It’s almost time for the seventh annual Mile High 25 fly fishing tournament. And that has us combing through fly boxes and narrowing down our favorite multi-species patterns. If you had to pick your most versatile flies to catch as many different species as possible, what would they be?
The objective of the Mile High 25 is to target a list of 25 eligible fish species on any public water in Colorado – all on the fly. At the end of two days, the team with the most species caught and released wins. As a tournament, it’s totally unique. It’s not about who can catch the biggest fish or even the most fish. Think of it as a crazy, two-day scavenger hunt with a fly rod where anyone, no matter your ability level, is welcome to participate and can have a blast.
As you scan your fly boxes, what are your favorite crossover fly patterns? Around here at Anglers All, we have a few ideas of which flies we’ll be packing for the Mile High 25. Whether it’s trout, bass, panfish, carp, pike or catfish, here’s a look at some of our top multi-species flies…
Buggers
A list of multi-species fly patterns must begin with one of the best-selling flies of all time, the Wooly Bugger and its many variations. Tied in different sizes, colors and materials, buggers can play a variety of roles, from leech, to baitfish to crayfish. Anglers All eCommerce manager, Blake Katchur, says that buggers would be at the top of his multi-species list of flies.
“The bugger is so classic and can be tied in so many variations, it has to be on the list,” he told us. “A few of my favorites are the Crystal Bugger and Pops Bugger for multi species days. That purple Pops Bugger with the orange head…dynamite.”
No matter what species you’re after, there’s probably a good chance it’ll eat a bugger. Check out Blake’s favorites, the Crystal Bugger and the Pops Bugger. If you like to keep things simple, you can’t go wrong with a Tungsten Conehead Wooly Bugger. When you need the extra weight plus lots of movement, the Beldar Rubber Leg Bugger is another excellent pattern.
Leeches
Whether you’re fishing lakes, ponds, creeks or rivers, and whether it’s cold water or warm water, leeches are probably one of the most ubiquitous foods for freshwater fish. In fact, it might be hard to think of a predatory freshwater fish species that doesn’t eat leeches. Our own Daryl Eakins, Umpqua Signature Tyer and the carp whisperer himself, says that leeches are his go-to multi-species flies.
“My first year in the Mile High 25 I got excited and tied up all kinds of different patterns,” Daryl said. “My second year, I narrowed it down to a few dozen leeches in various sizes, weights and colors. Yeah, I like fishing leeches. If I really had to narrow it down, I’d say black, and lightly-weighted or un-weighted leeches are my favorite.”
In your search for leech patterns, be sure to check out the Hell Razor Leech and the Squirrel Leech.
Anglers All marketing and eCommerce guru, Larkin Wilson is also a fan of leeches. But one of his favorite crossover patterns came as a bit of a surprise.
“To be fully transparent, I chuckled when this fly first arrived in the shop,” he said. “The thing looks like the lovechild of a mop fly and a bass worm. I thought there was no way it would be effective. But I could not have been more wrong.”
The fly is Roly’s Poly. “This fly has two variations,” Larkin explained. “Roly’s Poly Leech has a black body with a chartreuse and gray collar and a black bead. Then there’s the Roly’s Poly Crane, which has a brown body, olive collar and a red bead. Both will produce fish, but the leech variation seems to work best for me.”
Larkin has found this fly to be effective in streams and stillwater for trout, bass, and walleye. He suggested fishing it as the bottom fly on an indicator rig but noted that it’s also deadly when slowly stripped and jigged along the bottom. He even added that it can be incorporated into a euro nymphing rig, making an excellent anchor fly.
“Warm or cold water, still or moving water,” Larkin Concluded. “If you can’t seem to get fish on anything else, test out Roly’s Poly Leech for a few dozen casts.”
Slumpbusters
If it’ll eat a baitfish, a crawdad or a leech, it’ll eat John Barr’s Slumpbuster. True to its name, this is one of those flies that can put you on the board no matter where you’re fishing or what species you’re targeting. Available in black, olive, natural or rust, (or any other color you wish to tie it), you could easily stock a box with a handful of each and tackle any predatory fish species.
Tied with zonker cut pine squirrel strips, a tungsten cone head and a bit of sparkle, it’s a compact streamer with great movement in the water. Dead drift it, twitch it or strip it, the Slumpbuster has all the characteristics of a multi-species fly.
Clousers
Any list of multi-species flies wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Clouser Minnow and its spin-offs. Perhaps right up there with Buggers, Clousers may be one of the most productive flies across a wide variety of waters.
Here in Colorado, we like to fish the original Clouser Minnow to fool trout, largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, wiper, pike and more. The original Clouser is available in hook sizes 2/0, 2, 4 and 6. In situations where it’s too much of a mouthful, reach for the Freshwater Clouser. It’s a lighter version that’s available in a #8 hook. Another one of our absolute favorites is the Foxee Red Clouser, which is a freshwater variation that can play the part of a crawdad or a wounded baitfish.
Stoneflies
Finally, the stonefly family of patterns can make exceptional multi-species flies in a variety of warm water and cold water situations. These are dynamite flies for species like trout, crappie, perch and bluegill. But don’t count them out for bigger species as well, including bass and carp. Classics like the 20-Incher, Half Back and the Hare’s Ear are effective on their own or as part of a tandem fly rig, fished with another nymph or a streamer.
In stillwaters, slowly strip them along weed beds and other structure, or dangle them under and indicator using a slow, hand-twist retrieve. In rivers and creeks, they can be dead-drifted and tumbled along the bottom, fished on the swing, or stripped through slack water and along the banks. It’s always fun to experiment with the many variations of stonefly patterns. Some of our other multi-species favorites include the Wired Stonefly and the Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear.
You Can Still Register for the Mile High 25
There is still time to grab a partner and sign up! Register your team here. Win or lose, it could easily be one of the most fun fishing weekends of the year! If you have questions or need help, please let us know. Visit us at the fly shop in Littleton or give us a call at 303-794-1104. We can’t wait to kick off the festivities at this year’s Mile High 25!