Leeches are a good bet for trout in early season lakes

Some of the best trout fishing of the year can occur right after ice-out on local lakes. The water is still very cold, but temperatures are rising just enough to turn on trout metabolism. Trout that have been living under ice for a couple of months have forgot about humans and can be very naive. These trout are often hard bodied chromers that pull hard. Most fish will be very close to the bottom. Since the water is very cold, trout and the various organisms they feed on are living in slow motion. Often the trick is to move your fly very slowly across the bottom. To accomplish this your boat (pontoon boat, or float tube) must be stationary. This is easy to do on calm days. You simply sit in on place and retrieve your fly slowly. On windy days your boat must be anchored, or the wind will move your boat much to quickly to work the fly slow enough. A selection of sinking lines is very helpful to get your fly to work the bottom at various depths. Flies of various weights also help adjust the depth of your presentation.

Flash-A-Bugger, Black This is the number one early season fly for most lakes. It is proven productive for both trout and bass. It is also a very good option for summer steelhead, especially during low water periods.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
11800-04	Flash-A-Bugger, Black	4	3 for $5.25
11800-06	Flash-A-Bugger, Black	6	3 for $5.25
11800-08	Flash-A-Bugger, Black	8	3 for $5.25
11800-10	Flash-A-Bugger, Black	10	3 for $5.25

Flash-A-Bugger, Black/Olive This may be the number two most proven lake fly and can be number one at times. It can be fished fast or slow. Vary your retrieve until you find the magic formula.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
11802-04	Flash-A-Bugger, Black/Olive	4	3 for $5.25
11802-08	Flash-A-Bugger, Black/Olive	8	3 for $5.25

Flash-A-Bugger, Olive A wise man once said that if you want to catch trout from alkaline lakes your best fly would be inch long & green. In some lakes and rivers inch and a half long and green is an even better option. This is a must have fly no mater where you fish in fresh water.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
11888-04	Flash-A-Bugger, Olive	4	3 for $5.25
11888-06	Flash-A-Bugger, Olive	6	3 for $5.25
11888-08	Flash-A-Bugger, Olive	8	3 for $5.25
11888-10	Flash-A-Bugger, Olive	10	3 for $5.25

Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymphal color tends to adapt to the color of the stream bed. Fishing two flies at once will increase your odds of hooking up. Usually two different colors or sizes are used. A Gold Rib Hares Ear is one of those flies that look like a lot of different stream bed insects.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12100-10	Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymph	10	3 for $5.25
12100-12	Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymph	12	3 for $5.25
12100-14	Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymph	14	3 for $5.25
12100-16	Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymph	16	3 for $5.25
12100-18	Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymph	18	3 for $5.25

		V-Rib Midge, Black This is one of the most successful lake patterns of all time. It can be fished deep with a sinking fly line or dangled under a strike indicator.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12390-12	V-Rib Midge, Black Pupa	12	3 for $5.25
12390-14	V-Rib Midge, Black Pupa	14	3 for $5.25
12390-16	V-Rib Midge, Black Pupa	16	3 for $5.25

		V-Rib Midge, Red The V-Rib series of flies hang vertical most of the time and are very convincing to all species of game fish that feed on midges.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12412-14	V-Rib Midge, Red Pupa	14	3 for $5.25
12412-16	V-Rib Midge, Red Pupa	16	3 for $5.25

		Midge, Suspended Pupa, Black This pattern is tied with a buoyant foam head that holds the fly dangling vertically through the surface film. It is very productive when fish are taking hatching midges at the surface.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12220-14	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Black	14	3 for $5.25
12220-16	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Black	16	3 for $5.25
12220-18	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Black	18	3 for $5.25
12220-20	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Black	20	3 for $5.25

		Midge, Suspended Pupa, Tan The white foam head is easier for the angler to see. If you want the fly to float a little higher, treat the foam head with fly floatant.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12222-16	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Tan	16	3 for $5.25
12222-18	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Tan	18	3 for $5.25
12222-20	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Tan	20	3 for $5.25

Bead Head Leech, Black If you only had one size and color for your earliest season fishing, make it a black size six. This fly catches fish. It is worthwhile having the Black Bead Head Leech in all of the sizes. Sometimes trout display a preference for a certain size. Like everything else, leeches start out small and grow bigger.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
9041-06	Bead Head Leech, Black	6	3 for $5.85
9041-08	Bead Head Leech, Black	8	3 for $5.85
9041-10	Bead Head Leech, Black	10	3 for $5.85

Black SLF Leech Patterned after the famous Seal Buggers developed in the Klamath Lake Basin of Southern Oregon, this leech pattern is intentionally dressed fairly heavy. If the water you are fishing is murky, fish this pattern the way it comes out of the box. If the water you are fishing is clear pick out some of the dubbing in the body to thin it down.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
06253-08	Black SLF Leech	8	3 for $5.25

Brown SLF Leech We first used this fly in Davis Lake back in the days when it was loaded with big trout. Fished with an intermediate line, this lightweight fly will hover over the weed tops and enable you to retrieve it very slowly. This is also an effective pattern to use just after ice out.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
06254-08	Brown SLF Leech	8	3 for $5.25

Maroon SLF Leech The maroon leech can be deadly when the water is still very cold in the spring. A good method to try is to keep your boat 50-60 feet from the shore and cast your fly into the shallow edge water. Use a very slow sinking line so you can move the fly very slowly back to you.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
06255-08	Maroon SLF Leech	8	3 for $5.25

Water Boatman, Brown Water boatmen are reported to occur in fresh water through out most of the world. In certain local ponds lakes and reservoirs they occur in dense populations. In the edge water of many local rivers with habitats as diverse as the spring fed Deschutes to the glacial fed Sandy water boatmen populations can be very prolific. When other aquatic insects are still dormant from the cold of winter, water boatmen can be very active.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
00531-12	Water Boatman, Brown	12	3 for $5.25

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Early Season Lake Flies Flies for probing Northwest lakes during the earliest part of the spring season.
Flash-A-Bugger, Black	V-Rib Midge, Red Pupa	Bead Head Leech, Black
Flash-A-Bugger, Black/Olive	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Black	Black SLF Leech
Flash-A-Bugger, Olive	Midge, Suspended Pupa, Tan	Brown SLF Leech
Gold Rib Hares Ear Nymph	Perfect Scud, Gray/Olive	Maroon SLF Leech
V-Rib Midge, Black Pupa	Zug Bug	Water Boatman, Brown

Perfect Scud, Gray/Olive One of the most effective "resting" Scud imitations. Fish fish this fly very slowly in a lake. This fly is lightweight so the sink-rate is comparatively slow. This is not only an advantage very shallow water, but at any depth were a
very slow movement is needed. Perfect Scuds are also very effective when fished dead-drift in rivers. During this activity, split shot might be added to the leader. These flies look very life like.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
99327-14	Perfect Scud, Gray/Olive	14	3 for $5.25
99327-16	Perfect Scud, Gray/Olive	16	3 for $5.25

Zug Bug The Zug Bug nymph pattern was invented by Cliff Zug as a caddis fly imitation. While it is an effective as an emerging or diving sedge pattern it also works well to imitate dragon fly nymphs, mayfly nymphs and water boatmen. With the wing and hackle trimmed of it can also represent midge pupae. This can be a deadly lake fly.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12450-08	Zug Bug	8	3 for $5.25
12450-10	Zug Bug	10	3 for $5.25
12450-12	Zug Bug	12	3 for $5.25
12450-14	Zug Bug	14	3 for $5.25

Early Season Lake Flies