Steelhead Flies For Sale: Nymphs, Muddlers
Twice a year, Steelhead enter rivers. Those that make their run in Spring are coming only to spawn, whereas those that run in Fall will spend Winter inland. We’d recommend buying different fishing flies for different times of year: egg patterns during the mating season; nymphs as Fall turns to Winter and aquatic insect larvae mature; and bright, flashy muddlers and other wet flies at any time.
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Showing all 19 results
Nymphing for Steelhead
The later (or earlier) the season, the more developed nymphs will be, and the more likely it is that bad weather will dislodge them rather than eggs. Insects that hatch in Summer and Fall spend Winter and Spring growing and, to tempt Steelhead, patterns that represent larger larvae such as Stonefly or Caddis are recommended, as are more muted and ‘earthy’ colors such as olive and brown. These flies are typically fished to mimic nymphs that have either been dislodged and are drifting, or are swimming, both close to the bottom.
Do check out our other collections of Nymph patterns for sale, particularly our Beadhead Nymphs and also our Tungsten Nymphs – both of which can be very effective for Steelhead.
Muddlers and other Wet Flies
Winter Steelhead tend to hug the bottom of their chosen water course. The physical changes they went through before making their run (losing the ability to digest food properly for one) mean that they don’t have the same desire to feed. At this stage in their life cycle, Steelhead are usually more interested in conserving energy because their metabolism has slowed, but their predatory instinct can still be triggered. This is why fly patterns that represent leeches or small fish – and even some that are non-representative, but just attention-grabbing – can work wonders on Steelhead even in the worst conditions. These larger and brighter flies are big enough to be a proper mouthful, and colorful enough to be seen on dark, rainy days in waters that are often cloudy or murky.
We have further Muddlers for sale here.
Egg Flies
We also sell Egg Flies for Steelhead – please check out that page for information on when and how to fish these patterns.