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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — Late-summer fly fishing is often associated with brutally hot temperatures, low water in the rivers and fish that only bite when the hatch is on and the weather is perfect.
However, even during these fly fishing doldrums, it's still possible to convince fish to eat flies during the heat of the day. These are five tried-and-true patterns your fly box needs for this time of year.
Hot-Head Euro Pheasant Tail/Egan's Frenchie ===========================================
These flies are incredibly similar in appearance, and both are highly effective at catching fish. Tied with tungsten beads and lead bodies, the Pheasant Tail and Frenchie sink deep to the cooler water where trout lie in the hot summer months, and they attract the attention of lunker fish. These flies are great when used under a dry fly, like a size 14 or 12 elk hair caddis.
The Prince is a legendary fly, for good reason — it's a relatively older pattern that's hugely effective and largely underfished, especially by the newer generation of fly fishers.
This fly is great from size 12-18, the larger sizes proving very effective when you want to imitate a stonefly nymph but don't have one in your box.
Utah Killer Bug ===============
Some call it the Killer Bug, others call it the "Utah" Killer Bug, but it is a killer fly nonetheless. A simple pattern that imitates cranefly larva, the Killer Bug also passes for smaller worms and stonefly nymphs, especially in the swift waters of spring creeks. This is a personal favorite of mine. The Killer Bug is in my fly box year-round, and has yet to let me down.
The Chernobyl is one of the simplest terrestrial fly patterns available, and after trying many of the other more complex ones, it's still my favorite. It's just a simple bug-shaped piece of foam tied on a hook.
The key to success with this pattern is to fish it as close to the bank as possible. Accurate casts that slap the fly down (as a larger terrestrial bug would do when falling in the river) attracts the attention of trout, and more often than not you'll be rewarded with a vicious strike.
While Utah's rivers aren't abundant with tricos, they're stuffed with midges, as is nearly every other Western river.
However, either of these patterns will work well when fish are rising to tiny bugs, and you don't see any larger duns to tell you what emerger to tie on. It's hard to find a trout that'll say no to a correctly-presented midge or trico.
Late-summer fly fishing is a difficult game, but the challenge of getting angler-weary fish to take your fly makes it more enjoyable. Armed with the right flies, and a good understanding of the entomology of your local river, any fly fisherman can catch fish this time of year.
What are your favorite late-summer flies? Let us know in the comments below.
