How to Effectively Fish with Egg Patterns
Egg fly season is upon us once again. Learning how to fish an egg fly effectively and ethically can turn a slow day into a great day. Use these simple considerations the next time you hit the river.
Know when to use an egg pattern. Egg patterns work best when:
Trout or other species (salmon, suckers, whitefish) are actively spawning.
Water is cold and fish are feeding low in the water column.
The river has gravel beds, riffles, or tailouts where eggs drift naturally.
Tackle setup:
Rod: 4–6 wt
Leader: Euro leader or a 9–12-foot tapered leader if you prefer.
Tippet: 4X–6X, goes as heavy as you can to allow you to fight the fish effectively.
Weight: Using a tungsten bead of brass bead on your pattern or split shot 6–12 inches above fly
Your goal is to have the egg drifting near the bottom without constantly snagging. Remember trout typically feed looking level or above themselves given their eyes are on the top half of their head.
Water to target:
The water below redds is the only place to ethically fish to trout. Do not disturb actively spawning fish or fish gathering on redds. These fish are already taxed from their journey up and fighting for their right to spawn along with added stress from the colder than ideal feeding water temperatures.
Below redds look for drop offs, tailouts and current seams where eggs will naturally gather after being carried downstream from the redds. Eggs will settle there and are naturally good places for trout to maximize their calories by allowing the food to drift to them without burning many calories.
Try to avoid walking in the river below redds as well to avoid stepping on eggs that are floating down river.
The Presentation:
A natural drag free drift is a must! Weight your rig accordingly to have your flies just above the bottom of the river. Short drag free drifts are better than long drifts with drag. A good rule of thumb is that your fly should start to tick bottom the last 1/3 of your drift. Adjust your weight and leader until you find the sweet spot.
Effective egg colors:
Without going too crazy down the color scheme rabbit hole, have a few colors to start with as trout will become dialed into certain colors over another based on time of year, what is spawning, how far along the spawn is and water clarity. Five colors that are a good starting point are: Peach, Apricot, Cheese, Pink, Chartreuse (great for off-color water) and White with a blood dot or red bead. If you are confident that you are presenting a good drift to feeding trout without success, start rotating colors.
Here are materials I recommend to tie your best egg patterns:
Flybox Eggstasy NX-Gen Fibre
Eggstasy is a revolutionary product for tying egg-flies. Unlike standard egg-yarn, which involves spinning yarn, Eggstasy is built on a core which means you can simply tie it like a chenille. The other huge difference that sets Eggstasy apart from other yarns is the fiber itself. It’s the first material to be made from ‘Next Generation’ (NX-Gen Fiber). This is a game-changing synthetic. NX-Gen Fibers are micro thin and are designed to trap water forming an almost slush-like texture when wet. Almost like a sponge. The fibers are also translucent which allows light to travel through the egg/blob – unlike standard Egg Yarn. NX-Gen Fiber has great movement, unlike egg yarn which remains static. In the water the egg looks almost life-like. Please note – we’ve photographed each color it it’s wet, slush-state – because there is a 30% color change when wet.
So please ignore the color in the packet!!! Put it in the water and the color comes alive!
FNF Egg Fritz is a 12mm material designed with egg patterns in mind. Egg fritz uses a modern synthetic material that form a perfect egg body. The material is designed to absorb water quickly helping the pattern to sink to the desired depth. The material is also designed to shed water quickly to help when casting.
Egg Fritz has a micro core which makes tying with the material very quick and easy.
Egg Fritz 12mm fibers are densely formed to create a nice round egg pattern.
Once wet the material will appear like a small soft gooey blob that fish love to pick up and mouth.
Use a brush to tease out fibers giving the pattern more translucency.
When wet the fibers will go slightly translucent.
Egg Fritz is available in a wide variety of colors. 1m per pack.
Flybox UK Electric Eggstasy
Electric Eggstasy is the latest addition to our Eggstasy Range and features new, super-vibrant, U.V Fibers. These new fibers add another dimension in the water giving off a UV purple flash. It’s available in our top 10 fish-catching Eggstasy colors.
Hareline 8mm Zap Roe and Go Eggs
Made from a soft plastic that will adhere with resin; slide it on, cure the resin, and done.
15 Eggs per package.
EggStatic Egg Fritz 8mm
Semperfli has taken Egg Fritz/Chenilles to the next level with our Slush-Fibers giving amazing life and color to your Egg flies. Semperfli Slush Fibers are micro thin fibers and when tied give and amazing slush puppy ice drink like look to the EggStatic. Our Slush-Fibers are built into the core and with our astounding computerized dying machines which produce a fibers that are translucent allowing light to travel through the egg/blob and provides great movement.
Put it in the water and the see color come alive as the water turns the Egg slushy and translucent.
Quick review:
· Get your eggs deep with a drag free drift just off the bottom
· Watch for the slightest deviation in your drift as trout often sip eggs and lightly set your rod
· Adjust your weight and depth first before your egg color
· Ethically fish to trout below redds, not on redds
· Handle fish gently and immediately release your catch