The Real Color of Brown Trout Eggs (Match the Hatch)

When fly fishing with egg patterns, the goal should always be to match the eggs as closely as possible to what the fish are seeing. Matching the natural color of the eggs in combination with using the correct size plays a crucial role in your success.  

Unlike Chinook, steelhead, Coho salmon, and rainbow trout, the color of the brown trout’s egg is bright orange. Brown trout eggs are about .25 inches in diameter.  When fishing with egg patterns use colors varying from light pink to bright orange in hook sizes 6 and 8.

You have to get the right color combination to catch more brown trout; very few patterns can get their attention. So, in this article, we’ll show you the exact color of the brown trout’s eggs. We’ll also show you what color combinations and patterns can help you catch more brown trout.

What Is the Real Brown Trout Egg Color?

Generally, fish eggs have a wide range of microscopic and macroscopic characteristics that vary with the reproduction strategies of the fish species, which means that their colors can change with time. The macroscopic features like the absence or presence of gelatinous coating, color, diameter, and chorion thickness can help you determine the status of the egg. (source)

Since Brown Trout tend to lay around 900 eggs per LB of their body weight, you will likely find a few of them drifting. (source)

Unfortunately, a trapped or free-drifting egg can be left in the water for a while, visible in its color. These eggs tend to become translucent and less vibrant, and they can become opaque with time. The eggs can become apricot opaque, white, or tangerine opaque when dead. 

Guide Tip: When the time is right, drifting an egg pattern might be the only way to hook into some trout. Learn the techniques that work in this article -> How to Fly Fish with Eggs

Fertilization Affects Its Color

These eggs are usually cream or off-white when they do not undergo fertilization, so having a cream or off-whitebait can help you imitate the unfertilized one and catch more fish. When fertilized, the brown trout’s eggs are usually bright orange.

When fishing, these eggs can come in handy for regular anglers, but most fly anglers believe that egg fly patterns are more effective. Thus, make sure you’re working with the correct pattern that can easily imitate the color of most stages of the brown trout eggs. If you’re fishing in murky waters, where you can find the largest trout species, you should consider fishing with an egg cluster pattern.

When Do They Start Laying Eggs?

The spawning behavior of these trout resembles that of the Atlantic salmons. They tend to lay eggs between October and December. This species can lay over 900 eggs per pound of their weight.

Therefore, you are likely to catch more trout using their eggs. After all, there will be many loose and drifting eggs in the water that trout will be feeding on. Therefore, this is the best time to try and catch your trophy fish using these egg patterns.

Guide Tip: The big question is always what fly to pick. For brown trout I’ve compiled a list the just works. Check out what I use in this article. -> Favorite Flies for Brown Trout

The Most Common Brown Trout Egg Fly Patterns

A considerable percentage of the egg flies usually consist of yarn cut into an oval shape to imitate the natural shape of the egg. Most of them are typically yellow, orange, pink, and peach, but if you’re going for a brown trout egg, you should create a bright orange egg. The color you select will depend on where you plan on fishing. Matching color can give you a more natural egg look, giving you a higher likelihood of catching some trout.  

After picking the color, the next step is choosing the correct pattern that can help you represent the eggs in the fishes in the river or lake. Remember, an egg fly may seem lightweight, but when you cast it, you will be surprised; this fly sinks perfectly in the water. A larger egg pattern can come in handy when fishing in a lake with a lot of debris as it’s easy to spot and maneuver it in such a lake. So here are some of the best brown trout eggs patterns to try:

1.   Glo Bug

Another effective but simple egg pattern that you can try is the Glo bug. This fly pattern is light and can easily toss and turn in the lake with ease. Adding some weight through the line or above the egg fly can help you Deliver it to where the trout are situated.

To tie this egg pattern, you need a red Kevlar thread and hook, and the body should either be pink or hot orange. A size six hook can work perfectly with a glo-bug, so all you have to do is place the hook on the vise, attach your thread at the center of the shank, and tie your fly.

Cut about four 2-inch pieces of the Glo-bug yarn and then bundle them together and tie them on the shank. Next, gather the glo-bug yarns with your fingers and pull them upwards while tying them with your thread. Finally, you can trim to the right size, and you’re good to go. (source)

2.   Rag Egg Pattern

A typical rag egg pattern consists of over three colors of glo yarns. You have to cut them into equal sizes and tie them to your hook. Once it’s ready, you can cut them to the correct size and then trim the edges before molding them into a circular shape. (source) The Rag patterns are simple to tie but very effective, and when imitating the brown trout eggs, you can try using bright orange color and white.

The rag pattern is usually loosely tied to hooks, and in most cases, you may have to use two eggs. The first one is usually a large and brighter egg fly that acts as an attractor. The second one connects to a more realistic and smaller pattern. The second egg should resemble the eggs of the fishes in the place where you’re planning on fishing.

The rag egg can attract even huge steelheads, and it can come in handy when fishing in murky waters or when you don’t know what the fish species consume in the water. The larger egg should also be available in natural colors. (source)

3.   Nuke Egg

Most fly anglers love this pattern and consider it an upgrade of the initial glo bug. The Nuke egg is tied around its hook, giving it a perfect appearance of an egg when submerged in the water. The typical nucleus has a yarn covering, making it translucent in water.

The nuke egg pattern perfectly imitates a real brown trout egg. And to create the nucleus, you can use different materials like chenille, braids, and McFly foam.

Preparing The Hook

For the hook, you can use the Dai-Riki size eight hook. You can start by securing the hook between the claws of your vise and then tie your tying thread all over the hook. For the egg body, you need 3/8 inch of diameter of McFly foam.

With 1/2-inch extended beyond the hook eye, tie the foam in using your thread and secure with tight wraps. You can pull it out to stretch the material while connecting it to stretch it out and create a perfect egg fly. Extent the thread to hear the eye of the thread and then trim it to get a perfect cube

There are several options for the veil, but one of the most effective options is the soft milking egg. Spread a small amount of the material over the nucleus and tie it in place. Finally, you can trim it to the correct size and shape. (source)

4.   Sucker Spawn

If one or two eggs don’t do the trick, you need a sucker spawn. A sucker spawn is a reliable pattern, especially when dealing with trout; it does resemble a cluster of eggs. A bright-colored pattern can be ideal for steelheads, but most folks prefer orange, peach, and yellow yarn and threads.

When tying this pattern, the first thing you should pick is the thread for the nucleus and then connect a series of loops on the upper part of the hook to create a cluster effect. This egg fly may look different, but it does look like many eggs attached, which works most of the time. (source)

The Last Cast with Eggs

Most fly anglers agree that the egg fly pattern can be more effective than some dry flies, especially during the spawning season when many eggs are floating around. But for you to get what you need; you have to carry the correct type of egg fly. It has to be a perfect imitation of the eggs they are feeding on, so if you’re working with brown trout eggs, make sure your egg flies are bright brown.

Sources 

1. Elizete Rizzo, Reproduction and embrogenesis, Accessed May 17, 2022, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/fish-eggs/.
2. Wikipedia contributor, Brown Trout, Accessed May 17, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_trout/
3. YouTube contributor, Tying Egg Flies, Accessed May 17, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhVPJX-bNUk/.
4. Poul Jorgensen, Tying the Glow-Bug Egg Fly, Accessed May 17, 2022, https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=ynz3BBPY35sC&pg=PA226&dq=glo+bug+fly&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi999XvqvX3AhWGS_EDHcwRB80Q6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=glo%20bug%20fly&f=false\
5. YouTube contributor, Nuke Egg, Accessed May 17, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNW-IoBbU4g/.
6. YouTube Contributor, Sucker Spawn, Accessed May 17, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNFaPf8StEk/