Egg Fly VS Egg Sack

trekker · Supporting Member Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 51

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How much of a disadvantage am I at using egg flies rather than the real thing? I live about 2.5 hours from the rivers, and want to make sure I'm giving myself the best chance to catch fish. I fished all day today and landed one sucker. I didn't mind. I had a great time, but I really want to catch a steelhead.

Are egg sacks definately the way to go?

Pisco · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 9:58 pm Post subject:

Generally, in higher, more stained water, sacks will out produce sucker spawn,etc. However, if water clarity is at least 12", egg flies work. If using ss, make sure you use a small dark nymph as a dropper.

Bait will generally out produce flies as a rule in certain conditions. But most decent fly guys have had their 20+ fish days, without rippin' reds.

If catching is what you're after, pick yourself up a center pin, tie up some sacks and you're good to go. It is deadly.

If you are into fly fishing, keep at it, work to get a drag free drift on the bottom, and you will be rewarded. Also, swing some streamers. You will not get the numbers bait chuckers get, or even indi fishers land, but... well you got to do it to know.
Can't wait until tomorrow...
Pisco

lilnacks · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 20

Each one has it's day. With colder water temps you can usually expect that sacs will out perform by far, but on some colder days fish may be real finicky and only want one egg. This is where single egg patterns will come in handy(you pretty much gotta bop 'em in the nose with real cold temps). If I recall correctly, steelies usually take flies more willingly when the water temperature hits 38F and up. Once you are at that temp., there is no doubt steel will readily take egg patterns. If you are new to steelhead fishing I would suggest using sacs for now and get a feel for where the fish usually hold. Once you got their favorite holding spots down bust out the fly rod and slay.

g/l lilnacks

Possum · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 184

Good topic. Just my 2 cents. Sacs tend to out perform flies in less vis condtions but as the water clears it leans to flies. But I bet that if I start tying sucker spawn on a size 10 hook the size of the sacs used in off color water I'd get into some fish.

I'll have to disagree with water temps comment. While the warmer temps may improve your results with streamer patterns on the swing. Cold water temps have no effect on using egg patterns.

It's all about getting to the fish. If you can get your offering to the fish in a constant manner you will get into the fish.

Possum

yobwoc · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 1

i fish only flies and streamers and have rarely been outfished, reguardless of method, granted, i've been fishing trout and steelhead for over 30 years

lilnacks · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 20

Ya, it's all about placement in colder weather... like I said, you pretty much gotta bop em on the nose. From my personal experience, the distance a fish is willing to move to pick up a fly(including egg patterns) greatly increases once the water warms a bit. In colder water temps if the fly is 3" away the fish probably will not budge to pick it up, but once the water is warmer there is a better chance they will scoot over to grab it. I've yet to see steel chase my yarn fly while lifting it out with water temps below 34F.

IRISH · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:03 pm Post subject:

crysoleucas · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 53

I have found no use for fishing guts anymore. Switched to just flies three years ago haven't found a need to go back. When I first got into fly fishing, I would switch back to sacks under a bobber in the winter, thinking that was what I needed to do to be successful. As my confidence grew with fly fishing, along with my skills, I see no need for real eggs. Some egg patterns I tie look extremely realistic and I have had people approach me wondering if I was using skein or sacks. Patterns like nuke eggs and estaz eggs that incorporate white yarn over a neon core sway in the water and I believe emulate chunks of eggs drifting down stream. When single salmon eggs are drifting everywhere, the color if these eggs are usually pale yellow or pink and glow [censored] of a similar color are deadly.
To comment on your question, you can debate real eggs verus fakes all anybody wants, but the real question is what do you want to do? I have found that most of the fisherman catching a lot fish (whatever tactics employed) don't truelly enjoy the flesh of the fish. so if you want to deal with keeping fish for the primary reason of using the eggs and the mesh associated, then do it. That is why regulations are in place to prevent an all-out slaughtering of salmonids for bait.

Pisco · Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:09 am Post subject:

Fished Chagrin Sunday and what I noticed was that 90% of the fisherman were using flyrods. Something about that is kind of nice,
since I am a 100% fly fisher. This is not a knock on other methods, but it was almost like I was on the Neshannock.

Report:went 0/2 and one sucker. First shunk in a long time. I guess I picked the wrong river for Sunday. Should have gone further east.
I noticed the water temps were still pretty low, barometer rose all morning and water had about 6" vis.
Today should be prime.
Pisco

woolybug25 · Joined: 15 May 2006 Posts: 56 Location: Denver, CO

Not trying to be a jerk, but I do remember when this was a fly fishing site (long ago), then I had to stick to just the fly fishing sections of the board, now people are asking about spawn on the FLY TYING BOARD. Next thing you know... people will start talking about how to tie jigs for pinning. Pinnin' is Sinnin' (jk)

Its just a pet peeve of mine about this site.

crysoleucas · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 53

well put wooly bug! Maybe rules that indicate which page to host a discussion are needed to be established or reviewed. Other techniques are gonna go away though, and we need to start getting along better on the streams. I have recently gotten into arguments with others stream side and this ISN'T the right thing to do. Like it or not, all of us need to respect/appreciated people and their variety of techniques. That being said, everyone has opinions and these opinions should be voiced with precaution. Eventually, we are all gonna have to learn to get along!

cpinner · Joined: 18 Sep 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Greensburg, PA

Other than the usual patterns that imitate eggs, egg sacks, sucker spawn, skein etc can someone recommend some patterns that work well on the Lake Erie tributaries that resemble minnows, larvae or other aquatic insects or terrestrials, such as Wooly Buggers, Zonkers, Marabou Muddlers, Crayfish, BH Pheasant Tails, etc? Things that might work this time of year (November)?

FiveWeight · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 26

Cut the guy some slack, it started out as a fly related question, and a pretty valid one at that.

woolybug25 · Joined: 15 May 2006 Posts: 56 Location: Denver, CO

FiveWeight · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 26

You're right, he should have posted it under "Fly fishing techniques and suggestions". Oh wait, there isn't a forum with any other fly fishing related topic that better suits this. If the responses ran off into a tangent, feel free NOT to continue reading them.

Seriously man, that type of elitist response is what gives us fly fishermen a bad name. The other 95% of us are constantly having to apologize for people like you and make a conscientious effort not to come across that way. Especially since he's just looking for help to see if he can fish as well with flies as the other methods, and he wants to aim his question at the fly fishermen who should be the most likely to encourage him to keep trying flies. Way to be a total schmuck.