As fly fishing guides in Utah we like to show our fly fishing clients a really good time catching huge tiger and rainbow trout. We accomplish a quality fly fishing trip by taking our clients to the best trophy trout producing waters in Utah. In fact these waters are close to Park City, Heber City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Orem, Bountiful, Layton Utah on a private family owned ranch in Tooele County, Utah. I will share this location at the end of this blog. Tooele county spring creek properties located at Dove Creek West @ Hogans Ranch always offers great success for all levels of fly fishing skills by providing the ultimate quarry of huge trout offering both massive Tiger Trout and extreme Rainbow Trout for your fly fishing pleasure.
Photo 3 Lb. "+" Rainbow Trout Caught Fly Fishing Close to Salt Lake City Utah
Our last article on fly fishing secrets a couple of months ago spoke about selecting the correct location and the correct fly for your outing in search of the elusive giant rainbow trout or tiger trout of a 1,000 casts.
Now I will address proper fly selection and the best presentation of the fly. To catch the elusive trophy trout you need to be open minded and remember these big boys get big by being selective of what they eat and where they hide.
Sometimes The Right Fly Is The Right Pattern, But The Wrong Size Or Color Combination.Big Flies don't necessarily mean you will catch trophy size fish. The majority of the insects your target fish eat are really quite small in size. I have caught many trout in the 4,5 & 6 pound class on flies in the #20-#26 hook range. When using flies this small you have got to have some good steel that won't break or bend too easily, so buy the best hooks available for this task. You must also have your drag ready for the heavy load, not too tight and not too loose, because if you try to "horse" a big fish the hook, leader, tippet or knot is going to "give" and your fish of a lifetime will be gone forever.
Make That Knot Tight!!!
Speaking of knots, a quick note: I use a Duncan not that goes through the eye of the hook "twice" creating a super strong connection point between the line, hook and the most important factor in knots that slip, the tag end. The double loop created by the Duncan assures the angler of virtually "0" slippage of the tag end, which is disaster when you hook a big trophy. If you don't currently use the Duncan, look it up on the Internet and start using it. You will be glad you did. In closing, the knot is really fast and easy to tie with plenty of knot strength.
Photo Trophy Rainbow Trout Caught Fly Fishing In Tooele County, 4 Lb. "+"
Match Fly Colors With The Correct Presentation Back to proper fly selection. A few weeks ago at the start of the winter trout spawning run I started throwing a standard leech pattern in a small #20 nymph hook but changed my colors to a black marabou tail with a pinch of bright orange marabou for the body with black thread for the thorax and head. Nothing really spectacular, in fact a pretty bland and simple pattern to tie. I selected the colors of black and orange to contrast each other and to add some flair with the orange similar to a brook trout coloring. But the pattern needed a good presentation. I opted for a non standard leech retrieve.
Whip it, Whip it Good...
The presentation I used was similar to casting and retrieving a streamer or small minnow. The nice color combination with the orange and black creates some of the same color as a spawning Brook and Tiger Trout. The presentation worked! I was ripping lips in the first 2 or 3 casts and landed some nice 4 and 5 pound tiger trout. As I moved up and down the stream things seemed to cool off and I quickly switched to another color combination. Same pattern, a leech, but this time with a olive green marabou tail and orange marabou for the body and of course olive green thread for the thorax and head. Simple, same streamer presentation and wham! I nailed two really nice 3 pound rainbows in less than 15 minutes! Not bad considering the majority of the time was spent playing the fish and trying to get them to the net. These big boys run like a freight train when they feel the bite from my steel.
Share The Wealth With Others
Photo Big 4 Lb Winter Rainbow Caught fly fishing Near Salt Lake City
Now my buddy wanted in on the action and of course (he was tired of just netting my big brute trout) I shared my collection of various colors as well as the presentation. He quickly tied on the olive green and orange pattern and started nailing the trophies. About 6 fish later we were kicking back and laughing about how many times we have failed to experiment with various colors on an old standard pattern and vowed to keep experimenting with both color and presentation.
Advantage Of Tying Your Own Flies Or Not...
If you tie your own flies you can have all the crazy color variations you want, if you don't tie your own. Find a fishing buddy who does tie and you will always have a great selection. That's why my buddy always goes fishing with me. I tie and he shares in the wealth.
Tooele County Location For Giant Rainbow Trout & Tiger Trout...
As I promised at the start of this blog I will share the greatest trout fishing location near Salt Lake City, which is located near Tooele.
Visit our website for additional winter photos and fly fishing information!
http://trophytroutschool.com
Talk with you soon.
All_Tied_Up
(my fly box is always full and ready to go)
