The Best GUIDE Flies For Brook Trout

ByGraham - Pro River Guide
fishing brook trout in ontario

I’ve been guiding for brook trout for over 20 years and there are some flies that just catch a lot more brook trout than others do.

And believe me, I live in Ontario Canada, minutes away from many brook trout streams, and I think I have run thousands of fly patterns past brook trout in all types of conditions.

These 10 flies are my go-to flies.

Dry Flies

Ontario Brown trout flies
One of my favorite dry fly patterns for brook trout and brown trout. This fly has caught me a lot of brown trout over 20 inches while dry fly fishing.

Dry fly fishing is a technique where anglers use lightweight, floating flies to mimic insects resting on the water’s surface, enticing fish to rise and strike.

It emphasizes visual cues, requiring skillful casting and a delicate presentation to avoid spooking the fish.

Dry flies must sit in the water properly, they must be buoyant enough to not sink, and in some cases, they will either closely imitate the natural bugs, or in other cases, they can just be an attractor fly that does not resemble the natural at all.

Royal Coachman or Royal Wulff

The Royal Coachman fly is by far my most effective dry fly when the brook trout are not feeding heavily on natural.

Even when they are feeding on naturals they still find it hard to resist.

I use it in sizes 10 to 16, with my go-to size being a 14.

Elk Hair Caddis

Fishing Shelter Valley Creek is good for brook trout.
Brook trout fishing in Shelter Valley Creek can be very good.

Elk Hair caddis is likely my second most effective fly for brook trout.

It works great dead drifted, but when the fish are not active, dragging it or skittering it across the surface can turn inactive fish into biters.

My go-to size is size 14 but I use this pattern in sizes 10 to 18.

Other great dry flies include:

  • The Humpy – With yellow, orange, and red body
  • March Brown
  • Adams
  • Stimulator
  • Beetle
  • Griffiths Gnat

Best Nymphs For Brook Trout

Anyone who knows me knows I specialize in nymph fishing. I love it.

A bunch of nymphs in my petri dish
A bunch of nymphs in my petri dish

Many times I have found that when it comes to nymphs, the brook trout wants nymphs with some sort of attractor, such as flash or color.

and I have a few great nymphs that are hard to beat.

Flies for fly fishing
  1. Frenchie Nymph
  2. Iron Warrior
  3. Walts Worm and Sexy Walts Worm
  4. Micro Bugger – green, black, and olive
  5. San Juan Worm
This is the Sexy Walts worm which is one of my best steelhead flies.
This is the Sexy Walts worm which is one of my best steelhead flies. You get them at Amazon as the Region Fishing-Tungsten Walts Sexy Worm Jig-Head fly.
The authors micro-bugger fly.
The authors micro-bugger fly. It is 1.25 inches long.

Tight lines,

Graham

My name is Graham and I have been fishing around the great lakes region for over 36 years and I am considered the top river guide in Ontario.

I specialize in Fly fishing, Centerpin fishing, and Float fishing for Trout, Steelhead, and Salmon, and I am the first full-time guide to offer Centerpin fishing.
You may have seen me on TV, in books, and in magazines, or at trade shows and fishing events. I am known as an easy-going and patient guide who loves to teach.

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