What Moves Trout to the Fly?

Photo: Dom Swentosky/Troutbitten

Does the fly you fish matter more than how you fish it? That question is the crux of Dom Swentosky’s latest story over at Troutbitten.

I agree with Dom’s premise that ” I think how you fish your handful of flies is usually more important than what those flies are.” I carry just over two dozen different patterns with me, and I’m able to fish well enough throughout the Rockies that I haven’t seen a need to dramatically increase the number of flies I have. In fact, I’ve consolidated from my days of hauling 8 fly boxes to the river every time I went fishing.

Anyways, Dom really dives into the weeds on this topic (as you’d expect from him) and does a great job explaining the reasoning behind his fly choices. He advocates for the use of “junk flies,” like mops, Green Weenies, and egg patterns, because he says it’s his experience that fish will move further to eat them than natural flies.

“My fly boxes are pretty evenly divided between all three styles, but I usually tie on the attractors or junk flies first,” Dom writes. “If it’s one of those good days when they don’t demand natural patterns, I feel I’ll catch more fish using junk flies because trout move further for them.”

How he fishes when he uses natural patterns is different, though, as Dom says he’ll slow down and more thoroughly pick over water if the fish aren’t moving on the gaudy junk flies that day.

It’s an interesting read, especially as we wrap up the last of the best fall fishing here, often with a lot of junk flies. You can find the entire story here.