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Chris' Top Nova Scotia Trout Flies
These are my top Nova Scotia trout flies. All of these flies have been successful for me at some point, they've caught me many a brook trout, even a salmon in a very small brook. These are my "go to" flies, but please remember that sometimes a trout will only go for whats hatching, or it may go for anything at all! I do not guarantee success, but you should have loads of fun. All of these flies can be purchased from my online store for $3 each plus shipping. If you would like versions with a pinched barb i will reduce the price to $2.50 each. If you're keen to tie these flies on your own, you can contact me directly at chris@novascotiaflyfisher.com and I will gladly share the recipes. If you've got any other special requests, or just want to share your favorite flies with me I would look forward to hearing from you.
1. Orange Buck Bug
This is my favorite fly to fish. Fished dry it results in some fantastic hook ups and super hard strikes. It can be dead drifted or pulled in quick jerks across the surface. I have caught fish on this fly from early june through to the last day of the season, I go to this fly when I see fish rising but they wont take whatever i throw at them, but it can be used at anytime, some even fish it wet. I credit Ed Woodsworth with telling me this was one of the best trout flies in Nova Scotia, it also gets a ton of credit on Pat Donoghue's site.
2. My Little Brown Trout
I bought a new fly tying vise this offseason from a guy in New Glasgow named Darrell Leblanc, we chatted for some time about fishing trout and he mentioned the traditional "Little Brown Trout" pattern as one that he had taken many fish on, so he gets credit for this one. I tied some of the original pattern, but decided to modify it a little to the materials i had, plus add some of what i thought might bring a few more brookies around (this is why i call it "my" Little Brown Trout). I substituted a polar bear fur body for translucence, ringneck pheasant in the tail, ribbed it with two strands of krystal flash, and added two small pieces of the same krystal flash on the fly's sides.
I fished this fly on the first day of the season, it brought me fish all day long and two of the biggest trout i have ever caught. Its often the first fly I tie on at any river. I retrieve this fly in medium six inch pulls, but i have also caught many trout on the out drift mending my line into the current. Its even caught me a salmon in a brook that had no business holding anything but 6 inch brook trout!
3. Muddler Minnow
I had my most succesful day in terms of trout caught and released using this fly on a small brook in cape breton. In my honest opinion, no fly fisherman should ever be without this fly. If I could only carry one fly in my box there is no doubt the muddler would get strong consideration. Its versatile and catches fish in all seasons, its usually fished subsurface but i have seen it take brookies when fished at the surface or just under.
4. Blue Upright
This fly is an absolute monster in mayfly season, I've used this fly when the black quill hatch comes on in early may, but it also does a very good job of imitating many other mayfly species. When I can't match the hatch exactly with something in my box, this fly does an excellent all around job.
5. Black Marabou Leech
I first used this fly out west in the Kamloops British Columbia area, hunting down rainbow trout. I caught some fine fish on this fly, and I've seen it take some very very large trout as well. Last season I tried this fly in some nova scotia stillwaters and it worked just as well on brookies. Most Nova Scotia lakes hold leeches, and they represent a very good meal for a hungry trout. I fish this fly on a sinking line deep in lakes, but I've heard of it being used in some slow moving rivers as well. I slow retrieve to give the fly an undulating action, expect violent strikes! Many people use a wooly bugger as an attractor pattern, and i believe fish take these as leeches. I prefer the marabou leech pattern over a bugger, i just think it represents what the fish are eating a little better... and it works!
6. Elk Hair Caddis
I find this to be an extremely effective dry, tied small it produces consistently. If there is a caddis hatch on its best to match the color to whats on the water, but i do find that green/olive/brown/ orange work really well. I dead drift it or sometimes twitch it across the surface, it all depends on what the fish are in the mood for on that day.
7. Adams
The Adams is a general purose fly, it imitiates many different types of mayflys reasonably well, and trout seem to take it when they are surface feeding quite often. I dont use this fly much, but when I do it usually brings me a trout.
8. Orange Shrimp
I first started imitating fresh water shrimp or scud when fishing the interior lakes of British Columbia. There, shrimp patterns in olive and brown are very effective as rainbows often gorge themselves on these little guys exclusively at times. I haven't yet given those types of patterns a shot in Nova Scotia Lakes, mostly because i just haven't heard of many people fishing them, but i am sure they can be effective. I had read a lot about orange being a good color on sea trout, so i tied this pattern up in hopes of attracting a silvery brook trout to my hook in june. Admittedly I haven't used this pattern much, but i did hook into a couple very nice sea runs using this fly on a sink tip. I think it has the potential to be a big producer, its easy to tie, I have a great memory from this fly, so it makes my list. A similar pattern would be the famous "Lester the Lobster".
9. Orange Mud Hopper
There is something to be said about the color orange on flies in Nova Scotia. I first learned that, and about this fly from almost daily readings of Pat Donoghue's site. I've found you can land lots of numbers with this fly, though I am still looking for it to catch me something of significant size. I have only used this fly dry from June onwards. Its loads of fun...
10. Bead Head Zug Bug Nymph
Ed Woodsworth told me to use bead head nymphs early in the season, I listened, and this fly produces. Its hard to beat peacock herl on a nymph pattern, and the bead head on this fly gets it down. Most of the success I have had with this fly has been on a slow retrieve, but i am sure there are many ways to fish it.
This is my favorite fly to fish. Fished dry it results in some fantastic hook ups and super hard strikes. It can be dead drifted or pulled in quick jerks across the surface. I have caught fish on this fly from early june through to the last day of the season, I go to this fly when I see fish rising but they wont take whatever i throw at them, but it can be used at anytime, some even fish it wet. I credit Ed Woodsworth with telling me this was one of the best trout flies in Nova Scotia, it also gets a ton of credit on Pat Donoghue's site.
2. My Little Brown Trout
I bought a new fly tying vise this offseason from a guy in New Glasgow named Darrell Leblanc, we chatted for some time about fishing trout and he mentioned the traditional "Little Brown Trout" pattern as one that he had taken many fish on, so he gets credit for this one. I tied some of the original pattern, but decided to modify it a little to the materials i had, plus add some of what i thought might bring a few more brookies around (this is why i call it "my" Little Brown Trout). I substituted a polar bear fur body for translucence, ringneck pheasant in the tail, ribbed it with two strands of krystal flash, and added two small pieces of the same krystal flash on the fly's sides.
I fished this fly on the first day of the season, it brought me fish all day long and two of the biggest trout i have ever caught. Its often the first fly I tie on at any river. I retrieve this fly in medium six inch pulls, but i have also caught many trout on the out drift mending my line into the current. Its even caught me a salmon in a brook that had no business holding anything but 6 inch brook trout!
3. Muddler Minnow
I had my most succesful day in terms of trout caught and released using this fly on a small brook in cape breton. In my honest opinion, no fly fisherman should ever be without this fly. If I could only carry one fly in my box there is no doubt the muddler would get strong consideration. Its versatile and catches fish in all seasons, its usually fished subsurface but i have seen it take brookies when fished at the surface or just under.
4. Blue Upright
This fly is an absolute monster in mayfly season, I've used this fly when the black quill hatch comes on in early may, but it also does a very good job of imitating many other mayfly species. When I can't match the hatch exactly with something in my box, this fly does an excellent all around job.
5. Black Marabou Leech
I first used this fly out west in the Kamloops British Columbia area, hunting down rainbow trout. I caught some fine fish on this fly, and I've seen it take some very very large trout as well. Last season I tried this fly in some nova scotia stillwaters and it worked just as well on brookies. Most Nova Scotia lakes hold leeches, and they represent a very good meal for a hungry trout. I fish this fly on a sinking line deep in lakes, but I've heard of it being used in some slow moving rivers as well. I slow retrieve to give the fly an undulating action, expect violent strikes! Many people use a wooly bugger as an attractor pattern, and i believe fish take these as leeches. I prefer the marabou leech pattern over a bugger, i just think it represents what the fish are eating a little better... and it works!
6. Elk Hair Caddis
I find this to be an extremely effective dry, tied small it produces consistently. If there is a caddis hatch on its best to match the color to whats on the water, but i do find that green/olive/brown/ orange work really well. I dead drift it or sometimes twitch it across the surface, it all depends on what the fish are in the mood for on that day.
7. Adams
The Adams is a general purose fly, it imitiates many different types of mayflys reasonably well, and trout seem to take it when they are surface feeding quite often. I dont use this fly much, but when I do it usually brings me a trout.
8. Orange Shrimp
I first started imitating fresh water shrimp or scud when fishing the interior lakes of British Columbia. There, shrimp patterns in olive and brown are very effective as rainbows often gorge themselves on these little guys exclusively at times. I haven't yet given those types of patterns a shot in Nova Scotia Lakes, mostly because i just haven't heard of many people fishing them, but i am sure they can be effective. I had read a lot about orange being a good color on sea trout, so i tied this pattern up in hopes of attracting a silvery brook trout to my hook in june. Admittedly I haven't used this pattern much, but i did hook into a couple very nice sea runs using this fly on a sink tip. I think it has the potential to be a big producer, its easy to tie, I have a great memory from this fly, so it makes my list. A similar pattern would be the famous "Lester the Lobster".
There is something to be said about the color orange on flies in Nova Scotia. I first learned that, and about this fly from almost daily readings of Pat Donoghue's site. I've found you can land lots of numbers with this fly, though I am still looking for it to catch me something of significant size. I have only used this fly dry from June onwards. Its loads of fun...
Ed Woodsworth told me to use bead head nymphs early in the season, I listened, and this fly produces. Its hard to beat peacock herl on a nymph pattern, and the bead head on this fly gets it down. Most of the success I have had with this fly has been on a slow retrieve, but i am sure there are many ways to fish it.