Over the week, we talked about various topics related to The Fifth Season. On Monday, we went over our favorite pieces of gear, Wednesday we dove into how to approach the fifth season, and today, to round it all out, we will discuss the fly choice. If you happened to have read Wednesday's blog post, we went over what types of flies you can expect to see throughout the fifth season. Today we will be building upon Wednesday's discussion and getting into specific fly patterns we believe are the key to success this time of year.

Found in almost every body of water, midges are the cornerstone of any trout diet. These TINY insects hatch year-round and are a critical pattern to imitate, especially in Colorado's late winter and early spring months. The midge's two primary life cycle stages are the pupa and the adult, the former being the one most consumed by trout regularly. Typically as the days begin to warm midges will show up in large numbers towards the end of February and into early March, and trout wait eagerly for their fill. However, the hard part for anglers is choosing the right midge the trout are sipping on.

An excellent place to begin your morning out with a two-fly rig loosely imitating the midge life cycle. Tie on a midge Pupa of your choice, and then above, an emerger pattern, figure out what life stage the trout are keyed into. As the morning progresses, you may find that the trout are only interested in your emerger patterns. Remember that as the day progresses, so does a trout's interest in available insects. Hence why various midge and emerger patterns are such a critical pieces of your fly box.

Check out the graphic below to understand a bit more about the midge life cycle

While nymphs are a year-round staple in any angler's fly box, opting for a jigged variation during the early spring months could lead to more productive days on the water. When using nymphs in the springtime, the depth of your fly is something you must be aware of at all times. Put plainly, if you can get your flies down fast and have them maintain a steady drift, you will find success. The best way to get down deep is with a long leader of thin diameter and a heavily weighted fly. The benefit of jigged nymphs is that they ride hook up, parallel to the water's surface as it moves through the current. This allows the nymph to bounce along the bottom with limited hang upon rocks or weeds and looks much more realistic in terms of movement when compared to traditional nymphs.

If you are having trouble finding trout while using nymphs keep in mind that when water temperatures are still cold, like in the early spring months, you will find trout often congregate in a few deep pools. While trout do this for a number of reasons, the trout's need for adequate oxygen levels and a dependable food source are the most common. Another reason to get your fly down deep! When searching for those deep pools a solid plan of action is to find shelfs, and drop-offs that allow fish to sit deep in the water column. Take time to focus on those slow seams along current lines and never underestimate slicks behind reasonably sized rocks.

All forms of insects are essential to trout during the early spring: nymphs, emergers, and dry flies are all on the menu for trout during this time. But when trout turn their attention to only dry flies, the most common - for Colorado in the late winter and early spring - will be Blue Winged Olives (BWOs). BWOs can often be found hatching on medium to faster-moving river sections with sail-like wings and long tails identifying them. If you find yourself wondering how to approach BWO's hatches, keep in mind that nymph imitations will likely be best before the main BWO hatch. As the morning progresses, those nymphs will start to rise in the water column and make their way towards the surface of the water (pst…so will the trout).

If you are deadset on only fishing dry flies, BWOs typically find themselves hatching when the water temperature is around 46-56 degrees Fahrenheit. You will increase your odds of finding a hatch when the weather outlook is overcast and rainy. While springtime is typically the first time many anglers see signs of dry flies; timing these hatches can be tricky. Remember that Blue Winged Olives grow in size as the spring months progress so, if you want to be well prepared, have a number of varying fly sizes to choose from in your box.

When we look at the various flies that fill our fly boxes, we are generally aware of what they are imitating. Hoppers are mimicking different grasshoppers, ants, beetles, and dry flies are spoofing several gnats, mayflies, or caddisflies, but what are streamer patterns imitating? Most of the time, streamer patterns imitate baitfish, leeches, crayfish, or sculpins. All are enticing, and hefty meals for various trout species, predominantly Brown Trout. Typically when fishing streamers, you are tossing them tight to the banks. Once your streamer is in the water, you strip, twitch and stop your fly as you see fit. If appropriately presented in front of a big Brown, the Trout’s territorial instincts will kick in and lead to one of the most aggressive strikes you've ever had. Oh, and one of the most thrilling fights you've ever had, if you remember to set the hook right.

It's the first weekend of the Fifth Season and I hope you all get out and take advantage of the opportunities available to you all. I for one will be. While there are inevitably some more cold weather days to be had here in Colorado, they are incrementally getting fewer and farther between. With that in mind, it is time to get out and explore all the opportunities Colorado has to offer this spring. If you are interested in learning more about the Fifth Season, feel free to swing by the shop so we can get you dialed in for the days and weeks ahead. This is truly a fantastic time to fish here in Colorado, and we here at Trouts want to make sure that your time on the water is time well spent.