Trigger Flies: Elicit Savage Strikes When Fish Aren't Feeding

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This article originally appeared in the May 2007 issue of Fly Fisherman magazine.

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Certain flies generate a response from fish that goes beyond simple feeding. I call these “trigger flies” because they create a savage response that gets even the most passive anglers’ hearts pumping.

Those who have read Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout (Countryman Press, 1999), or have attended one of my seminars, know that I believe trout don’t always strike flies because they are hungry. Large predatory fish—especially big browns—are programmed to eat early in the morning and late at night, when most of us are not fishing. The largest fish rest during the day—when we are fishing—so they should not be approached as if they are actively feeding.

Smaller fish (under 22 inches) that have not turned primarily to feeding on large food sources such as other fish, sometimes feed actively all day. But you need to approach the bigger fish differently.

Basing your fly designs solely on imitating typical trout food is a mistake. If you are full, then a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza probably does not interest you. However, there are certain impulses that cannot be turned off, and that is what the trigger flies are all about.

Everything in the animal world works on the basic principle of survival—fight or flight. Understanding this is critical to how you approach fish. Big fish have little to fear in the water, so you can use this to your advantage when fishing to them. If a tree falls in the water, the fish will retreat. If something prey-size falls in the water, the disturbance simply alerts the fish to the opportunity, at which point the fish has three options: 1) Defend its territory and eat the fly; 2) Ignore the intruder (not what most predators do); or 3) Flee (again not what most predators do).

Territorial defense is critical to all predators, so it is far more likely that a fish will defend its water than retreat. The larger a trout is, the more likely it is to attack intruders. Predators also enjoy the role of clean-up crew. They pick on weak or injured prey because they know they are less likely to escape or cause them injury. This type of predation allows them to expend less energy and get more food.

Understanding the basic predator/prey relationship is critical to understanding trigger flies. We need to build things into our flies that bring a trout’s predatory instincts into play. First, the fly has to be large enough to cause a large trout to defend itself, or at least to startle it. After I have the fly large enough, I build in some realism. This is secondary, but still critical. I want flies with lifelike characteristics—colors, shapes, and other attributes the trout have seen before—but I don’t want them to be too specific. As general as possible, but with a hint of realism, is a good goal.

The only time I become more specific is when I know the fish are keyed in on a specific food source. For example, if your river is stocked with small rainbow trout, you should fish patterns that closely resemble those fish. If your river holds large numbers of molting crayfish, use imitations of them.

Trigger flies, however, work even when these prey species are not available. I often fish crayfish patterns in rivers with few or no crayfish, and the trout still grab these flies. Start with a fly big enough to create an aggressive response, and then build enough realism into it so it passes for something the trout has eaten in the past.

The Flies Must Look Alive

I like to build multiple images into the fly as often as possible: Is it a sculpin, a minnow, or a lamprey? Who knows? It may be all the above, but it looks alive. That may be the most important aspect of all fly design, but it is often the most overlooked.

In an attempt to make something too exact, tiers often come up with something that looks unbelievably real at the vise but won’t catch starving fish in a pond. The lack of movement is generally the problem with these ultra-realistic flies. If a streamer doesn’t move, it won’t catch fish! For that reason most of my flies incorporate materials that undulate as much as possible or are jointed so that the flies themselves undulate.

I also use as little weight as possible on my flies for the same reason. I want my flies to move in the water and look alive. When I am not actively moving the fly, I want the current to make it look as if it is injured. This relates to the last aspect of the predator/prey relationship: bullying the weak or injured.

Color Theory for Trigger Flies

For most trigger flies I consider size, shape, and movement, and then make the flies in four or five colors. I believe color is the single most important factor in fish strikes with streamers.

Finding the color the fish are keying in on should always be your first objective. Establish the color and then go to your favorite trigger fly. You may find, as I have, that color is more important than the fly type. Here’s an example: If the fish are on yellow, you’ll probably find that a yellow sculpin or a bucktail work equally well.

Try blending two or three different patterns to create a totally new one. There is no limit to the types or styles of streamers you can create. Just remember a few basics—size, color, movement—then let the fish decide whether you have found the newest trigger.

Tying Trigger Fly Patterns

Here are a few of my favorite trigger flies:

Zoo Cougar (Olive) Recipe

This is one of my all-time favorite flies and has accounted for as many big fish in the last ten years as any fly I have ever fished. Try it in olive and white as well as the original yellow version.

• HOOK: #2-8 3XL streamer hook.
• TAIL: Olive marabou.
• BODY: Pearlescent Diamond Braid.
• UNDERWING: White calf tail.
• WING: Olive mallard flank feather.
• COLLAR: Olive deer hair, spun and flared, trimmed flat on the bottom.
• HEAD: Olive deer hair, spun and trimmed round on top, flat on the bottom.

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Woolly Sculpin Recipe

This is my version of Ed Shenk’s sculpin [See “Sculpinating Trout” by Ed Shenk, March 1985 issue. THE EDITOR.] I tie this fly in every color under the sun. I like it in black, white, olive, tan, chartreuse, and yellow, but I tie it in any color that comes to mind. This is a great multiple-trigger fly—it could be a sculpin, crayfish, or a minnow. One thing is for sure: It is a great big-fish fly and should be in every streamer angler’s fly box.

• HOOK: #2-8 3XL streamer hook.
• TAIL: Cream marabou.
• BODY: Medium brown/yellow variegated chenille (shown) or medium Cactus Chenille.
• HACKLE: Strung cream saddle hackle.
• COLLAR: Deer hair, spun and flared.
• HEAD: Deer hair, spun and trimmed to Muddler shape.

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Circus Peanut Recipe

Russ Madden created this fly in my shop back in Michigan, where we first designed many of the original articulated patterns we use today. It was then, and still is, one of the all-time best trigger flies I have ever fished. This is my go-to pattern when things are tough. I like an olive Circus Peanut for most situations, but I always have black, white, and natural versions with me as well.

• REAR HOOK: #4-6, 3XL streamer hook.
• TAIL: Copper Flashabou and olive marabou.
• REAR BODY: Olive Cactus Chenille.
• REAR HACKLE: Olive strung saddle hackle.
• LEGS: Olive barred Sili Legs.
• CONNECTION: 17-pound American wire, looped through rear hook eye, lashed to front hook shank.
• FRONT HOOK: #4-6, 3XL streamer hook.
• FRONT BODY: Olive Cactus Chenille.
• FRONT HACKLE: Olive strung saddle hackle.
• EYES: Painted red dumbbell eyes.

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Sex Dungeon Fly (Black) Recipe

The Sex Dungeon fly was one of my first attempts at articulating the Woolly Sculpin. This fly has a lot going on and is a great trigger fly for multiple species. It’s another fly I like to have in at least five colors.

• REAR HOOK: #4-6, 3XL streamer hook.
• TAIL: Copper Flashabou and black marabou.
• BODY: Black Ice Dub (shown) or Cactus Chenille.
• HACKLE: Black strung saddle hackle.
• LEGS: Black rubber legs tied behind both hook eyes.
• CONNECTION: 17-pound American wire, looped through rear hook eye, lashed to front hook shank. Two red glass beads over the wire connection loop.
• FRONT HOOK: #2-4 3XL streamer hook. Use one size larger than the rear hook.
• COLLAR: Black deer hair.
• EYE: I-Balz (Spirit River), green with black pupils.
• HEAD: Black deer hair, spun around eyes and trimmed flat on the bottom, round on the top.

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T&A Rainbow Recipe

This is one of the few flies I carry in only one color. This fly came about after Bob Linsenman and I discovered the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was planting tens of thousands of juvenile rainbows in Michigan’s upper Au Sable. The large, wild fish had lockjaw for weeks after these plantings, and this was the code cracker. I have also fished this fly in virtually every river in the West with great success. It is a great fly for bull trout, and in saltwater makes a fine shad and bunker imitation for catching striped bass.

• REAR HOOK: #4-6 3X short egg hook.
• TAIL: Two white marabou plumes (palmered) with a top of olive marabou and two side stripes of pink marabou.
• CONNECTION: 17-pound American wire, looped through rear hook eye, lashed to front hook shank. Three red glass beads over the wire connection loop.
• FRONT HOOK: #6-8 bass stinger hook.
• SKIRT: Rainbow holographic Flashabou tied as a tail on the front hook.
• BODY: Two white marabou plumes (palmered) with a top of olive marabou and two side stripes of pink marabou.
• HEAD: Olive (top) and white (bottom) wool stacked and trimmed to a thin profile.
• EYES: 4 mm white and black doll eyes attached with cyanoacrylate glue.

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Heifer Groomer Recipe

The Heifer Groomer was my original attempt to articulate the Zoo Cougar. Andy Sobota thought of adding the flank feather on the rear hook. This addition made the Heifer Groomer one of the most successful flies in the West. It produced almost all of our big fish from the Madison in 2005. In bright light conditions, the yellow Heifer Groomer is a must-have fly.

• REAR HOOK: #4-6, 3XL streamer hook.
• REAR BODY: Three yellow marabou plumes (palmered) with an overwing of mallard flank feather.
• CONNECTION: 17-pound American wire, looped through rear hook eye, lashed to front hook shank. Four red glass beads over the wire connection loop.
• FRONT HOOK: #2-4 3XL streamer hook. Use one size larger than the rear hook.
• SKIRT: Red Flashabou (10 strands) tied as a tail on the front hook extending to the eye of the rear hook.
• FRONT BODY: Three or four plumes of yellow marabou—each palmered in succession from the rear toward the front of the hook with an over- wing of mallard flank feather.
• COLLAR: Olive deer hair, spun and flared, trimmed flat on the bottom.
• HEAD: Olive deer hair, spun and trimmed round on top, flat on the bottom.

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Swimmy Jimmy Recipe

Andy Sobota created this fly while trying to improve on the T&A Rainbow pattern. Andy’s dad was an avid bass tournament angler and fished a lot of mid-level body baits like the Zara Spook. Andy wanted something that would ride just below the surface and then pop back to the surface like an injured minnow. This fly does it. We have caught almost every gamefish in North America with the Swimmy Jimmy, including carp. This may be the granddaddy of all trigger flies when fished properly. Like the Banjo Minnow, “They don’t want to eat it; they have to eat it.” The guys at Schmidt Outfitters in Wellston, Michigan, have recently been swinging the Swimmy Jimmy for king salmon and making the big fish go crazy.

• REAR HOOK: #6 2X short scud or egg hook.
• TAIL: Two palmered white marabou feathers and one olive feather tied in as a clump on the far side of the hook.
• CONNECTION: 17-pound American wire or .015" nylon monofilament, looped through rear hook eye, tied onto the bend of the front hook so it follows the curve downward at about 30 degrees. Three red glass beads over the wire connection loop.
• FRONT HOOK: #1/0 bass bug (Tiemco 8089 (silver), Mustad C52S, or equivalent). Bend the hook inward/downward at a 30-degree angle about midway along the shank.
• SKIRT: Pearl holographic Flashabou tied as a tail on the front hook.
• FRONT BODY: Two or three white marabou plumes (palmered) and one olive marabou plume tied in on the far side of the hook shank. These materials should be tied in forward of the 30-degree bend.
• SIDE STRIPES: (Top and bottom of the hook shank) shellfish pink marabou.
• HEAD: Olive and white deer hair stacked on the near and far sides of the hook shank. Clip the hair flat on the bottom and rounded on top for the best swimming action. The hook protrudes from the side of the fly, not the bottom, which causes the erratic swimming motion. Smallmouth love the Swimmy Jimmy as much as trout.

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Brokeback Crawldaddy Recipe

This articulated crayfish imitation has it all. It has side-to-side as well as up-and-down action, and I have had fish do unbelievable things to this fly. Even though it is relatively realistic, I still think its action makes it a true trigger fly.

• REAR HOOK: #6 1X short, heavy wire (Daiichi 1150).
• ANTENNA: Two pumpkin/black Speckle Flake Sili Legs.
• NOSE: Deer hair spun and clipped to a cone shape with a few fibers left long to keep the pinchers separated.
• PINCERS: Two rabbit strips tied on each side of the hook tight to the base of the nose so they stay flared.
• EYES: Dumbbell eyes on top of the hook shank to keep the rear hook riding hook up.
• LEGS: Olive strung saddle hackle, palmered.
• BODY: Olive Ice Dub.
• REAR SHELLBACK: Rabbit strip, extending to hook point only.
• FRONT HOOK: #6-8 3XL streamer hook.
• FRONT SHELLBACK: Rabbit strip, tied in under front body, and then pulled over after body is dubbed.
• HACKLE: Olive strung saddle hackle, tied as collar near the rear of the hook.
• FRONT BODY: Olive Ice Dub.

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Kelly Galloup owns and operates the Slide Inn on Montana’s Madison River.

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