Flies To Fish to Catch Trout In October

 Black Cormorant: Why is it our Fly of the Month for October?

The Black Cormorant’s strength is its clever simplicity. By October, the water is colder and the season has changed. Trout, especially in stillwaters, are in a hunting mood, stocking up for the winter. There aren’t many specific insect hatches left. The Cormorant works because its simple design can look like many different things to a trout, suggesting food and movement when there’s not much else about.

• A Small Fish Imitation: Autumn is the perfect time for trout that eat other fish to chase shoals of this year’s small fry. The Cormorant’s thin black shape and lively marabou tail are a great imitation of these little fish. Fished on a sinking line with a quick, jerky retrieve, it looks just like a panicked or hurt minnow. This can get you some aggressive bites on big waters like Loch Leven or the Lake of Menteith, where trout are often hunting in packs.

• A Leech or Large Insect: As the underwater weeds die back, other food becomes more important. The wriggling action of a Cormorant pulled slowly along the bottom is an imitation of a leech that trout can’t resist. Fished with a steady figure-of-eight retrieve near the bottom, the marabou tail breathes and tempts fish that are eating larger, slow-moving insects. Its dark shape is also easy for fish to see when they are looking up from the depths.