have been engulfed in streamers (like usual) and have started to branch out from my favorite Galloup patterns and the usual go-to's. It's always interesting to me to see new variations, ideas, and materials being used. I'm sure this question has been asked a bunch or possibly beat to death, but I am just wondering what fly you would choose if you only had one choice and were going after big browns (Walter size 25+)? My favorites have always been the Sex Dungeon or the Barely Legal/Laser Legal, although I've caught them on many different patterns. Mike Schmidt's Junkyard Dog is next up on the vise, but trying to get some other ideas. Thanks in advance!

[Meadowlark]

Following this thread with interest...headed for big sea run browns on Rio Gallegos in a couple of months. I've heard the really big brownies > 20 pounds prefer anything with rubber legs?

[Bigfly]

20170610_160436[1] by James Landis, on Flickr

I don't have a favorite color, but Browns do....Pink.......

Jim

[bumble54]

It may be different for you, compared to the places I fish and we tend to choose flies that have proven themselves in the past, but all my "big" Brown trout have been taken on a Muddler Minnow, a magenta tailed Zulu, or a Dunkeld, in that order, all quite large and all fished very slowly. Plenty of fish over 3lb and more than a dozen over 5 lb. They don't usually run that large however in the places I fish, a 2lb being a decent fish. I should perhaps point out that these were wild fish or at least grown on after being stocked some years before, larger fish tending to become predatory as one big effort to catch prey can last them many weeks or months whereas they would need a lot of insects to get the same food value,they also overwinter in better condition than the smaller fish. I've personally never seen the really big browns in the spawning streams so perhaps they've given up on that preferring to eat instead, I have however watched them stalking their prey many times and it is quite illuminating. I once watched a very big brown chasing rainbow trout about 1lb in weight only for a chap to come along and catch the very same fish on a size 12 nymph on his first cast, it had a 10" Rainbow in it's throat, he was more surprised than the fish.

[rustneversleeps]

20170610_160436[1] by James Landis, on Flickr

I don't have a favorite color, but Browns do....Pink.......

Jim

Nice squirmies - easy ties too!

It may be different for you, compared to the places I fish and we tend to choose flies that have proven themselves in the past, but all my "big" Brown trout have been taken on a Muddler Minnow, a magenta tailed Zulu, or a Dunkeld, in that order, all quite large and all fished very slowly. Plenty of fish over 3lb and more than a dozen over 5 lb. They don't usually run that large however in the places I fish, a 2lb being a decent fish. I should perhaps point out that these were wild fish or at least grown on after being stocked some years before, larger fish tending to become predatory as one big effort to catch prey can last them many weeks or months whereas they would need a lot of insects to get the same food value,they also overwinter in better condition than the smaller fish. I've personally never seen the really big browns in the spawning streams so perhaps they've given up on that preferring to eat instead, I have however watched them stalking their prey many times and it is quite illuminating. I once watched a very big brown chasing rainbow trout about 1lb in weight only for a chap to come along and catch the very same fish on a size 12 nymph on his first cast, it had a 10" Rainbow in it's throat, he was more surprised than the fish.

I agree on difference in bodies of water and leaning towards patterns that have been successful in the past. I have wild, huge, predatory brown trout in mind (25+) - watching the reaction strikes and follows on a 6+ inch streamer is what haunts my dreams. Call me stubborn or stupid, but I have only landed a half dozen this size and hooked one that was easily the biggest trout I've ever seen in my life. Low numbers and a possible skunk is worth that one fish to me.

[zjory]

Olive baby gonga has always been a winner for me when targeting big browns.

[mcnerney]

Any streamer with brown/yellow! An oldie that still works is a JJ Special.

[LandoLando]

While Galloups flies really do work and they are fun to tie and nice to look at, there are much quicker ties that are just as productive. Some go to streamers for browns for me that don't take for ever tie are:

Zoo cougar
Muddled minnow
Wooly mugglers
Sculpin Headbanger
Clouser minnow
Lil Kim
Platte river spider

For nymphs, I don't think you can target a specific species with nymphs, so just whatever works in your locale. Agreed on the brown and yellow. I also use chartreuse and light olive when the brown doesn't seem to be working.

Kelly galloup just posted a new fly on YouTube, the belly bumper bunker. I've tied a few and they are pretty quick ties, if your good at sculpting. I have fished them and thought they looked really good in the water and preferred the hook up, but haven't caught anything on them yet.

[rustneversleeps]

Awesome, thanks for all the ideas guys!

[dillon]

I have not caught any big browns, but lots a tad over 20 inches. They have all been on dry flies and most on some stage of a pmd in sz 16-20. Some have been in low light conditions but others in the middle of the day under sunny sky's. Almost all have been in spring creek like environments in very tight technical lies where the food funnels to them. They are stationary feeders in a very narrow feeding lane. It takes a perfect presentation to get an eat. That's just the way I like it...