Trout spey fishing is all the rage these days, particularly in rivers that boast runs of anadromous fish that are swimming home and reacquainting themselves with fresh water and the food they used to eat before they took the salt to dine on the ocean’s bounty.
Below, Matt Callies with Loon Outdoors ties a great swinging fly for spey casters (but any streamer angler should pay attention to this pattern, honestly) who might want to tempt returning steelhead with natural prey that might spur them to take an instinctive bite. The Repeat Offender is an October caddis nymph pattern tied on a shank and trailed by a “stinger” or “intruder” hook. Designed to be fished on the swing as an emerging bug, this pattern is carefully crafted to remind returning chromers of the food they likely grew up eating.
But, what I like most about this fly, is the design — Matt uses several methods to craft a buggy fly that, should others choose to emulate using different colors, could tempt fall browns or even smallmouth fattening up before the water chills and everything slows down.
I particularly like the use of the myriad Loon tools that Matt incorporates in the tying process. As a casual fly tier at the vise, I love seeing how these tools are put to use and how they can help me craft better flies, regardless of the pattern.
If you like to spey cast or even just swing streamers from trout, the general blueprint for this pattern is a winner. See what you think.