The Troutbitten Podcast: What's the Deal With Junk Flies? - S3,Ep12

(From June 12, 2022) What might commonly be referred to as a junk fly makes its way to the end of my line pretty often. And for certain times of the year, through the summer and through the winter, I lean on junk flies as my go-to staples.
But my understanding of junk flies has evolved over time. I get it now. You can’t just put any kind of bright, flashy materials on a hook and fool trout. There’s a reason why trout eat these flies. And there’s a reason why these patterns shine for so long and then fall off at the end of a season. There’s also a huge difference between the way stocked trout respond to some junk flies vs the way wild trout respond.
We fish junk flies because they are fun. Because trout move to them more than other flies, sometimes. And because we can often see the fly in the water, allowing us to sight fish and learn something different.
What is a junk fly? Why and when do they work? These are the questions for this podcast.
I'm joined by the Troutbitten crew: Matt Grobe, Josh Darling, Trevor Smith, Bill Dell and Austin Dando.
We Cover the Following
Defining a junk fly
Is it always a nymph?
Why do trout eat junk flies?
How do trout respond differently?
The Bait and Switch
Are they dirty flies?
Is it cheating?
Does it take less skill to catch trout on a junk fly?
. . . and more
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Fish hard, friends.
Dom
We Cover the Following
Listener question about dry flies on the Mono Rig
Research via maps, books, etc.
Trout population and species
Learning the flows
Exploring from the mouth to the headwaters
Season changes and migratory habits
. . . and more

[@PeteyDuMont]

Dangle a Darling 😂

[@Troutbitten]

Yup

[@daveschlom4033]

I don't know if it was an intentional joke or not but the "Darling has a special purpose," line made me spray my beer and literally lol😂!

[@Troutbitten]

Nice

[@stringtwister7654]

Hey Dom, I have a question. One of you said, I believe it was bill that he would use a mop fly as a guide fly with another nymph. Was he talking about using the mop first and the nymph under it? I'm not sure what a guide fly is? Thanks Nate

[@Troutbitten]

Hi there. I would usually run a nymph on a tag above a mop, instead of below it. But both can work. Here's an article.
troutbitten.com/2016/03/18/tags-and-trailers/

[@BJJ_Jim]

Any fly with a bead is a junk fly. They’re eating the fly because they are eating the bead. My personal favorite is a Loren Williams tungsten bead head PT. Simple, deadly, always on the point and it’s a junk fly.

[@Waty8413]

It cracks me up when guys fish a 4mm bead with a few wraps of thread and 3 Coq de Leon fibers... ...then fuss about the color of the cdl.

[@Troutbitten]

I agree. It's a bead on a hook. It catches fish.. Cool.

[@Troutbitten]

We talked about this a little in the podcast

[@heavenknowsimmiserablenow14]

It's like efficient markets, the diversification of strategies is actually good for the market. Once it gets too crowded it's not going to work.

[@Troutbitten]

Good call