Trout Love Gray

Winter is a great time to restock our fly boxes. Tying up replacement flies not only gives us the opportunity to refill those spots where we lost flies during this last fishing season, but also allows us to try some new patterns to see if they will work on our streams.

Here is a pattern that I have found to be very effective on all sorts of trout waters. Called the Soft Hackle Grey, it is a sakasa kebari that mimics many different types of aquatic and terrestrial insects. I find that it works best when caddis are on the water, or when the water is low and clear, or when tetragnatha stretch spiders are present in their webs hanging over the creeks and streams. In other words, pretty much anytime throughout the warm months of the fishing season.

It’s easy to tie and can be varied by tying a standard soft or jun hackle. It should be in everyone’s fly box, as trout love gray! While I use it as a trout pattern, I’m sure it will work with the fish that you target in your waters. Give it a try and see if your fish love gray too!

Materials:

• Hook: Moonlit TOGATTA ML211 Premium Barbless Hook
• Thread: YLI Silk Thread #100, Color 202 – Red
• Hackle: Partridge
• Body: Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift 119 Mooskit/Sholmit wool
• Thorax: Wapsi SLF Dave Whitlock Dubbing, 03 sowbug gray
• Tag/Rib: Ultra Wire – Brassie, gold

---

Do you have a story to tell? A photo to share? A fly recipe that’s too good to keep secret? If you would like to contribute content to Tenkara Angler, click HERE for more details.

When you buy something using the retail links within our articles or Gear Shop, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Tenkara Angler does not accept money for editorial gear reviews. Read more about our policy.