Unique fly fishing article detailing the selection of my favorite and most effective - deadly flies, which I use with great success throughout the all year round season when fishing on trout stillwaters, especially on commercial trout lakes, ponds and reservoirs! Try these deadly trout patterns of my flies on your favorite trout stillwaters and you absolutely will not regret!
In this article I have prepared for you my TOP 10 favorite and most effective secret patterns which I most often use with regularly success every season on smaller and bigger trout still waters! Of course, everyone has their favorites and the same fly patterns non't works for everybody. However, the flies I have selected for this article have been verified and therefore I will be happy to serve all fly fishers who are open to try new types of flies to their own favorites, or those fly fishers who wants to start with fishing on some nice and well-stocked trout still water, but they don't know how to do and have no idea what they should start with to be successful as soon as possible! In this article I have deliberately avoided those traditional stillwater fly patterns that are very successful of course, but probably I would not bring too much new by writing about them. If anyone is still looking for these classic patterns or wants to remind them, they will find a list of them on the left in the form of links, along with related fly fishing galleries dedicated to the targeted fly fishing on comercial or public trout still waters! I wish you a pleasant reading, and I would be very pleased if this article will serve all enthusiastic fly fisherman to expand their fly fishing horizons in the field of fly fishing on trout still waters, whose popularity is increasing and fishing on them perfectly complements traditional and beautiful fly fishing for trout and grayling on running waters! Tight Lines with my TOP 10! :-)
* AR Orange Head Woolly Starter is my favorite fly, with which I most often fish on artificially created comercial still waters with rainbow trout and brook trout. It is a pattern that combines - thanks to its larger size - a fantastic lure (contrasting fluo orange head) and a smaller world-famous trout streamer (Black Woolly Bugger). It is a completely universal fly pattern, which especially love rainbow trout in the early cold spring season (beginning of the season on commercial trout reservoirs) but also in the autumn months until the water surface freezes (Second half of the active trout fishing season on still waters)! As the name suggests (Starter), I often start fishing with this pattern, especially when I want to quickly detect the occurrence and activity of fish in water locality. For this purpose and because of its size I fish with it as a single fly on a longer leader (2,5 - 3 m) with a clear slow intermediate line and actively fish through the water surface! I always use this fly exclusively as a point fly and I fish with it either - as I have already written - as the only one on the tappered leader - streamer technique with active line pulling, combining a longer pull with subsequent 2 shorter pulls (-..), or in combination with a smaller, more distinct golden head lure (orange, yellow) on the dropper. Such an assembly then usually more vigorous "figure to eight" retrieving again using an intermediate or hover fly line! Absolutely indispensable pattern of a larger lure/streamer specially developed for the fishing for large fleshy rainbow inhabiting the mysterious still water depths! ;-)
* AR Hot Head Yellow Killer is another my secret favorite for stillwater rainbow fishing - especially for the beginning of the season. This pattern is great for the first hunt, immediately after the water surface freezes on the dams, when in clean and cold water literally hypnotizes trout to strike. Great fly, of course, when fishing freshly stocked fish, which respond very positively to simple fantastic flies of a similar kind! In larger sizes I fished with this hot yellow lure as a point fly, but because - I do not like fishing with large and brightly colored lure - I gradually reduced its size and moved this fly to a position of excellent dropper fly that provokes fish, which eventually take a less noticeable naturally looking fly on the point - patterns like a goldhead lure with a black marabou tail and a body from peacock Spectra Dubbing (spring months), or a white goldhead lure with a chartreuse thorax in the Cat's Whisker style (cold autumn months). This whole set is revived by slow to medium speed figure to eight using slow intermediate or subsurface Hover fly line. In addition, if you adhere to the fly tying material described above, an orange body thread shines through the yellow dubbing body of the lure, and every true stillwater fly fisher knows that similar details often determine the final success, especially when the fish are more experienced! Do not forget to load the fly in the head part of several windings with lead wire. The fly then naturally falls on the head, thus vibrating the delicate and moving marabou tail! Just try this colorful fly as a dropper fly with any natural fly on the point!
* AR Fish Fry Booby Streamer is a complete killer for big trout who, especially in the autumn season, sneaks around the bottom of the shore looking for more meat food! This fly is great bigger light colored small fish pattern designed for targeted fishing of Fry Feeders (English term for large trout from reservoirs who feed on fry of coarse fish in autumn). This pattern - in other natural areas, big trout focus on flocks of small fish - works well on still waters in the targeted fishing of large rainbow trout! It is true that I began to use this pattern actively in the autumn months about four - five years ago, but during that time it is responsible for many very big rainbow and their relatives golden rainbow trout, who are often after stocking a long time very inactive, but all the time occurrences in dams tend to stick to the bank rather than to open water. But as soon as these large specimens of the golden form of rainbow trout become hunting active, I fish them with great success on the slowly pulled AR Fish Fry Booby Streamer on a shorter (1.5 - 2 m) leader on a fast intermediate or sinking fly line! It is a relatively slow and not very effective way of fishing for some people, but in the coldest autumn and winter days it is absolutely unique and often fatal for these big fish! If we reduce the size of this fly (size 10 - 12), we can combine it with some other colored Booby Nymph pattern on the dropper to catch the trout at the bottom efficiently without worrying we'll get stuck somewhere on the bottom. Great fly for autumn and winter.
* AR Peacock Head Viva Special - Phenomenal winter pattern irreplaceable at a time when the water is very cold and gin clear. At that time (immediately after ice thawing, or a few days until complete freezing) the fish slow down their metabolism, stop being so active, and when they are feeding, they definitely do not chase their prey in the same style as in peak season for their highest activity! Therefore, it is necessary to adapt to this factor and fish in such a way that the fish wants to catch up our fly! The AR Peacock Head Viva Special is a great weapon for this purpose! With this fly I fish near the bottom and very slowly. The shallow parts of the reservoir are ideal places where the fish are more likely to encounter our flies in this period of the year! If this happens, fish must be interested. Viva is a great fly pattern for the "sloppy and lax" way of retrieving. Personally, I catch this fly on a relatively long leader (3.5 - 5 m) in combination with another a great winter Cat's Whisker pattern on the dropper. These winged fantastic patterns are excellent for extremely slow pulling (figure to eight or long pulls with breaks). Delicate marabou wings in this style of fishing temptingly pulse, which trout certainly will not leave calm! Because of the slow fishing in the shallower parts of the lake - similar to Booby fishing - I use only a floating line maximum subsurface Hover fly line to avoid the risk of hang on the bottom and tears of successful flies! Viva is an excellent pattern even when classic lures with tails doesn't work and fish still prefer a larger type of bait near the bottom!
* AR Skinny Fry Streamer I put on the leader when the fish stop responding to bigger colored flies like attractors and streamers due to the high pressure of the fishermen and on the other hand fish do not react to smaller wet flies and nymphs! This is a year-round pattern, which, of course, I also use in other fishing situation for trout, perch and chub fishing - fish which naturaly eat small fish. In the often visited waters, this is a pattern that is completely unknown for the fish for most of the year due to a certain "insight" of other fishermen who use all sorts of unnatural, colorful or differently moving and acoustically or essentially baited lures. The fish see a huge amount of these "traps" in a short period! This fly pattern is absolutely natural, inconspicuous and in terms of movement, almost static, which could possibly be described as a negative factor for fishing lure... However, because of these description, this fly is paradoxically very attractive to fish because of its "different nature". I like to fish with this pattern with intermediate or Hover fly line by fast figure to eight retrieving. When fish need faster bait movement, I practice Roly-Poly technique! As dropper flies I use similar subtle patterns of slim small streamers, sparklers or wet flies as Butcher, Silver Invicta, Silver March Brown or various stillwater Dabblers. In the case of a larger size, which I tie this fly on the hook with extended hook shank, I fish with only one bigger fish fry imitation on the long tappered fluororcarbon leader.
* AR Green Head Gentle Sparkler is an outstanding, inconspicuous transparent pattern that takes advantage of similar advantages to the previous AR Skinny Fry Streamer. Its biggest weapon is the color trigger point in the form of a fluo green hot head. Previously, I tied more of the same patterns of these gently sparklers with different colored heads (fluo orange, hot red), but the fish clearly determined the absolute winner! I often fish with two Sparklers on the leader, using this pattern as a dropper fly and as the point fly I use the traditional and more shiny pearly-gold-silver Sparkler with a black head. The fish are mainly engaged in a fly with a fluo green head, but the point fly is very popular fly for fish as well! When I fish with these Sparklers, I use long cast and faster figure to eight retrieving! Mostly I use subsurface Hover or slow intermediate fly line! Very important is the weather combined with the water quality and coloring! I have noticed that fish react to Sparklers mainly in cloudy weather in case of clear water (autumn months). In the case of cloudy water even bright strong sunshine does not matter - fish lovethis fly in this weather! Therefore, try the AR Green Head Gentle Sparkler under these conditions, respectively at a time when fish will not respond to fantastic colored lures of particular colors or smaller patterns of sub-surface wet flies, nymphs, midges and buzzers!
* AR Bushy Seal Soldier opens a collection of favorite wet and nymph flies from my choice, which I use most often when fishing on trout still waters! In the case of this pattern I based on the traditional and very effective pattern, which is the UK wet lake fly Soldier Palmer. I personally improved this pattern with used fly tying material! The main effect is formed by a dense bushy body from a two-color mix of hot orange and amber/light orange seals fur dubbing. It is important to mix the dubbing properly so that the color effect of the resulting shade on the fly is even after combing! In combination with the fine hen hackles (Palmer), the heavily combed body in the water is very effective and movable both with slow ripples and active water column pulling, when the body literally pulsates! I use this fly exclusively as a dropper fly, when it serves as an attractor for the point fly, which is a small and inconspicuous darker naturally looking pattern! With such a combination, the fish react to all the flies on the leader very willingly! More aggressive types of rainbows take the Soldier on the dropper instantly, more cautiously letting him irritate them, but take the less striking wet fly pattern of the point of leader. After greasing the fly with a suitable floatant, this pattern can be used as dry fly if the fish are feeding insects from the surface.
* AR Black & White Bit is an excellent black wet/dry fly faithfully imitating - depending on its size - drowned, hatching or egg-laying insects, including Hawthorn, winged ants, adults of midges and dark-colored caddis flies. AR Black & White Bit is one of my favorite and very versatile patterns of subsurface flies. Personally, I like fishing on still waters for these types of flies in combination with nymphs and other wet flies, which I cast Hover or floating fly line with a long and degreased fluorocarbon leader to places where feeding fish actively manifests on a subsurface! A degreasy leader is a very important part of our line-up in this way of fishing, because the tippet that holds in the surface blank shy of cautious fish! If you want to fish with this fly as dry fly, you only need to gently grease it so that it sits naturally in the surface water blank! A situation where I slowly retrieve a fly line into the small loops of my left hand and get a sharp strike from a nice fish that has been fooled by some similar natural fly pattern... These are the moments that absolutely enchanted me when fishing stillwater trout! This pattern is ideal as an end fly just in combination with the above AR Bushy Seal Soldier pattern on the dropper. In the case of 3 flies on the leader I complete this line up with Bibio or Zulu! This is a great fishing technique for native fish!
* AR Diablo Bach combines the advantages of nymphs and lures at the same time! For me, this pattern is mainly a nymph inspired by the very versatile and effective stillwater nymphs named Diawl Bachs, but as you have noticed, I like to add a distinctive element to the patterns ofromnatural materials - most often in the form of a contrasting head. It is no different in this fly, which I originally tied as a larger nymph, which had a body of black Straggle Chenille and thorax of the same material, but in fluo orange color. Over time, however, I stopped using chenilles - because of their artificial and unnatural appearance - and I preferr bodies from dubbing material - especially at stillwater flies. So I modified the original pattern to this look and suddenly it became my favorite lake nymph for rainbow trout. Black color is my favorite color for flies due to its best visibility for fish in any colored water - as opposed to other colors. If we add to it a distinctive element such as fluo head or glossy ribbing, we can assume that such a fly will love by the fish! This pattern is clear proof! With this nymph I prefer fishing on subsurface Hover or slow intermediate fly line and as a point fly in case the dropper is a more prominent nymph (Orange Nymph style). If I am catching a natural nymph (Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear), then i use AR Diablo Bach as an dropper fly between two natural nymph patterns.
* AR Hot Spot Hare's Ear Buzzer concludes my TOP 10 selection of the most popular and, from my experience, the most versatile and effective flies that I like to catch on trout still waters. I chose this type of buzzer mainly because of its versatility. I love catching even on subtle patterns of epoxide buzzers and other types of chironomids, but this fly is usable even in the period when the fish ignore the pupae of the midges and switch to another type of food. As in the previous model, this fly is successful purely as a natural two-color fly tied from black seal and natural hare mask dubbing. Orange "cheeks", however, give it the right charm and again function as an excellent, distinctive trigger point for fish. Whether this pattern for a fish is a pupa, caddis or other water creature - we don't know it exactly, but one thing is certain is most effective when fishing with a floating or subsurface Hover fly line with other similar nymph or wet patterns of lake flies. Its versatility lies on the leader location as well. I often connect it as a point fly, but also as a dropper fly. It depends on the choice of other flies and their weight and size! In the case of greasing the chest of a hare with a suitable floatant, it is excellent as a subsurface emerger that is held in the surface blank while the body is submerged. This method is suitable when the fish are actively feeding, but ignore the flies on the surface and do not respond to the flies in the water column at the same time!
