The Chronicles of Dick Magill

Dick’s Top Ten Swing Flies

November is one of my favorite months to swing flies on the Mo. Massive Rainbow and Brown Trout alike will absolutely destroy a swung fly. At times, the take can feel almost like your rod is getting ripped out of your hand. Savage.

Here is a list of the top ten flies I wouldn’t hit the river without.

10. Clouser’s Foxee Red #6. This fly is a killer year-round, but really does well in the Fall.

9. TFP Montana Intruder #6. If flash is what the trout are into on any particular day the Montana Intruder is typically the first fly I tie on. It also boasts a super sharp stinger hook that hangs away from the main body of the fly. This is nice because the fish lose any fulcrum point they would have from a traditional streamer resulting in far more landed fish.

8. Ninch’s Red Delicious #8. New for this year, this bugger variant boasts a red bead that is sure to catch all of the trout.

7. Wooly Bugger Black #8. Not too fancy, just a plane black bugger. The trout love em, and you might even pick up a random walleye from time to time.

6. Kure’s Micro Zonker, Grey #8. This thing flat out catches fish. They’re also bomb proof so they can catch a couple good trout before they need to be retired.

5. Tungsten Thin Mint, Olive/Brown/Black #8. It’s fair to say you are a fool if you hit a swing run without this classic bugger variant either tied on your rig or in your box waiting to go.

4. Deep Minnow Stinger, Olive/White #6. Another pattern that is new to our bins for this season, and it’s an absolute killer. Basically, a Clouser Minnow with a stinger hook. Once you stick that trophy rainbow it’ll have a tuff time shaking your fly.

3. Rio’s Pocket Rocket, Copper/Brown #4. These little guys are like a trout sized intruder. The Copper/Brown variation works great on the Mo and are a blast to fish.

2. Pine Squirrel Leech, Black #12. There are a ton of leeches in the Mo, and trout love to eat them. The Black Pine Squirrel Leech is definitely one of my confidence patterns. If nothing else works, this leech normally will get eaten.

1. Fruit Roll-Up, Olive Haze #8. Last but not least we have yet another leech on this list. Again, that’s because trout think they are pretty tasty. The Fruit Roll-Up is a great pattern that catches all kinds of fish. The only downside is the noise it makes when you cast. Hardly a real issue considering all the trout you’ll catch if you tie one on.

There you have it. Ten deadly flies for swinging the Mo. Feel free to stop by some time and we’ll even point you in the right direction to catch some massive trout on the swing.