Swinging Flies for Trout

[JMasson]

Anyone else swing flies for big trout? I’m stationed in Italy currently (my tour will be over in January 2026) and I’ve been doing a lot of fishing. Currently most of the trout fishing is in a closed season until mid-March. I’ve become obsessed with catching a big Marble Trout which can only be found in southern Europe rivers that drain into the Adriatic Sea. Italy has a lot in South-Tyrol, Trentino Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friulia- Giulia-Venetia provinces. Slovenia probably has the largest population and the biggest as well as Huchen (Danube Salmon). Been sitting at the vise for a while and after tying about 300 flies for my nephew’s Christmas present I started tying some intruders and bunny flies to swing on my spey rods. Hopefully I can connect in the spring. I managed to hook some big trout this summer and fall but didn’t manage to bring any to the net. Most trout regions have a barbless hook requirement. I’ll be swinging these on an Echo Swing 11’ 3wt rigged with a 250gr OPST head and various dual density/ sinking tips come this spring.

Anyone else swing flies for trout on a two-handed rod? Definitely not the most productive method of fishing but I’ve been hooked since the first time I swung flies for steelhead in BC….about 20 years ago now.

 

[Ashy Larry]

I’ll swing soft hackles in the spring and streamers in winter but always on a single hand rod. I’ve swung for steelhead but it’s just too specialized to invest in extr rods for a mediocre way to target trout here in the south.

 

[KCoop]

Swinging is about the only way I'll fish anymore. Steelhead, salmon, trout, smallmouth... I'll pick up the single hand for drys occasionally when the water isnt conducive to swing, but that's about it.

 

[Dos XX]

I have swung flies with a 2 hander for trout, steelhead, stripers, small mouth, and white bass.

 

[dtrkyman]

I throw big streamers often now, not just swinging, actually more targeted at ambush points I guess.

Using a lot of really large flies that look more along the lines of a saltwater fly but in trout colored patterns, I fish an inside corner with some grass on it, watch em all eat within 25 feet of me, it's quite cool!

 

[eamyrick]

I’ve swung soft hackles on a single hand rod on the Madison inside of Yellowstone, late October, and it has been some of the most enjoyable fishing I’ve done, and also brought in some massive trout.


2014

 

[JMasson]

I’ll swing soft hackles in the spring and streamers in winter but always on a single hand rod. I’ve swung for steelhead but it’s just too specialized to invest in extr rods for a mediocre way to target trout here in the south.

I’ll likely be stationed somewhere in the SE when I PCS. You’ll undoubtedly find me on the Nantahala and South Holston swinging some soft hackles and intruders. If I wasn’t so close to retirement I’d try to do a tour in Alaska.

 

[Bert01]

I’m in the SE, haven’t fished the Nanta yet but have taken a couple trips to the Bob marshal wilderness in MT. Big flies for Bull trout is about the most fun I’ve had with a rod.

 

[longsprings]

View attachment 799374

Anyone else swing flies for big trout? I’m stationed in Italy currently (my tour will be over in January 2026) and I’ve been doing a lot of fishing. Currently most of the trout fishing is in a closed season until mid-March. I’ve become obsessed with catching a big Marble Trout which can only be found in southern Europe rivers that drain into the Adriatic Sea. Italy has a lot in South-Tyrol, Trentino Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friulia- Giulia-Venetia provinces. Slovenia probably has the largest population and the biggest as well as Huchen (Danube Salmon). Been sitting at the vise for a while and after tying about 300 flies for my nephew’s Christmas present I started tying some intruders and bunny flies to swing on my spey rods. Hopefully I can connect in the spring. I managed to hook some big trout this summer and fall but didn’t manage to bring any to the net. Most trout regions have a barbless hook requirement. I’ll be swinging these on an Echo Swing 11’ 3wt rigged with a 250gr OPST head and various dual density/ sinking tips come this spring.

Anyone else swing flies for trout on a two-handed rod? Definitely not the most productive method of fishing but I’ve been hooked since the first time I swung flies for steelhead in BC….about 20 years ago now.

Thanks for your service

 

[JMasson]

I’m in the SE, haven’t fished the Nanta yet but have taken a couple trips to the Bob marshal wilderness in MT. Big flies for Bull trout is about the most fun I’ve had with a rod. View attachment 799883

I wish I had stored all my old pictures. Love catching bull trout. Caught some real bruisers in Alberta and BC back in the day.

 

[Ashy Larry]

I’ll likely be stationed somewhere in the SE when I PCS. You’ll undoubtedly find me on the Nantahala and South Holston swinging some soft hackles and intruders. If I wasn’t so close to retirement I’d try to do a tour in Alaska.

You’re gonna love E Tennessee tailwater fishing and all the wild brown streams over in WNC.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Big flies for Bull trout is about the most fun I’ve had with a rod.

Swinging big streamers? Sink tip?

 

[Bert01]

Swinging big streamers? Sink tip?

The one in the picture was caught on a green circus peanut, swung, but on a floating tip line. Almost all of my fly fishing is back east or saltwater so I don’t use sink tips very much. I end up using longer leaders or just adding a couple splitshot.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I had to respond to the bull trout picture with a memory. I was fishing the headwaters of the Skagit in southern BC about 45 years ago. In those days we ate a lot of rainbows. I’d always take home a nice stringer of 12-16” rainbows from there and it was just awesome fishing.

I’d occasionally see a big bull trout but never seemed to catch any. So one day I hook a nice fat little rainbow in a beautiful translucent emerald pool and I’m playing him for a minute. This three foot long shadow shoots out from under a log, swallows my fish ( and lure) whole, and after a very brief fight snaps me off and goes back under the log. I just stood there stunned for a moment as it hadn’t dawned on me there were 20 lb cannibal monsters in this smallish river.

 

[JMasson]

You’re gonna love E Tennessee tailwater fishing and all the wild brown streams over in WNC.

Oh I know I will. I was stationed in NC for the first 78 months of my career. Did a lot of fishing and hunting in WNC.

 

[JMasson]

I had to respond to the bull trout picture with a memory. I was fishing the headwaters of the Skagit in southern BC about 45 years ago. In those days we ate a lot of rainbows. I’d always take home a nice stringer of 12-16” rainbows from there and it was just awesome fishing.

I’d occasionally see a big bull trout but never seemed to catch any. So one day I hook a nice fat little rainbow in a beautiful translucent emerald pool and I’m playing him for a minute. This three foot long shadow shoots out from under a log, swallows my fish ( and lure) whole, and after a very brief fight snaps me off and goes back under the log. I just stood there stunned for a moment as it hadn’t dawned on me there were 20 lb cannibal monsters in this smallish river.

Some of the biggest bull trout I caught were on the small headwater streams of the Oldman and Bow Rivers in Alberta and Elk River in BC. Some real monsters live in those small-medium sized rivers. I always carried two rods with me. A 8’ 3wt for the cuts and a 9’ 6wt for the bulls.

 

[Jason Snyder]

What was your favorite bull trout pattern?

There is a bull trout river nearby that highly intrigues me. I plan to explore it much more in the next few years.

Spoons and spinners are my go to for steelhead, but I have 9’ 5 wt that would probably work well for the bulls in there.

 

[Bert01]

Some of the biggest bull trout I caught were on the small headwater streams of the Oldman and Bow Rivers in Alberta and Elk River in BC. Some real monsters live in those small-medium sized rivers. I always carried two rods with me. A 8’ 3wt for the cuts and a 9’ 6wt for the bulls.

That was my setup on that trip. We did 40 some miles down the south fork of the Flathead river from just north of Ovando to the takeout before the reservoir. Done that trip twice.

 

[JMasson]

What was your favorite bull trout pattern?

There is a bull trout river nearby that highly intrigues me. I plan to explore it much more in the next few years.

Spoons and spinners are my go to for steelhead, but I have 9’ 5 wt that would probably work well for the bulls in there.

I’d look into small bunny leeches, minnow or sculpin patterns. They love to eat small trout. Really anything that has some good movement in the water, a little bit of flash but I think barring (grizzly rabbit strips and grizzly hackles) is much more important than flash. All small fish, especially trout, have barring on their sides that aids in camouflage. Natural and olive colors always seemed to work best. A little bit of red around the gill area is a nice added bonus. The 5wt will do it but the problem will be casting heavy flies. I’d want a sinking line or at least an integrated sink tip line. Even better would be a a 200-225 grain short skagit head (OPST and Airflo make short skagit heads) and various sinking tips to pair with it. A single-hand skagit set up opens a lot of fishing opportunities. I have a spare spool for a 8’9” 4wt that has a OPST Commando Groove head on it. 200gr floating head with integrated sink tip and it is my go-to streamer set up for trout. Rod has plenty of backbone for some pretty big fish and it casts bulky flies like no one’s business. They like to hide in deep pools so you need to get the flies down to them which means heavy flies or sinking lines. I prefer sinking lines or heavy flies or split shot.