Trout caught on Vickie’s Burnt Orange Predator Bugger at Pronghorn Lake, Oregon
I cannot wait for fall fishing! I am dreaming about cooler waters of fall and catching tough, feisty trout that have grown even bigger over the summer. Before the fall season begins, I stock my fly box with the flies in the sizes that I need.
Read on to learn about these unique flies and what makes them productive!
Fall Streamer Patterns: Fall is an excellent season to use streamer patterns. My suggestive Predator Bugger, Predator Leech, and Predator Minnow streamers are perfect for this time of year. The oversized grizzly collar on my Predator Leech and Predator Bugger patterns enhances movement triggering opportunistic trout responses.
My Predator Minnow is especially effective in low light conditions along shallow shoreline areas early and late in the day or when it’s cloudy. Fall is when brook, tiger, and brown trout leave their summer hiding spots and migrate to shoreline edges to spawn. A minnow pattern can be extremely effective in attracting these larger trout.
My Grizzly Bug, a suggestive mini leech pattern, sports a smaller bugger profile. It has proven an effective search pattern when cooler water temperatures cause the trout to scatter.
Fall Pupa Patterns: My UV Midge and UV Midge Pupa patterns have consistently been effective attracting the attention of trout either fished close to the surface or under an indicator.
In September and October, I often observe significant numbers of midges emerging. Trout love to gorge on these prolific midge pupae as they ascend from the lake bottom upwards toward the surface. When masses of midges are hanging in the surface film, trout leisurely swim through the water gulping in hundreds at a time. This is the perfect time to fish either of these flies close to the surface.
When I observe a preponderance of aquatic insects on the surface, and trout are not taking larger streamer patterns, I find my All-Purpose Nymph effective.
Color Selection: The rule of thumb I follow is to choose dark colors for low light and light colors during sunny conditions. I find burnt orange and especially yellow effective trigger colors in the fall.
Hook Size: In the fall I reduce the size of the hooks. The exception is my minnow pattern, where smaller sized hooks are not needed.
Vickie’s Fall Fly Patterns:
Increase fly productivity using UV materials
It has been my experience flies containing UV materials consistently outperform those that don’t.
Increase the odds in your favor by using my fly patterns containing UV materials.
Vickie’s UV Midge and UV Midge Pupa
Vickie’s Black and Silver UV Midge
Vickie’s White UV Midge Pupa
Both my UV Midge and UV Midge Pupa sport shiny bodies mirroring the appearance of ascending midge pupae. I accomplish this using translucent UV Enhancer Flash.
I add flash next to the UV Midge hook’s eye to maximize the fly’s visibility. I use straight hooks to match the extended profile of stillwater midge bodies, in contrast to their curled relatives found in free-flowing rivers.
When midge pupae emerge, they appear twice as long due to the trailing shucks still attached. My UV Midge Pupa pattern includes shuck tied at the end of the hook’s bend to mirror the trailing shuck of an emerging midge pupa.
Visibility is further enhanced on the UV Midge Pupa by multiple strands of UV reflective pearl flashabou used to create the wing case.
Emerging Midge Pupa with attached shuck
Shuck and reflective wing case of UV Midge Pupa
Trophy trout caught in the fall on my white UV Midge Pupa under an indicator at Pronghorn Lake, Oregon
In stillwater, the midge larva, pupa, and adult stage can attain lengths sometimes exceeding ¾ of an inch, larger than those found in rivers. In the fall, I make sure to pack #12 and #14 hook sizes of my UV Midge and UV Midge Pupa.
Vickie’s UV Midge Pupa in three hook sizes: 10, 12, and 14
Vickie’s Predator Leech and Predator Bugger
Vickie’s Black and Burgundy Predator Leech
Vickie’s Black Predator Bugger
By late fall and early winter, aquatic insects have become less prevalent on the surface, and leeches play a bigger role in the trout’s diet. Suggestive of the motion of aquatic leeches, my weighted Predator Leech and Predator Bugger patterns undulate while trolled or retrieved.
Both patterns and have an oversized soft grizzly collar to enhance their movement. I integrate UV Predator Wrap in the tail and add my signature flash at the hook’s eye to maximize their visibility. In the Predator Bugger, I use UV and Euro Seal dubbing which is a perfect combination of natural and UV materials.
A leech can stretch 2-3 times its resting length while exhibiting a slow, undulating motion as it moves horizontally through the water.
Weighting these patterns along the length of the hook shank assures the fly will emulate this swimming motion as it is trolled or retrieved. I prefer weight distributed along the hook shank in contrast to using a bead head. This is because a bead head causes unnatural movement of the leech when retrieved. Click here for additional information, and watch this video:
Trout caught on my Burnt Orange Predator Bugger
Vickie’s Predator Minnow
Vickie’s Brown Predator Minnow
Vickie’s Yellow Predator Minnow
My Predator Minnow is effective in enticing big trout feeding on prey fish and minnows. During the fall months, bright fly colors, like those above, are effective when spawning brook, brown, and tiger trout are cruising close to the shallow shorelines.
UV Minnow Belly is incorporated in the tail to increase the fly’s visibility. Squirrel tail on the top of the minnow completes the overall stealthy appearance.
Tiger trout caught on Vickie’s Gray Predator Minnow
Vickie’s Grizzly Bug
Vickie’s Black Grizzly Bug
Vickie’s Burgundy Grizzly Bug
My Grizzly Bug is a strong producer all year long. Perfect for fall fishing, it is is an unweighted, suggestive mini leech pattern. UV and Euro Seal in the dubbing and several strands of UV reflective pearl flashabou in the tail maximize visability.
Smaller in profile than my Predator Bugger, the oversized soft grizzly hen hackle at the head accentuates the fly’s movement as it is retreived or trolled. I reduce the size of the hook to a #12 hook during the fall. I also find trout tend to prefer the burgundy and black colors during low light conditions.
Trout caught on Vickie’s Burgundy Grizzly Bug
Vickie’s Grizzly Bug
Vickie’s Gray All-Purpose Nymph
Vickie’s Brown Caddis All-Purpose Nymph
In my All-Purpose Nymph I use UV and Euro Seal for the body. I add strands of UV reflective pearl flashabou in the tail and the use the natural iridescence of peacock at the thorax to enhance the fly’s visibility. For those anglers who like to fish two flies at a time, my AP Nymph is a great complement to my UV Midge or UV Midge Pupa patterns.
My fly box is ready, and the truck is packed…now only if the weather would cooperate! Check your fly boxes to make sure they are stocked and ready too!
Take advantage of my Fall Fly Bonus promotion! Click here for details!
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