Your favorite winter fly

[colotrout]

So, here in CO, winter is upon us.

What's your favorite winter fly?

Here in CO, these two flies are guaranteed to catch fish (smaller flies, size 18-26, catch BIGGER fish):

Charlie's Blue poison tug is just amazing, really: Charlie's FlyBox - Colorado's Best FlyShop and online Fly Tying Tutorials

Wilcox's little green machine: Wilcox's Little Green Machine- Pheasant Tail. Size 18 & 20. Personally tied by me!

 

[wonderfulremark]

mine is egg sucking leech pattern

 

[MoscaPescador]

I play the match the hatch game quite a bit on my local tailwater. BWO patterns usually rule throughout the winter, but there are some different mayfly and stonefly hatches. But I just go attractor more times than I care to admit.

After a good rain, I use this fly for dead drift nymphing in conjunction with different stonefly, caddis, or mayfly nymphs.

When I swing for trout, it is hard to beat this fly.

MP

 

[FrankB2]

A #10 olive wooley bugger has served me well during the winter. I've been able to catch trout on freezing days using that pattern, so that's where I start. Green Weenies and Zebra midges also work, but are usually tied as a dropper off the back of a wooley bugger. I've been tying my buggers with green or black beadchain eyes for the past few year, and do much better with those than buggers without anything or a single bead.

 

[Thread Starter]

So, here in CO, winter is upon us.
[/url]

If you say so.. 60 deg last weds & this Tuesday thru Thursday in the 60's again!:icon_conf Just sayin
I did a seine sample of a local fishery last January 2nd and found all the bugs in the sample were the same bugs of summer. The BWO in many stages seems to be the fly I always fall back on. I run a 3 fly rig so something Baetis,something wormy and something BWOy..
I have to say RSII is a great choice here in Colorado. itty bitty sizes too.
20 to 24,a real pain in the butt to tie that small.

Don't forget to put your toys away when your finished playing with them.
Steve

 

[HuronRiverDan]

Most of my winter fishing is for Steelhead. I usually fish a two fly rig with a small stonefly as my point fly and some sort of egg pattern on a dropper. If the stone isn't doing it I'll go with a small green caddis.

Dan

 

[Thread Starter]

Most of my winter fishing is for Steelhead. I usually fish a two fly rig with a small stonefly as my point fly and some sort of egg pattern on a dropper. If the stone isn't doing it I'll go with a small green caddis.

Dan

Do the steelies run all winter? I've never fished for them,never even thought about fishing for them.

 

[Jimmie]

Small Bunny Leechs, or Buggers. Best winter Bugger last year was a #12 olive tail, peacock body, palmered grizzly hackle, copper rib.
On this side of the mountain anyhow.

 

[crittergetter]

I hate to admit to this one.... GLOBall... Maybe it is because the fish remember the eggs floating from late spawning. It really seams to work.

I can redeam myself on sunny day's with flashback hairsear or some red larve looking small things.

Also, what MoscaP shows I will use often.

CritterGetter

 

[wt bash]

I wouldn't say its my favorite but it allways ends up as the "go to" for winter steelhead, its been doing pretty well so far. Gold in place of copper does well too.

 

[HuronRiverDan]

Do the steelies run all winter? I've never fished for them,never even thought about fishing for them.

There'll almost always be some fish holding in the rivers.

Nice looking tube there WT...I like to add some Steelhead Blue to my darker patterns...

Dan

 

[wt bash]

I too love blue, I have a few with either ice dub blue bodies or blue flashabou in the wing, blue schlappen or something blue.

 

[okuma]

Somehow Bill, I knew you would choose a tube fly

 

[Lambster]

I'd have to say ( Mr.Copper ) metalic streamer that shimmers even in low light, its almost like a magnet! Dosn't shrink up! Best streamer on the market for all types of fishin'..........:frogdance

 

[kglissmeyer1]

Here are several I use regularly during the winter:

Big Ugly Rubberlegs:

KG's South Fork Special:

Improved Shop Vac:

Rainbow Warrior:

KG's Deep Purple Peril:

Kelly.

 

[colotrout]

Nice ties KG, yours I assume?

 

[kglissmeyer1]

Nice ties KG, yours I assume?

The "Big Ugly" Rubberlegs is just my interpretation of the rubberlegs theme, but it's a killer fly and I use it as the weight to get my three-fly rig down to fish-holding depth.

KG's South Fork Special and KG's Deep Purple Peril are my own creations.

The Rainbow Warrior is someone else's creation, but a great winter fly, as is the Improved Shop Vac. Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT, and a good friend, created the Shop Vac fly, I just added a peacock collar behind and in front of the white wing, thus, the "Improved" (my opinion :shades designation. I don't think you could improve much of what Craig ties.

Kelly.

 

[dhayden]

Most of my winter fishing is for Steelhead. I usually fish a two fly rig with a small stonefly as my point fly and some sort of egg pattern on a dropper. If the stone isn't doing it I'll go with a small green caddis.

Dan

Same.. but instead of the caddis, I'll drop off a Red Copper John.

 

[BigCliff]

Winter means trout season for those of us near the Guadalupe tailrace.

Unless I'm slinging streamers, I'me throwing a two fly rig with a peacock and partridge dropper and either a copper john or zebra midge on point. Copper john in fast water, zebra midge for slow.

I'll mix it up with slightly different patterns, but that's my standard rig. Peacock and partridge gets the most use by far.

 

[troutdoorsman]

I will usually tie on a stonefly or green caddis in the winter followed by a midge or baetis pattern.