The egg fly is about as simple as a fly gets, a round ball of yarn on a hook, and it flat out catches trout. Fish eggs are a rich, easy meal that trout are hardwired to eat, so an egg pattern drifted along the bottom is a high-percentage fly, especially at the right time.
What it imitates
It imitates a drifting fish egg, tied in bright oranges, pinks, chartreuse and cream in a round, soft profile. Some are exact matches for trout or salmon eggs; others are pure attractors that simply look like an easy morsel tumbling along the bottom.
How to fish it
Fish it dead-drift near the bottom, like a nymph, under an indicator or on a tight line. It shines when eggs are naturally in the water (behind spawning fish, respecting closed areas and spawning trout) and on freshly stocked rainbows that respond to bright, easy targets. Often fished as a dropper above or below another fly.