# Best fly for LLM winter trout?



## desmod1212 (Nov 4, 2015)

Heading down to LLM this winter to search for large trout. Not my usual target. I ran into a large trout on Nov 15 and hooked her up on a gray/white clouser 0/2. Usually I throw clousers for trout and generally just white. Occasionally I add a little chartreuse or red to the pattern. 

Since I don't have a fly I know is the money fly down there for big trout, would like to hear about everyone's "sure fire" big trout fly for the LLM.


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## Unbound (Jul 12, 2004)

Wish I had a sure fire fly for large trout. Small Clousers have gotten me plenty of small trout so I'd guess your 0/2 Clouser is a good bet. Stop and see Larry Haines at the Fly Shop in Port Isabel. Good Luck.


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## desmod1212 (Nov 4, 2015)

Thanks, Unbound. Kind of what I figured. I have thrown half and half's, deceivers, shrimp patterns, etc. with little luck. Truth may be that the best fly for everything is a little white clouser, after all.


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## lapesca67 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have had good success with deer hair mullet patterns in chartreuse and white. I will trim the heads down just a little and soak them in water for a few hours before fishing. They will act much like a suspension bait (corkys). You have to fish them painfully slow, sometimes waiting 3 to 5 seconds between strips. In fact, I will usually carry my bait caster and throw corkys to find the fish, then switch when I have figured out the bite. Blind casting a fly all day for winter trout will wear you out for sure.


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## Backcast (Jul 22, 2005)

Do a google search for Bud Rowland and NÃºmero uno fly. Holds Texas record for spec. Butt ugly fly
Joe


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## BrandonFox (Jan 8, 2013)

Smartts deadhead minnow. Imitates a corky. Everything eats it.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

IMO, big trout = big bait = big fly. I would try one of the tarpon patterns made with rabbit fur and tail. Add lead eyes. Rabbit is durable and sexy as H*ll in the water.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Here is a reported photo off midcurrent of the Numero Uno fly by Bud Rowland, the state record holder. Caught in very shallow water and sight casted to.

Here is the link to the article

http://midcurrent.com/flies/saltwater-the-flies-that-caught-the-records/

I've never fished the LLM with fly gear so I have no stories to tell.

My best trout, a 23.5" chunk, came on a grey over white #2 baitfish pattern sort of similar to a Smartt Dead Head Minnow and was caught while blind casting the mid afternoon surf at Bryan Beach. I've caught other low 20's on Clousers and the baitfish. I hope to go after some big trout this winter and plan on using the baitfish, clousers, and one other promising pattern that looks a little like the numero uno.

Good luck on your quest. Post a report if you can. I'd love to see what worked.


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## desmod1212 (Nov 4, 2015)

Thanks to all. Good, diverse advice to consider. Can't find where to get the "butt ugly" Numero Uno fly and tying it looks tough from a pic.


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## lapesca67 (Apr 9, 2008)

Its a fairly easy fly to tie...I use rabbit hair and copper krystal flash for the tail, chenille for the body with a hackle over wrap. You can add eyes in the back then use lead up front. I have it in the brown you see, chartruese and white, red variations and pink. Everything eats it, but for me, it is more a warm weather fly because it imitates a shrimp or crab pattern. Those food items are hiding in Dec-Mar and the big girls are focused on small bait fish.....so, match the hatch where you are going to fish and don't focus on one pattern/type of fly. Good luck!


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

http://www.lagunamadre.net/page10/page10.html

The above is a link to several LLM big trout flies. Notice the Numero Uno pictured in the above link is quite different from the one in the MidCurrent article. I've never seen a Numero Uno for sale, but I haven't really looked.


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## caddis (Jan 22, 2012)

Yeah, that's basically a wooly bugger with a rabbit strip tail.

That Smart Minnow is about as close to a Corky as I've seen. 

Fish will hold on to / chew on spun deer hair flies a little longer, which gives you time to react. So some benefit to that, but harder to cast.

I've never targeted just big trout on flies, but my largest have been around 23-24" and came on chartruse and white clousers.


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## CTR0022 (Aug 26, 2006)

check out charlie bishart airheads in the 4-6" range you can hot glue a rattle in them.
http://umpqua.com/products/flies/all-purpose-saltwater-flies/charlies™-airhead

also big seaducers. you want large mullet/baitfish patterns that push a lot of water in the 4-6" range. Especially down in baffin were the water is often very dirty. stay away from flies with to much weight, you'll want a fly that suspends in the water column during the winter.

also call david at swan point landing in rockport. he can get tell you alot about big trout


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

I haven't ever tried fishing for sow trout on fly as I'm still addicted to the sadistic practice of freezing my arse of wading in mud chunking corkies all day. One of these days though I plan on swapping out the googan gear for a fly rod in my usual big trout haunts.

Although I haven't tried it, I'll toss in another fly suggestion that caught my eye as a big trout fly when I first saw it. The gamechanger pattern looks pretty fishy to me. It's an articulated fly and looks like it'd fish similar to a corky. Only problem is they're pricey, even if you tie them yourself and they're big so it'd probably wear you out casting all day. In a mullet pattern it could be money though


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