Brook trout and fly fishing naturally go together. In Ontario, brook trout were the native trout and primary target of fly fishers long before introduced species like browns, rainbows, and salmon took hold. These beautiful fish continue to fascinate and obsess fly anglers, and Ontario remains one of the world’s best places to catch them. There are thousands of flies a brook trout angler can choose from, and most will work in the right situation. However, here are 10 flies I rely on every season. Wooly worm A simple, highly effective wet fly/nymph pattern. It works in lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs, making it great choice for anglers of all skill levels. This fly is easy to tie, durable, and casts beautifully. Fish it on a floating line, cast near structure and let it slowly sink. If that doesn’t work, use a slow twitch retrieve. ess is more with this buggy-looking fly. The wooly worm is typically tied on a streamer hook. It has a chenille-wrapped body, a red yarn tail, and grizzly hackle. Variations include a gold wire rib for durability or lead-free wire for extra weight Stimulator The stimulator is the most reliable dry fly in my box. Even when smaller hatches are occurring, a #8 brown stimulator rarely disappoints. One of my best experiences with this fly happened two decades ago on the upper Nipigon. A massive brookie was aggressively feeding on caddisflies behind a boulder. My friend had no luck reaching it, so I stepped in, cast a big stimulator above the fish, and watched in awe as the trout leapt out of the water and landed directly on my fly. At 25 inches, it remains the biggest brook trout I’ve ever caught on a dry fly. Deer hair mouse I’ve loved brookies my whole life. As a kid, I practiced catch and release to keep fish in my favorite creek. However, one day, I caught a 12-inch trout with a distended stomach and decided to see what it had eaten. Inside, I found a freshly swallowed mouse — and bones from a previous meal. This changed my fishing forever. The real mouse success came when I began fishing large rivers in northern Ontario, like the Albany, Ogoki, and Nipigon. Those big brookies knew exactly what they were seeing — or thought they were seeing. The mouse didn’t even have to float; a submerged one worked
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