7 must-have flies for trout anglers in the West—and how to tie them

SAN JUAN WORM

I doubt there’s a simpler fly to tie than the San Juan Worm. It’s literally nothing more than a piece of chenille tied onto a hook. But don’t let its simplicity fool you. This innocuous-looking fly accounts for an incredible number of big fish each year, especially on waters such as Alberta’s famous Bow River. That’s where I was first introduced to the San Juan some 15 years ago. We were fishing where the Highwood dumps into the Bow on a cold spring morning, and a nearby angler was hooking more than his share of fat rainbows. After learning that most of them were coming on this strange-looking fly, I became a believer.

While the San Juan Worm—or Blood Worm, as it’s also known—can be fished like any nymph, it’s especially effective when fished in tandem with a generic nymph such as the Hare’s Ear. Rig your set-up so the Hare’s Ear drifts around the middle of the water column and the San Juan moves right along the bottom.

HOOK: Wet fly, 2X heavy, sizes 10 to 14

BODY: Red, tan, wine or pink Ultra Chenille

THREAD: Same colour as the body, size 6/0 or 8/0

ZEBRA CHIRONOMID

Full disclosure: I hate fishing with a chironomid. To me, nothing is more boring than mindlessly casting one out, waiting several minutes for it to sink, then bringing it back to the surface a painstakingly slow inch or two at a time. But I’m also smart enough to appreciate that other anglers have success with this technique, and I’m not too proud to use it when conditions dictate. While the Zebra Chironomid is simple to tie, the hard-shell coating of superglue causes distress for some tiers. Just be sure to apply enough glue to saturate the thread, but not so much that it drips and runs.

Chironomid flies have become popular thanks to their success on the big Kamloops rainbows in the lakes of central B.C. The trout there can be finicky, and this subtle technique is often the only means to hook them. But the Zebra Chironomid in particular has now become a perennial favourite across the West. This is a great fly for hot summer afternoons when stillwater action slows to a crawl. And though it was originally meant for rainbows, the pattern is ideal for any lake-dwelling trout that feed on midge larvae. (Special thanks to the team at flyguys.net for sharing their Zebra Chironomid image.)

HOOK: Scud, size 12

BEAD: Black 3/32 ounce

BODY: Black tying thread, size 8/0

RIB: White tying thread, size 6/0

SHEEN: Superglue