Bull Trout flies (and techniques)

[Josh]

There was a good thread getting going on the old site recently about bull trout, I thought I'd restart it over here.

rmgreen94 started it with this question:

I’m looking to swing flies for bull trout here on the West side of WA and want to tie up some flies to take with me. Does anyone have recommendations on specific patterns or colors to bring along? I haven’t seen much online other than “bull trout are aggressive and will eat anything that comes by.”

I'd also add:

What sort of techniques are you using? Swinging? Indicator? For example, someone recently was talking about jigging action on the swing for bulls...

@Stonedfish @Long_Rod_Silvers @HauntedByWaters @mcswny @RyRy82 @Dr. Magill @Smalma were some of the folks posting on the original thread.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

I usually get them on the swing when fishing for steelhead. Buuuuut, on certain rivers where bulls are allowed, I might swing through a spot first focusing on steelhead and then if it's a particularly good looking spot switch up to a more bull oriented pattern (I like white or olive or brown, but seen people clean up after me with pink or purple or black) and then cast up and let it sink and then strip through. I have a hard time telling myself I'm targeting steelhead when I'm stripping a 6" dahlai lama leech (or something like that) thru a pool, or casting at submerged wood with a giant olive sculpzilla, so I stick with the swing and more steelhead specific flies when river regs say no no to targeteting bulls.

I like to swing stuff like this for steelhead when bulls are also allowed. Gets eats from both.


They like spoons and spinners too.

 

[Dave Westburg]

I like to fish New England style streamers on a 15' sink tip fly line and a 9' 5 5/8 oz bamboo rod. Slow strip as the fly swings. Tailouts better than the head of the riffle. Some bull trout flies I fish:

• Magog Smelt
• Pink Ghost
• Supervisor
• Black ghost
• White ghost...

 

[troutstalker]

Those are some nice looking flies Dave!

 

[MarshRat]

Like anything bull trout-related, this will be received with mixed feelings... but last year I started pegging beads for bulls. I would pick my section of river for the day, swing a dali llama through likely runs/pools working downstream, then turn around a drift beads working upstream on my hike back to the rig. It worked, I would pick up a mix of trout and whitefish, as well as the bulls who weren't willing to leave the bottom of their pools for the streamer.

 

[RyRy82]

I have definitely found them in shallower water and closer to the bank more frequently then I imagined. Deep is not always better. I’ve found in my home river they like the tail of the tail of the pool rather than the deepest portion. If there is wood, there are bulls. Fast strip over slow swing. Downstream to add speed. Nymphs have worked on pressured fish. I’m not an expert yet and my bull fishing is limited to a highly pressured fishery. I am addicted to hunting bulls.

 

[Dr. Magill]

I like to fish New England style streamers on a 15' sink tip fly line and a 9' 5 5/8 oz bamboo rod. Slow strip as the fly swings. Tailouts better than the head of the riffle. Some bull trout flies I fish:

• Magog Smelt
• Pink Ghost
• Supervisor
• Black ghost
• White ghost...

View attachment 2693
View attachment 2694
View attachment 2695

View attachment 2697

Nice looking flies

 

[Dr. Magill]

I have used these and flies like them. I fish faster water sometimes with success.
The white has been the best producer. In the past when all I fished was homemade spinners- targeting steelhead- I picked up several nice bulls

 

[Dave Westburg]

I have used these and flies like them. I fish faster water sometimes with success.
The white has been the best producer. In the past when all I fished was homemade spinners- targeting steelhead- I picked up several nice bulls
View attachment 2867

Great looking muddlers. I too catch bull trout fishing steelhead muddlers.

 

[Josh]

The white has been the best producer.

I've been wondering if white has any allure to bulls around here. My buddies are super into the olive flies (and they do catch fish), but I've been curious about white.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

I've been wondering if white has any allure to bulls around here. My buddies are super into the olive flies (and they do catch fish), but I've been curious about white.

White:

 

[Pink Nighty]

When salmon are doing the salmon things I like swinging fleshy looking flies for them. As the salmon wrap up I start throwing more whitefish looking flies as I sometimes catch them with a whitey in their throat.

 

[Pink Nighty]

I've been wondering if white has any allure to bulls around here. My buddies are super into the olive flies (and they do catch fish), but I've been curious about

I've been wondering if white has any allure to bulls around here. My buddies are super into the olive flies (and they do catch fish), but I've been curious about white.

When I'm trying to avoid bulls, my first move is getting away from white, fwiw.

 

[Dave Westburg]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that juvenile whitefish form a big part of the bull trout diet in Western Wash.

 

[clarkman]

I like to fish New England style streamers on a 15' sink tip fly line and a 9' 5 5/8 oz bamboo rod. Slow strip as the fly swings. Tailouts better than the head of the riffle. Some bull trout flies I fish:

• Magog Smelt
• Pink Ghost
• Supervisor
• Black ghost
• White ghost...

View attachment 2693
View attachment 2694
View attachment 2695

View attachment 2697

That's really cool! I love the look of those classics

 

[clarkman]

Personally, I prefer stripping. 10wt, fast sinking shooting head, big flies. More recently I've done really well hooking them in woody debris. Get the fly down in there and rip it out. Even with 20lb, I'm not landing a ton of these fish, but they're fun as hell.

Like anything bull trout-related, this will be received with mixed feelings... but last year I started pegging beads for bulls. I would pick my section of river for the day, swing a dali llama through likely runs/pools working downstream, then turn around a drift beads working upstream on my hike back to the rig. It worked, I would pick up a mix of trout and whitefish, as well as the bulls who weren't willing to leave the bottom of their pools for the streamer.

My 2 largest bulls came on little eggstasy (or whatever the similar material was over 10 years ago) patterns....not my preferred method, but it certainly works.

99.9% of my bull trout fishing also takes place on the highly pressured OR waters.

 

[RyRy82]

Hey Clarkman, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Have you thrown your giant musky patterns for bulls?

 

[Dr. Magill]

A fly like this would probably work

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

A fly like this would probably work
View attachment 2913

 

[RyRy82]

A fly like this would probably work
View attachment 2913

Do you need my address so I can confirm for you?