Does anyone here fish egg imitations during the spawn? I've never fished an egg before, do you fish it like you would a nymph with an indicator? And about what size and color are the eggs? Thanks for the info in advance.
Eggs actually work well during the spawn. Just fish them like you would a nymph. The natural eggs in the creek are about 5mm and yellow-orange in color.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
When i first started fly fishing i used eggs alot, It was a pattern I had faith in so i used em alot. As JT said, fish it just like a nymph. When the spawn starts you can sit there and watch for awhile, After some time you will notice many fish are there not to spawn but to steal eggs. I DO NOT fish the redds, But i have no problem targeting the egg stealers. Last year most trout i witnessed spawing in putah was in late december, But i also remembering catching a completely spawned out trout in first part of april. Overall rainbows are late winter to early spring spawners. One more thing to add, Alot of times trout will swallow a globug, If this happens please just cut it off and leave the egg in the fish, It will work its way out in no time. I have also found that they will swallow it alot less if you use a bead slightly above the hook, Just peg it with a broken off toothpick, I know now someone will say that if the egg is not on the hook its illegal, But i don't care about that.
JT--5mm, hmmm... sounds like it's just about the same size as, or slightly smaller than, a salmon egg. I always imagined them being smaller.
thecaptain--I don't know anything about redds but I'll try and keep away from them. I assume they are the spawners who should be left alone to do their thing. Like make more trout. I'd have felt like an idiot if I had unintentionaly have caught one, I appreciate the info. I can't wait to see them spawning, it will be pretty cool. I'm not sure if I follow your instructions for the anti-swallow globug but if I understand you correctly it sounds like I should peg the globug through the eye of the hook. Funny, all the egg imitations I've seen were puff balls and not beads. I'll have to look around some more and see if I can find what you are talking about.
I didn't realize that when you guys were talking about estaz the other day it's basically the same stuff I have been using which is cactus chenille. I saw the recipe in Fly Tyer mag and that one had a bead head on it. I just weight mine.
I use a yellow egg pattern quite a bit during the Winter. The interesting thing is that I sometimes feel that a egg/nymph combo gets more strikes on the nymph than using two nymphs. It's as if the egg gets the fish's attention and then they see the nymph.
I started tying flies with a pearl glass bead head, thinking they would act as attractors. I was surprised to find out how many fish would hit the attractor. I think you have a good point, though. Last year I caught a lot of fish on midge patterns fished below eggs.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
I have always believed in the 2 nymph attraction theory as well. I don't employ it all the time, but when searching new water or fishing where I don't have specific things to imitate I like to use a larger attractive main fly with a smaller more natural dropper. I still get slammed on the main fly sometimes but I feel like a lot of the time the fish are reacting to the attractor and choosing the natural. It is almost as if giving the fish a choice tricks them into reacting and eating one or the other of the flies. Like seeing two flies in front of them, one natural and one unnatural triggers some impulse that they can't resist. I don't know if I explained that clearly but it is just a theory I have. chuck
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"when you put your hand into a flowing stream you touch the last that has come before and the first of what is still to come" -DaVinci
I always fish the egg on the bottom. I'm gonna try something new that I saw on t.v this winter, I'm gonna tie on a bare hook on my tippet with 2 or 3 beads pegged just a bit above the hook. That way they won't swallow them, I don't like the trout to swallow the eggs wich i have had happen alot. And you'll always hook em on the outside of the mouth. Better for the fish. There is some debate wether this is a legal setup since the bead is not on the hook, But dfg don't always know what is best.
Al at american fly explained that same rig to me. A bead or two pegged an inch or so above the hook. He said the advantage is that with a regular glo bug people miss alot of fish because the fish take it and feel the hook/yarn and spit it out immediately. Supposedly with the beads an inch or so above the hook the trout/steelies are fooled into holding the rig in their mouth longer so you can detect the strike. It sounds wierd but he told me last season that rig was outfishing glo bugs like 3 to 1 so who can argue? Don't know whether or not it is legal but I never heard anything about it. chuck
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"when you put your hand into a flowing stream you touch the last that has come before and the first of what is still to come" -DaVinci
I've caught quite a few steelhead in the feather river with just 1 orange beed above the hook. I was actually fishing salmon, but the steelhead would hit it. I know for salmon it is legal, but I don't know about steelhead.
-- Edited by LilWhippersnapper at 18:54, 2007-11-05
As far as beads being legal for salmon, I believe that would depend on the warden. Each warden has been known to interpret the regs differently. If you're worried about the legality of beads, you can try hot glue eggs. You can buy the colored hot glue sticks at a fly shop. They're pretty easy to make.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
For salmon, they use beads to make it legal, because it is illegal to use a bare hook, which is all you need for salmon. The salmon don't eat the beads, the leader runs along there mouth until the hook hits there jaw.
Because the beads are not on the hook but on the line, there is room for interpretation. The use of bare hooks is obviously illegal, and when using beads you are technically using a bare hook. In Alaska some guides tie salmon flesh-colored rabbit fur to the hook to make it legal. I'm not saying I wouldn't use beads. I'm just saying be careful when using them. They may not be as legal as you think.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
I used to tie my egg pattern on a #16 2457 hook. However, I kept getting "phantom" strikes. My indicator would twitch and I would set the hook, but I would miss a large percentage of the strikes. I then started tying my eggs on a #14 2457 hook. The hook sticks out quite a bit below the egg, but I don't get near as many "phantom" strikes and the fish don't swallow the egg deeply. Anyway, it works well for me. Also, I use the egg as the top fly with a nymph below. I have tried using the egg as the bottom fly, but, for me, it didn't work as well.
I also use the egg pattern as the top fly. I always use the bigger of my flies as the top fly and attach a smaller dropper. I use #14-16 egg imitations for trout. My dropper is rarely larger than a #18.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
