Fishing Egg Patterns: Guide to Selecting and Fishing Egg Flies for Trout

Egg patterns imitate salmon and trout eggs drifting through spawning areas during fall and winter. Sometimes, this natural protein source is all trout want to eat.

I’ve spent years dialing in egg pattern presentations, and my top egg fly patterns are Eggi Juan, spotted eggs, Glo Bug, steelhead Sucker Spawn, and egg sucking leech. In this article, we’ll talk about how to fish these eggs so you can get ready for the next spawning season.

Let’s get into it.

• Egg patterns imitate protein-rich salmon and trout spawn drifting downstream during spawning runs.

• Top egg fly patterns include Eggi Juan, Glo Bug, spotted eggs, Sucker Spawn, and egg sucking leech in sizes 8-14.

• Fish tailouts below redds, current seams, and deep pools where eggs concentrate naturally.

• Match colors to natural spawn in clear water. In stained waters, use bright chartreuse and pink.

Egg patterns imitate fish eggs, or roe, particularly from salmon, trout, and steelhead. Eggs, like the one we eat, are very high in protein, which is why fish love them. They’re really some of the best trout flies you can fish during spawn season.

These egg flies are small, round, and usually made from yarn, foam, or beads tied on short-shank hooks. They’re commonly in pink, orange, or yellow to mimic the different types of fish eggs.

The Eggi Juan, spotted egg, Glo Bug, steelhead Sucker Spawn, and egg sucking leech are proven egg patterns that consistently produce fish across different water conditions. Here’s a quick glance at how they perform:

The classic Glo Bug uses antron yarn (a highly reflective fly-tying material) in fluorescent chartreuse, pink, or orange. In fast water where visibility is less of a priority, its fuzzy profile creates natural movement that attracts fish.

I usually tie these in sizes 8-14 with a McFly foam yarn, which a lot of anglers find easier to use than standard egg yarn. Try it and you’ll make a nicer round egg, especially if you’re shaping little eggs.

The egg sucking leech combines an egg head with a trailing leech body to target aggressive steelhead strikes. The marabou tail pulses with the current, which adds action that standard nymph patterns lack.

Unlike standard egg alone, I find the egg sucking leeches more productive in steelhead fly fishing, more so when fish are in aggressive feeding mode.

The best places to fish egg patterns are the areas where trout position themselves, including:

• Tailouts: Fresh eggs drift naturally in tailouts (shallow section at the end of pools) sitting directly downstream from steelhead and salmon redds.

• Current Seams: Fish where fast current meets slower water. These transition zones concentrate drifting eggs naturally as current speed changes.

• Deep Pools: Trout wait in pools below spawning areas for egg meals washing downstream.

The key is just observe your local waters and watch where fish go and hold out.

Match your egg fly colors to the real salmon and steelhead eggs you find in your local waters. Peach, pale orange, and cream always work well in clear conditions where trout scrutinize their food closely. A lot of anglers, myself included, prefer the Oregon cheese colors, especially the Oregon cheese scrambled egg (originally made for Great Lakes steelhead fishing).

But when the water turns murky, switch from natural colors to bright colors like chartreuse and pink. Their high visibility helps fish see them in muddy water.

Successfully fishing egg patterns requires proper technique from start to finish. Follow these steps to choose the right pattern, set up your rig correctly, present your fly naturally, and maximize your hookups on the water.

Commonly, size 10 works for salmon and trout egg patterns like Glo Bugs and Nuke Eggs, while size 14 mimics smaller trout eggs. Match hook sizes 10-14 to the actual salmon or steelhead eggs in your river.

Choose tungsten beadhead patterns like the Nuke Egg or Crystal Meth for deep runs exceeding 4 feet. The added weight gets your fly down into the strike zone quickly where trout hold near the bottom.

In contrast, unweighted micro eggs work better in shallow tailouts and riffles where heavy patterns sink too fast and snag constantly (you want a natural drift here, not a plunging anchor). Your fly line weight also influences presentation depth and control.

Use your Euro nymphing skills when fishing egg flies. Attach your egg fly 12-18 inches below a strike indicator using a clinch knot. This spacing lets the fly drift naturally near the bottom.

The split shot should be 6-8 inches above the fly to achieve a proper bottom-bouncing drift through deeper runs (the weight carries your fly into the feeding zone).

Finally, adjust your indicator depth until you feel occasional ticks on the line. These light taps indicate contact with the stream bottom, confirming you’re fishing at the right depth.

Achieve a natural drag-free drift by casting your fly rod upstream at a 45-degree angle. Mend your line upstream continuously to prevent the fly from accelerating unnaturally downstream. Any drag breaks the illusion of a naturally drifting egg.

When you see subtle pauses or slight dips in your strike indicator, that signifies trout intercepting the egg. Then set the hook immediately when you see movement.

Alternatively, if you’re familiar with dry dropper rigs, you can tie your egg fly 18-24 inches below a buoyant dry fly using fluorocarbon tippet. This is your best bet if you see mixed hatches in the area.

This covers surface and subsurface feeding zones simultaneously. You’re essentially fishing two zones with just one cast. I’ve landed multiple trout on dropper egg patterns while the dry fly floated untouched overhead.

These mistakes reduce your success in egg fly fishing:

• Fishing Too Fast: Rushing your drift creates unnatural presentation speeds that spook wary trout. Real eggs tumble slowly with the current.

• Using Oversized Patterns: Oversized eggs appear suspicious to trout in low, clear water conditions. I’ve watched fish repeatedly refuse size 8 patterns while crushing size 12s in the same run.

• Ignoring Spawn Timing: Fish egg patterns when spawning actually occurs in your waters, not randomly throughout the season.

Now that you understand egg patterns, get out on the water and put these techniques into practice. Wild Water Fly Fishing offers a wide assortment of flies so you can build your egg pattern collection.

If you’re a beginner, check our complete fly fishing gear checklist for essential equipment and our complete tips for fishing.