10-04-2004, 11:36 AM
[cool][#0000ff]There is a small but growing group of fly flingers that wanna play with feathers on Utah Lake. I have been doing it for a whole lotta years. I'll try to give a BRIEF rundown of my findings.
First, think about 5 basic colors: white, black, purple, chartreuse and hot pink. Use them in solids or combinations. All white is good when the temps are up and the water has some clarity. Black is good almost anytime. It is especially good when the baby mudcats are swimming around during the summer. Purple is good by itself, or in combination with white, black or chartruese. Chartreuse is the color for cold and/or murky water. However, it will work almost any month of the year during low light conditions. Hot pink is a "go-to" color late in the year, in the final weeks before ice-up. I don't know why, but there are days when you get nonstop action on hot pink and can't buy a bite on anything else.
As suggested, plain old wooly buggers are all you need for basic patterns. Again, all one color, or the body one color and the tail and/or hackles another. Good combos are black or purple body with white or chartreuse tails. Another combo, especially good for whites and walleyes in the spring, is a purple or claret red body with black tail and hackle. Oh yeah, don't be afraid to add some red or blue krystal flash in some of the patterns.
When you tie your whites and chartreuse patterns, it can be more effective to finish them off with a hot red thread head. A dark red head is good for purples and blacks.
After the carp finish spawning, in June of most years, you will sometimes do well with yellow patterns...with some gold tinsel and/or flashabou added.
The lake is shallow, so you do not need heavy sinking lines. However, a good sink tip will help you get the flies down near the bottom, where most of the action will take place for most species. You can fish them with the standard cast, sink, strip method, or you can do a slow troll from a tube or toon. Sometimes it is good to rig a two fly tandem rig, with different sizes and colors. Oh yeah, don't be surprised if you pick up a few mud cats and channels on those flies.
I am attaching pics of some of the patterns I have used successfully over the years. There are others I do not have pictured. Notably, I have done well with a streamer using a chartreuse body, red tag tail and grey squirrel tail wing. I think it is a "contrast" pattern. Whatever...it works.
I am also including some pics of my "over and under" flies. I do a simple body of one color and then a "shell back" of a contrasting or more visible color...like red, blue, black or hot red. I then do an underbelly of silver, gold or other color. The lines seem to help trigger a reaction bite when solid colors do not work as well. These over and unders are especially effective when casted and retrieved on "drop shot" rigs with spinning tackle.
I am also attaching a pic of the deadly "Pistol Pete" fly, tied with a small propeller spinner on the front. Some purists consider these to be more "lures" than flies. But, as long as the fish vote for them, who cares? There are times when that extra bit of flash and vibration can trigger a strike when stripped quickly after settling to the bottom.
Hope this helps. I know that Emuscud has been working on some good patterns for Utah Lake too. Maybe he can post a pic or two.
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First, think about 5 basic colors: white, black, purple, chartreuse and hot pink. Use them in solids or combinations. All white is good when the temps are up and the water has some clarity. Black is good almost anytime. It is especially good when the baby mudcats are swimming around during the summer. Purple is good by itself, or in combination with white, black or chartruese. Chartreuse is the color for cold and/or murky water. However, it will work almost any month of the year during low light conditions. Hot pink is a "go-to" color late in the year, in the final weeks before ice-up. I don't know why, but there are days when you get nonstop action on hot pink and can't buy a bite on anything else.
As suggested, plain old wooly buggers are all you need for basic patterns. Again, all one color, or the body one color and the tail and/or hackles another. Good combos are black or purple body with white or chartreuse tails. Another combo, especially good for whites and walleyes in the spring, is a purple or claret red body with black tail and hackle. Oh yeah, don't be afraid to add some red or blue krystal flash in some of the patterns.
When you tie your whites and chartreuse patterns, it can be more effective to finish them off with a hot red thread head. A dark red head is good for purples and blacks.
After the carp finish spawning, in June of most years, you will sometimes do well with yellow patterns...with some gold tinsel and/or flashabou added.
The lake is shallow, so you do not need heavy sinking lines. However, a good sink tip will help you get the flies down near the bottom, where most of the action will take place for most species. You can fish them with the standard cast, sink, strip method, or you can do a slow troll from a tube or toon. Sometimes it is good to rig a two fly tandem rig, with different sizes and colors. Oh yeah, don't be surprised if you pick up a few mud cats and channels on those flies.
I am attaching pics of some of the patterns I have used successfully over the years. There are others I do not have pictured. Notably, I have done well with a streamer using a chartreuse body, red tag tail and grey squirrel tail wing. I think it is a "contrast" pattern. Whatever...it works.
I am also including some pics of my "over and under" flies. I do a simple body of one color and then a "shell back" of a contrasting or more visible color...like red, blue, black or hot red. I then do an underbelly of silver, gold or other color. The lines seem to help trigger a reaction bite when solid colors do not work as well. These over and unders are especially effective when casted and retrieved on "drop shot" rigs with spinning tackle.
I am also attaching a pic of the deadly "Pistol Pete" fly, tied with a small propeller spinner on the front. Some purists consider these to be more "lures" than flies. But, as long as the fish vote for them, who cares? There are times when that extra bit of flash and vibration can trigger a strike when stripped quickly after settling to the bottom.
Hope this helps. I know that Emuscud has been working on some good patterns for Utah Lake too. Maybe he can post a pic or two.
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