fishing egg patterns

bushwacker

bushwacker

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May 11, 2008
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I know that brook and brown trout spawn in the fall. Are trout eating other trouts eggs, other species eggs, or both. Just trying to understand the food source. Also, I've seen many different egg patterns of various colors and sizes. Does size and color matter much when fishing egg patterns. Are trout selective when feeding on eggs? How do you fish them, dead drift near the bottom like a nymph? Thanks in advance.
 
I fish a lot of egg patterns in all phases of the season. I haven't found an egg pattern that a rainbow doesn't like. I have a salmon colored egg that is probably my go to, when nothing else is working. Seems to atleast catch a sucker here and there if not a few trout. I fish them tandem with a weighted fly on the top. I try to soak them as much as I can before I make the first cast. I like them without any weight close to them so it is floating and as natural as possible. I am trying different colors, but my main 2 are a cream colored with a darker blood dot, and the previously said salmon. I also use a sucker spawn in white with a bit of flash. All are fantastic for steelhead too.
 
The latest issue of American Angler magazine has a color chart for trout and salmon eggs. Brown trout eggs are orange. Rainbow yellowish orange. Nothing listed on brookies.
 
Have good success with pink. Stockies love'em.

In Erie, it is my go to fly.
 
bw,
Fish 'em dead drift on the bottom like a nymph. And yes, trout will eat eggs from other trout. Actually, the spawning trout will eat eggs too. Sometimes, this time of year, you will see a rainbow laid up a few feet downstream of spawning browns or brookies. When I see this, I'll target the 'bow with a small orange egg fly and it's usually an easy hook up. If however you wish to leave spawners alone, keep that egg fly downstream or the browns/brookies will eat it too. Eggs catch fish year round but, as others have mentioned, rainbows really love 'em.
 
Studies have show that rainbow trout, even fingerlings, would pick blue eggs over natural colored eggs well over 90% of the time.
It has to do with the color blue (we can never understand why, becuase we don't know exactaly how trout see, nor can comprehend with our human minds).

Trout eggs are small, compaired to traditional egg patterns.

Sucker spawn is probably the most realistic common egg pattern. I prefer hot glue on tippet material then tied in a cluster -- but that takes time to make. The pay off is more realistic eggs.

Fish eggs dead drift low to teh bottom, becuase that's how they would act naturally.
 
The egg pattern should be fished with a natural drift as with any nymphing situation. I have found an egg pattern fished as my top fly is a great attractor particularly in unfamiliar water. I have fished with Walt Mueller "the otter" and his egg patterns are killer flies fished downstream of spawning fish. Again, avoid the actively spawning fish. The otter egg in apricot is almost identical to a natural browm tout egg. Good fishing
 
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