Steelhead Flies

Most of the fall flies below are tied using the same theme modeled after the Lady Caroline and the spider patterns – long wispy hackle and subdued colors.  I probably should change it up a little – but they are so effective.  They generally consist of a tinsel tag, tail of teal of various colors, rear body of flat tinsel ribbed with oval tinsel and a front of alpaca or angora.  The hackles range from blue-eared pheasant which seems best for the really slow water or when a slim profile in clear water is desired, pheasant rump or, most recently, coot.  I usually finish with a collar or throat of teal, guinea or wood duck.  I’ve never really nailed the matched bronze mallard tops so it usually ends up as a sloppy topping.  Last year I started using small rump hackles paired up on top and the results were encouraging.  Cut off on the far lower left of the photo below are a couple of #12 and #14 caddis pupae for those occasional September/October evenings when the fish seem to get selective on emerging caddis and refuse the larger patterns.  I like to be able to fish a long run changing hackle types as the water slows down through the run – maybe it doesn’t matter – but at least it helps me fish with more confidence.  There’s something to be said for switching over to the soft blue eared hackles on an icy cold December morning in painfully slow water and a looooong slooooow swing met with a soft ‘tap-tap’.

Moving back towards the basics. Forgoing the married wings and collar. Coot, pheasant rump, alpaca and a tail of woodduck with flat tinsel and counterwrapped oval tinsel to hold all in place.

The fly wallet – they tend to get smashed whilst in storage but spring back to life once in the water.

Typical ‘utility’ flies – I tie the heads short and sometimes riffle hitch them to get a different swing – don’t know if it makes a difference or not?

Coot and Guinea – tied full because I like it that way

Doing my part to rid the rivers of hatchery fish.

The long wispy fibers of pheasant rump come to life on long, slow swings.

Small oval tinsel is counter-wrapped on top of the hackle – but the long fibers are still fragile,

A pair of smaller rump hackles are tented over the top adding another breathing layer of motion to the fly.

Tail: Orange teal Body: Angora ribbed with flat and oval tinsel Hackle: Pheasant rump Wing: pheasant rump Collar: wood duck

All flies have their genesis amid the clutter of feathers, wool and tinsel – somewhere in there a fly is waiting to be hatched.