During this time of year, it’s hard to pick a better fly than an egg to consistently put fish in the net day in and day out. Our recent trips to the water have shown us that the fish agree. Many people know that eggs catch trout, but often times the reason behind the matter can be overlooked.

Egg patterns can be tied in a vast range of styles, differing in both size and color. Common colors are cream, various shades of pink, and various shades of orange while common sizes range from 12-18.

For a good rule of thumb, big sizes and bright colors work better in higher water, and small sizes and more subtle colors work better in lower water. I encourage carrying a variety of sizes and colors to experiment with, but a great pattern to start with in normal conditions is a size 16 “egg” color (pictured above).

While it is possible to catch fish on eggs all year, the fall is the best time of year due to trout spawning. While trout spawn, large numbers of eggs are left floating through the water for hungry fish to take advantage of an easy meal full of nutrients.

Whether your next trip is to fish for Steelhead or trout, carrying a variety of eggs this time of year is a must. The trout in our waters are currently in the process of spawning, which I would strongly encourage coming to witness if you have not before. Trout reproduction is a beautiful process to observe, but to me that sounds like the basis of a future blog post, stay tuned…