Novelist and angler, Tom McGuane, once said that though fishing was the sport of kings, it is just what the deadbeat ordered. We may not all be lucky enough to live like kings and travel the world fishing—although some of you are— but fly fishing for big trout can be pursued regardless of your tax bracket. Since a trophy trout doesn’t care about your bank balance, if you want to catch more large trout, it is crucial you use the right flies. Here are 9 Great Flies for Large Trout Anywhere in the World.
Sparkle Minnow
Spoiler alert! This isn’t the only streamer on the list. In fact, this isn’t the only streamer that can entice a trophy trout on any river in the world. Tied with just the right number of materials and simplicity, the Sparkle Minnow only needs marabou, Krystal flash, and dubbing loops. Even if the recipe is simple, the Sparkle Minnow is one of the most versatile flies ever created. It can be stripped, dead-drifted, swung, or used in a two-fly rig. It casts smooth and is responsible for countless personal bests from Alaska to Argentina and hundreds of waters in between.
Parachute Purple Haze
If this fly hasn’t put a spell on you, it should soon. Experienced anglers fish a Parachute Purple Haze regularly when large trout become selective. From Chile’s famous Lago Elizalde to Montana’s Missouri River and on other waters where large trout sip adult mayflies, this fly is often the one-and-only solution. Inspired by the original Parachute Adams, the Parachute Purple Haze has the perfect blend of variation to the time-tested original Parachute Adams. With a white post and hackle tied to help the fly float high, the fly is easy to see in all types of water and is a go-to for even the most selective trout.
Pat’s Rubber Legs
Stoneflies inhabit nearly every trout river, creek, or stream in the world. From the famous salmonfly hatch on the Yellowstone River to nearly 100 species of stoneflies swimming in New Zealand’s rivers and streams, if large trout are on your radar, then a Pat’s Rubberlegs should be in your fly box. A simple pattern tied with chenille and custom-created and original super floss from Pat Bennet’s pattern, this pattern has proven itself all over the world. Because of its simplicity this pattern can have dozens of variations and styles. Many add weight to the fly, a beadhead, contrasting colors and legs, eyes, tie it jig style, and more.
Chubby Chernobyl
This fly was originally tied to imitate large insects such as salmonflies and grasshoppers. Fished in the larger sizes, it is a very successful pattern in certain areas—Patagonia, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Yellowstone National Park, and a few other off-menu locales. Because this fly floats high, is very buoyant, has rubber legs, and a dubbed body that when wet has a very bug-like appearance it is one of the buggiest looking flies on the market. Recently anglers on many Montana rivers and streams started fishing Chubby Chernobyls in smaller sizes and quickly learned finicky trout often snarfle-up these well-presented micro-sized (under 10) Chubby Chernobyl. These days micro-Chubby Chernobyls are fished all over the world to great success.
Zebra Midge
Little flies can often catch big trout. This is especially true when fishing one of Montana’s spring creeks or when fishing a tailwater river like the Missouri River or when sight-casting to trophy-sized trout in New Zealand. Midges are active year-round and because many trout do most of their feeding on subsurface insects, understanding the importance of midges is crucial to catching more fish. A Zebra midge is a very simple pattern tied almost always with thread, wire, maybe some flash or tinsel, and often a beadhead. Originally tied to imitate a midge larvae or pupa, anglers all over the world fish Zebra midges to imitate tiny mayfly and caddis nymphs and larvae or pupa.
Sculpzilla
If you are a streamer angler who likes to strip your streamer more than drag, dead-drift, or swing, then the Sculpzilla is possibly the best steamer…ever. Tied with a conehead, articulated body, plenty of maribou, and one of the sharpest hooks on the market, this pattern may be responsible for more big fish than any on this list. Like many successful streamers, the Sculpzilla features over-sized eyes; by using red eyes the Sculpzilla takes it one step further. The red eyes possibly mimic the terror in a baitfish’s eyes as a large predatory trout is in search and destroy mode when fishing big trout water.
Morrish Hopper
Trout feed on grasshoppers from New Zealand to Argentina to Montana. Created by veteran angler and world-traveler, Ken Morrish, this pattern should be in any angler’s fly box. The all-foam body ensures this fly floats high and floats well, but the deal-sealer on the Morrish Hopper is the supple and life-like legs. There are a lot of subtle variations of this pattern and they often work well, but the original pattern uses knots tied to create joints in the legs. Since the bottom profile of a hopper is the most crucial, don’t skimp and select flies with jointed and supple legs..and the Morrish Hopper is aguably the best choice.
Bloom’s Hi-Vis Parachute Caddis
Similar to mayflies and stoneflies, nearly every trout river in the world has good-sized populations of caddis species. Several successful caddis patterns are available to anglers. From the great patterns created by LaFontaine, Harrop, Matthews, Best, Goddard, and more, we’ve found the Bloom’s Caddis to be one of the most versatile and effective. Inspired from the selective trout on Montana’s Madison or Missouri River and created by long-time veteran guide Dave Bloom, this pattern’s post and hackle ensure it floats high and can almost always been seen even in the fastest riffle or when fished with a dropper. A Hi-Vis Bloom’s Parachute Caddis can be fished in micro-sizes of 16-20 or in larger sizes from 8-14 for a wide variety of feeding trout.
Beadhead Prince Nymph
For well over five decades, anglers have been catching trout the world-over on the beadhead Prince Nymph. Used primarily to imitate stoneflies and caddis, it is primarily fished in a two-fly rig or as a dropper in a hopper-dropper set-up or with a larger dry fly that can float the beadhead pattern. Beadhead Prince Nymphs are most often tied with peacock hurl–arguably the best material available used in flies–so this fly just looks buggy and when presented well can catch fish from Chile to Montana to New Zealand to Mongolia or any back country overnight fishing and camping trip.
Many anglers like to use a variety of flies, yet other anglers like to pare down to the most simple number of flies as possible. Because in fly fishing you can pack your fly boxes up with dozens of patterns or choose only a few good ole-standby patterns, it is important to always have the best of the tried and true patterns. Year-in and year-out new patterns come and go, but these 9 patterns have been around for decades and will continue to be successful for years to come. If you plan to fly fish for trout anywhere in the world, be sure to travel with these.