If you’re in Europe or North America, you are never very far from a lake or river filled with brown trout, but they aren’t always easy to catch.
Brown trout are one of the most accessible and fun species to target with a fly rod. While spending a day walking up a mountain stream is lovely, it isn’t quite the same if you don’t catch anything.
The “tug is the drug” that makes fly fishing such a great activity, and the key to hooking into a brown trout is using the right flies. Brown trout are smart and they won’t eat just anything.
You are going to have to match their natural food sources with the right fly and fish it properly too, and that can be a hard thing to do, but does it have to be?
Join me as I run through the best brown trout flies you should have in your fly box as well as when and how to fish them so you can make every day targeting these creatures a successful one!
They will also work for brook trout and rainbow trout too.
Table of Contents
- The 11 Best Brown Trout Fly Fishing Flies
- How to Build an Effective Selection of the Best Brown Trout Flies
- Winding Up
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The 11 Best Brown Trout Fly Fishing Flies
Tunghead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail
One of the best flies for brown trout I often turn to is the Tunghead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail. This fly is designed to imitate a large range of different nymphs that brown trout love to feed on.
It comes with a tungsten head which ensures it sinks quickly into the feeding zone near where the brown trout like to sit.
The addition of the soft hackle around the front of the fly adds an extra dimension compared to a standard pheasant tail nymph. The soft hackle moves beautifully in the water and pushes fish to take a bite!
You can buy this fly in sizes 12 through 16, and it is a good idea to own a few in all sizes so you can imitate different-sized nymphs in the water.
How to Fish it
This fly has to be fished as a nymph which means casting it upstream of where a brown trout might be sitting, letting it sink, and drift into the trout’s feeding zone.
You can fish it using an indicator or by euro-nymphing, just be sure to strike every time the line stops moving.
When to Fish it
The great thing about this fly is that it works all year round, just be sure to experiment with sizes to match the hatch correctly.
Pros
- The tungsten head helps it sink quickly
- Imitates a large range of nymphs
- Soft hackle has great movement
- A natural look that fish fall for
- Works all year round
- Easy to fish well
Cons
- None
Gold Bead Hare's Ear Nymph
The Gold Bead Hare’s Ear Nymph is another of the best brown trout fly patterns. This fly imitates a huge range of nymphs and comes in sizes 10 to 18 so you can match any size nymph the trout are gorging themselves on.
The gold head allows you to fish the fly at the right depth where the trout are feeding and the flash around the body attracts the fish’s attention. It is a great go-to fly to start fishing with while you work out what exactly the trout are going for.
How to Fish it
You should fish this fly like a regular nymph under an indicator or by euro-nymphing. It will work well in a double nymph rig, just be sure to fish it deep enough and drift it through fish-holding water.
When to Fish it
This fly is another nymph that works all year round. Use smaller sizes in winter to imitate midge nymphs and then experiment with larger sizes through spring, summer, and fall.
Pros
- Imitates a large range of critters
- Comes in a huge range of sizes
- Gets a brown trout’s attention
- Gold head ensures it sinks
- Flash helps to attract fish
- Works all year round
- Excellent for prospecting
Cons
- None
Fly Formerly Known As Prince
The Fly Formerly Known As Prince, aka a Prince Nymph, is designed to imitate a mayfly nymph but it does a good job at imitating quite a few other nymphs too.
This is a nymph with color and flash. The gold head sinks it quickly while the hackles, wings, and touch of flash give it a very buggy look with great movement. This fly can be deadly but there are also moments when it is simply refused.
It is best used during mayfly season and when prospecting. Smaller fish love it but when fishing for bigger, wiser brown trout, they often ignore it.
How to Fish it
Fish this like any nymph – at the right depth and with a good drift. It is excellent in combination with a more natural and smaller nymph like the hare’s ear above as it works well as an attractor fly. The fish will eat the hare’s ear but the prince nymph will draw them in!
When to Fish it
This is a good fly to use between spring and fall when prospecting and it comes into its own during May when the mayfly nymphs come out.
Pros
- Colorful with flash to grab a fish’s attention
- Bead head so you can fish deeper
- A great mayfly nymph imitation
- Works well when prospecting
- Effective most of the year
- Hackle and wings for great movement
Cons
- Wise brown trout can refuse it
- Not very natural looking
TH Zebra Midge Fly
The TH Zebra Midge imitates a midge nymph, and almost every river and lake in the world has midge nymphs in it all year round. This means this fly imitates a large and consistent part of a brown trout’s diet.
It is a simple-looking fly and it comes in very small sizes from 16 to 22 to match small midge nymphs perfectly. Make sure to own it in a range of sizes and experiment with them to find what is hatching naturally.
How to Fish it
The TH Zebra Midge should be fished deep like a nymph on a slow drift. Get it down to the bottom and swing it through some fishy pools in a river or fish it statically in still water.
When to Fish it
This fly can be fished all year round but it is most effective in tailwaters during the winter and in all waters in spring too.
Pros
- Imitates almost all midges
- Comes in a range of sizes and colors
- A bead head helps you fish it deep
- An awesome all-year-round fly
- Particularly effective in winter
- Looks very natural
- Excellent in rivers and still waters
- Works magic in tailwaters
Cons
- None
Vernille San Juan Worm
The San Juan Worm is a fly that should be in everyone’s fly box. Aquatic worms are a huge part of a brown trout’s diet and are present in almost all lakes and rivers. If you pick up some weed off the bottom of a river, you will see small red aquatic worms wiggling around.
It is a simple-looking fly but it has excellent movement in the water which makes it look very wormy. When nothing else is working or you want to catch a fish right off the bat, throw one of these on.
How to Fish it
While this is a worm fly, it should be fished like a nymph and drifted close to the bottom. Use it on a double nymph rig with a tungsten head nymph to help it get down quickly.
When to Fish it
You should fish this fly any time through spring, summer, and fall on all lakes and rivers. You can also use it during winter on tailwaters.
Pros
- A deadly fly pattern
- Great movement underwater
- Works well in a double nymph rig
- Brown trout find it hard to resist
- An excellent imitation
- Effective all year round
- A great fly for prospecting
Cons
- None
Foam Park Hopper
The Foam Park Hopper is a must-have terrestrial dry fly all fly anglers need in their box when targeting brown trout.
This fly looks just like a grasshopper, which is a large and easy meal that brown trout don’t like to pass up. It floats well, it is easy to see on the surface, and you can fish it with a dropper nymph very well.
How to Fish it
This should be fished like any dry fly, simply cast above a holding trout and let it drift naturally over it. Add a nymph beneath it and use it as an indicator to fish two different depths at the same time.
When to Fish it
Grasshoppers are prevalent from the middle of spring to the end of fall, and this is when these flies work best. They are most effective in very windy conditions when grasshoppers are naturally blown onto the water for trout to feed on.
Pros
- Imitates a grasshopper very well
- Floats very well being made of foam
- Legs provide natural movement
- Great for use in a dry dropper rig
- Excellent in windy conditions
- Brown trout hit this hard
Cons
- Doesn’t always produce the goods
Adams Parachute
The Parachute Adams is one of the best brown trout flies to turn to when you see fish begin to rise on the surface. The reason it is so effective is that it imitates almost every fly insect that trout like to eat.
It comes in a huge range of sizes from 12 to 26, meaning it can look like a midge or even a bigger dun or mayfly. Be sure to have a lot of different sizes of Parachute Adams in your box and try to match the size of the insects on the surface with the size of the fly you choose.
How to Fish it
Bigger Parachute Adams work well as a single dry fly or with a smaller dry fly in a tandem rig. When using a smaller Parachute Adams, add it to the end of a tandem rig with a larger attractor dry fly.
When to Fish it
Fish this fly anytime you see fish rising on the surface. Experiment with the size and you will end up with a nice brown trout on the end of the line. You can also prospect with these if you want to catch a fish on a dry fly.
Pros
- Comes in every size from 12 to 26
- Imitates a ton of different dry flies
- Big versions look like mayflies
- Small versions look like midges
- Incredibly effective
- A great go to dry fly
- Parachute indicator makes it easy to see
Cons
- None
Indicator Klinkhammer
The Indicator Klinkhammer is designed to look just like an emerging caddis which is when a caddis nymph turns into a winged caddis.
Caddis are prevalent in most brown trout waters and that is why this fly is so effective. The body sits below the surface while the hackles hold it in the surface tension. It also has a bright orange indicator so you can always keep an eye on it and see when a trout sips it off the surface.
How to Fish it
The Indicator Klinkhammer should be fished like a dry fly in slower current or on the surface of a lake. Be sure to add some floatant to the top of the fly only so the body sits below the water.
When to Fish it
If you see trout taking micro sips on the surface or finning on the surface then they are feeding on emergers. This is when to use this fly and it usually happens in the warmer months of mid spring to early fall.
Pros
- Imitates and emerging caddis perfectly
- Works everywhere in almost all rivers
- Bright orange head makes it easy to see
- Good for prospecting on the surface
Cons
- Doesn’t work all year
- Timing when to use it is key
Stimulator Dry Fly
A Stimulator is an attractor dry fly. It is very buggy, is a big meal for a trout, and looks like a stone or salmon fly. This is a great fly to prospect with as trout can help but consider going for such an easy juicy meal.
How to Fish it
It works best in a dry dropper rig or in a tandem dry fly rig with a smaller more natural imitation behind it.
When to Fish it
Fish this fly any time between mid spring and mid fall.
Pros
- A very buggy look to it
- Imitates a stonefly hatch or salmon fly hatch
- Sits high in the water and floats well
- Great attractor dry fly
- Gets trout to be inquisitive
- Works well in a dry dropper rig
- Good on rivers and still water
- Works well when prospecting
Cons
- Not a very natural imitation
- Smart brown trout may be wise to it
Griffith’s Gnat
Imitating a midge is hard since they are so small. The Griffith’s Gnat imitates a group of hatched midges stuck on the surface and is the most effective midge dry fly around.
Midges are present in all brown trout waters so this is a must have fly that is particularly effective in tailwaters and during winter when midges are the only thing hatching.
How to Fish it
Fish this fly solo or with a larger attractor fly above it.
When to Fish it
You can use this fly all year round as midge hatches do happen from winter to summer and fall.
Pros
- An amazing midge imitation
- Looks like a group of hatched midges
- Floats very well
- Trout love it in a midge hatch
- Can work all year round
- Works well in tandem behind a large dry
- Imitates multiple insects
Cons
- Only works well in a midge hatch
Tungsten Cone-Head Woolly Bugger
A Tungsten Cone-Head Woolly Bugger imitates a bait fish excellently. The marabou tail provides amazing action while the tungsten head helps you fish it deeply enough and the body makes it a juicy meal.
Be sure to own this fly in a range of weights, sizes, and colors so you can match the hatch and fish the right depth.
How to Fish it
Wooly buggers can be fished down and across the current on the swing with a few strips to make them look like a fleeing bait fish. You can also fish them like nymphs with a few twitches to bring them to life.
When to Fish it
Brown trout eat bait fish all year but they eat them most in the fall when there are lots of bait fish in the system.
Pros
- Amazing baitfish imitation
- Tungsten head takes it down quickly
- Excellent for swinging through deep and fast pools
- Works well when fish hold deep in lakes
- Good range of colors and sizes
- Olive color is very effective
- Imitates more than baitfish
- Can be fished in a number of ways
Cons
- Can only be fished deep
How to Build an Effective Selection of the Best Brown Trout Flies
When building a collection of flies for brown trout it is important to choose flies that will work across all the seasons and imitate all the different types of food trout love to eat.
What imitations will you need?
- Nymphs
- Emergers
- Dry flies
- Streamers
Nymphs are the Most Important Flies to Have
Trout feed on nymphs 80% of the time and this makes them the most effective category flies to use on the water.
When buying nymphs, make sure you buy a range of different sizes, weights, and colors.
Having some brown, gray, and buggy looking nymphs like a Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear, and Prince Nymph across multiple sizes and weights will have you covered.
You will want heavy tungsten head and gold head options so you can fish different depths and get flies down deep in faster currents. Then experiment with size to match what the fish are feeding most on any given day.
Emergers can Work when Nothing Else Does
Emerger flies imitate the moment when a nymph tries to turn into a winged insect. At times when emergers are prevalent, brown trout will not eat anything else and without a good emerger fly, you will go home empty handed.
Emerging flies get stuck in the surface tension of the water as they try to free and dry their wings before taking flight. This is a free meal for hungry trout as the flies are sitting ducks and they gorge on them.
A great emerger is the Indicator Klinkhammer as it sits perfectly in the surface tension, imitates a range of flies, and is easy to see.
There will be a Time when Dry Flies Work Best
While trout feed on nymphs at the bottom most of the time, they are opportunistic feeders. When a big hatch of flies creates a commotion on the surface, they will start feeding on the surface and you will want the dry flies to match.
When buying dry flies, having some terrestrials like a foam hopper and attractor dries like a stimulator are a must. You will also want a selection of dries that work on your given river or lake. Think about what hatches on your local waters and buy the flies to match.
My top 3 dry flies are the Parachute Adams as it imitates almost anything, the Griffiths Gnat for midges, and the Elk Hair Caddis for winged insects.
Big Brown Trout Like Streamers
Streamers imitate small bait fish and bigger brown trout love to inhale smaller fish. Brown trout can be very aggressive and during fall when all the small bait fish have hatched, they go to town on them.
Fishing a streamer is a ton of fun as the take is very aggressive. You will want a few streamers in different sizes, colors, and weights. Brass cone heads and tungsten cone heads will help you fish deeper, and then it is about experimenting with size and color to see what the trout prefer.
Winding Up
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and now have all the knowledge you need to build a fly box full of the best brown trout flies that works all year round.
Please share the article with your fishing pals and why not leave a comment below. If you have any brown trout flies that work for you we haven’t mentioned, or any questions, we would love to hear about it!