Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3810 April 26- May 10 2019 | Page 8

6 Apr 26 - May 10, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 10 Catch & Release Fishing! Hook More & Bigger Fish With Flies... The Ubiquitous Egg Imitation: Fly Fishing Doesn’t Necessarily Require A Traditional Fly! By Jason Thatcher, River Pursuit Guide Service Trout and steelhead love eggs. This is not debatable. I love catching trout and steelhead. That’s not debatable Jason Thatcher (Left) is one of Norcal’s top fly fishing guides. either. What does Jason has fished all over the west including Alaska and seem to be debated specializes in putting clients on trophy caliber trout, salmon and on occasion is steelhead. Photo courtesy of JASON THATCHER, River Pursuit Guide Service. whether or not certain egg imita- tions are ‘flies,’ although its sure hard to argue against their effectiveness! I’m not about to delve into the whole fly-or-not-a-fly thing here, however, I’d like to discuss the effectiveness of egg imitations presented with fly tackle. My home water is the lower Sacramento River near Red Bluff. In this section of river there are salmon, steelhead, rainbow trout, and suckerfish (amongst others) that spawn in these reaches throughout the year. As a matter of fact, with the varying salmon runs alone, there are eggs present in the river in most, if not every, month of the year. Something to consider, right? Just like fishing bugs, egg imitations should Beads straight out of the package ‘match the hatch’ meaning they need to be will hook plenty of trout and a similar size, shape, and color to what is steelhead, but for top results already in the water. Fortunately, there is every bead fishing specialist doctor conceivable color combination under the sun their beads with paint to more closely match the eggs the fish are available to anglers when it comes to selecting feeding on. an imitation egg. Which color you land on Photo courtesy of KENAI ON THE should take into consideration what species of FLY, Alaska. fish is dropping eggs at the time Fun Fly Fishing (salmon vs. trout?), experiences for what stage of the Beginners and egg drop (fresh vs Experienced matured), and do Anglers. you want to imitate We Teach FLY FISHING! www.MoJoBella.com a live or dead egg. These factors will help decide size and color. To imitate a king salmon egg for example, I like sizes in the 8mm to 12mm range. How big I go will often hinge on water clarity at the time. To imitate a fresh egg, I will go with a brighter, more vibrant orange color. To imitate a dead egg, I will go with lighter peach or pearl colors, even Rigging single beads for imitating delving into a more caramel color. eggs is simple. Pass your line As far as which ‘fly’ to select, there are many the bead, tie on a hook options such as glo-bugs, soft eggs, and beads. I through and you are ready to make your personally prefer the pegged bead method. After first cast. learning the ropes while guiding for giant trout Photo courtesy of FLY WEST FISHING, Alaska. in Alaska, I never looked back. No matter which imitation you choose, it’s best fished on a ‘dead drift’. Most folks use an indicator rig, but high-sticking an egg pattern is incredibly deadly as well. The ideal water to target with an egg imitation is directly below actively spawning fish, or pieces of water downstream from where eggs may have been recently deposited. When eggs are very prevalent in the river, trout and steelhead will take an egg imitation in a wide variety of holding water, not just right below spawners, so don’t abandon the egg when you stop seeing spawning activity. Egg imitations aren’t just for anadromous waters either. There are egg patterns to mimic trout and suckerfish spawn as well. This can be an often overlooked but deadly option in any waters that spawning activity takes place. Another consideration for using an egg pattern: when fished in tandem with a nymph, it can do wonders as an attractor pattern. Although it may not be the fish’s primary target, it can be a huge factor in drawing a trout’s attention towards the pattern they are really keyed into. Egg imitations are truly a great option to have in your fly fishing arsenal. Are they traditional flies in the feather and trimmed hair sense? Not exactly. However, if you enjoy the bend of a fly rod under the weight of a trout or steelhead, it’s hard to beat the consis- tency of an egg imitation! If you’d like to hit the Sacra- mento River or another fishery with Jason Thatcher and learn more in person, give him a call This beautiful Sacramento River rainbow was at (916) 997-2765 or visit his feeding on salmon eggs and eagerly grabbed a website at www.riverpursuit. dead drifted bead. com. Photo courtesy of JASON THATCHER, River Pursuit Guide Service. Steve Crosetti | 530-333-3484 • mojobella@gmail.com 3810 Check Out Huge Selection of Discount Flies Online WE COULDN’T STOP AT JUST FLIES. NOW CARRYING EVERYTHING BUT THE FISH Guided Fly Fishing Trips www.theflystop.com (858) 500-2761 RETAIL STORE 9275 Trade Place Suite E San Diego, CA 92126 info@theflystop.com