Winter Steelhead Flies

These proven favorites are tied to exacting specifications for George Cook (pictured with a very good Alaska King salmon). This beautiful fish, fresh from the sea, was caught at Alaska West Lodge on the Kanektok River where many fish like this are taken each year. George has fished extensively across the length and breadth of our largest state. He developed the Alaskabou series in his younger days while guiding in Alaska. The Alaskabou series was an instant success and they have remained key...

Berry's Improved Fish MoverStory & photos by: Bruce BerryBerry's Fish Mover is an effective fly for steelhead that is offered in two colors: Orange and Blue.Orange is a fade of orange, red, purple and black designed originally for fish fresh into a system. This is the Fish Mover for bright sun and clear-water conditions, but it is also a killer for off-colored water.Blue is a fade of kingfisher, royal, navy and black designed as an anytime versatility color. This is the Fish Mover for...

Rambulance flies dispute the "Fuzz on a Hook" theory! "It's all just fuzz on a hook," is how Mark Bachmann responds to most flies, especially new, untested varieties. In today's commercial fly world there is something to be said for a statement like that. Working for a commercial fly company myself, I am sure there are more than a handful of flies each season that make catalogs without having had the chance to get wet first! The difference in my world of fuzz on a hook and a fly worth talking...

This is what Bjorn Beech says about the Stinger Prawn Series:"In the 1980's we got tired of fishing normal type steelhead patterns. As fly tiers were playing with various marabou patterns, I came up with what later became known as "Bjorn's Super Prawn."After some tweaks and playing around with hooks it started catching other species especially spring Chinook. The first order I had for kings consisted of a meager 1 dozen flies but the next year that same order was 6 dozen, then 12 dozen, and it...

Who couldn't use a little pink once in a while? Thousands of Coho agree. So do Chinooks and steelhead. These Wogs are a delicious shade of wiggly, sparkly pink with just enough flame orange and pearl for accent.Tied on extra strong, chemically sharpened nickel plated hooks, and weighted with nickel plated brass eyes, these flies may be fished in both saltwater and fresh water, which makes them perfect for fishing estuaries, where fish are fresh and bright. These flies may be fished with either...

Jon Hazlett says: I'll never forget the first time I saw an Intruder. I was running the fly shop that used to be in the Ashland Outdoor Store. Mike McCune came down to teach a Spey clinic for us. That weekend, while hanging out at my house, he opened one of his fly boxes. I had never seen such a thing. He had a stable of flies up to 5 inches long. And they were awesome! He referred to them as Intruders. He gave me a brief tutorial on design, function, and rigging. Mike, being the humble guy he...

Egg Sucking Leech, BlackEvolving in Alaska, this became one of the universal flies for trout, char and salmon. It is now used nearly everywhere along the west coast for steelhead and salmon.Egg Sucking Leech, PurpleThe purple egg sucker is a popular fly, particularly east of the Cascades when water temperatures drop in the fall.

Larimer's Egg Sucking Loop SculpinThe Loop Sculpin is a spinoff from the Loop Leech. Like the leech, the Sculpin has a loop of 30 pound Fire Line braid threaded through the rabbit strip body. The stinger hook is looped into the fire line. This design has a number of things going for it. First, the long rabbit strip creates a seductive swimming motion that brings the fly to life in the water. Furthermore, the single rabbit strip creates a large profile though still casts easily considering the...

Charles St. Pierre designed the Foxee Dog anadromous fish fly series using traditional, proven proportions, but used the latest materials and tying techniques. Following the lines of the famous Nordic Atlantic Salmon Temple Dog Series, the Foxee Dog Series is tied on Waddington Shanks rather than tubes. This places the hook back further toward the rear of the fly, because Pacific Coast fish often grab from the rear of the fly. Foxee Dog flies are tied with a combination of arctic fox and Angel...

The classic versions of the Spey and General Practitioner flies are as effective and legendary as they are beautiful. If a steelhead and salmon angler had to make a choice between the two of these flies and could fish only one, the process of choosing might take the better part of a fishing day and require a Tylenol chaser. Innovative Northwest steelhead, salmon, and spey-casting angler Charles St. Pierre has created another unique fly by combining the best attributes of two legendary flies to...

Guide IntruderBy: Scott HowellNow that I make a living on the water guiding every day, my extended sessions creating at the vice are over. I now simply need to have proven fly patterns in my box that I have ultimate confidence in. When it comes to Intruders, I have narrowed my arsenal down to two basic styles. The first of these that probably defines my contribution to the Intruder pattern is the Signature Series Intruder. This is a saddle hackle "shellback" Intruder that has already been...

No other material moves in the water like wet rabbit strip. Every hair comes to life. Its recent popularity in new age steelhead flies can not be over estimated. Flies, which display a lot of life-like movement, are most successful under the widest range of conditions. According to our correspondence with Oregon Marine Science Center biologist, Dr. William Pearcy, West Coast steelhead eat a lot of squid while at sea. According to stomach sample autopsies from steelhead caught beyond the...

Jeff Hickman is a very popular local fly fishing guide who grew up in the Mt. Hood area and hung out at The Fly fishing Shop in Welches, Oregon during his formative years. Here is what he says about his Fish Taco series of flies: "When I get hungry, there is one thing that always comes to mind?a fish taco. It is the one thing that I don?t ever get sick of. The hunt for the best taco cart around is full time?and the fish taco is always the best indicator of the cart?s cuisine. I would say that...

As tied by Charles St. PierreThis is a fly that could be fished on the swing for steelhead and salmon year round using anything from a Skagit head and a heavy sink tip to a full floating line and long leader. Named after two legendary Pacific Northwest steelhead rivers and influenced by numerous northwest "Intruder" fly variations, this fly was designed with a full calendar year's worth of fishing in mind. The ease with which this fly is cast along with its effectiveness, and the variations of...

Steak And Eggs Steelhead Flies Kenny dropped the fly near the far bank of the little riffle. It had swung half way across when the line came tight, and the fresh, bright nine pound hen exploded through he surface of the choppy water three times. Ten minutes later she was in the net getting her picture taken. The Steak and Eggs fly was in the corner of her mouth with the hook clear through her maxillary and through the dressing of the front of the fly. I severed the wire loop rather than try to...

This is what Bjorn Beech says about the Jumbo Critter series: "This pattern originally belongs to the late Wally Bolger. I cleaned up the edges by spinning the hair a little sparser and more evenly around the shank creating a fly limited in size only by the length of hair used. I've tied this fly from little 1-1/2" summer run steelhead patterns to 6" long monster king versions. A combination of sparsely spun hair and a pheasant tail collar gives us a big loud wiggly pattern. Major benefits to...

Kriller Steelhead and Salmon Flies "The Killer Krill, or Kriller Series, was conceptualized and constructed on western Alaska’s Kanektok River by Alaska West guide, Greg Houska. Starting as a tube fly in June, the Kriller effectively found it’s way to being tied on a shank by August. After a full season’s worth of tweaking, trial and error, and most importantly peer review from creative fellow guides, it became ever more productive. Today the final version maintains the unique features that...

Lady GaGa Intruder, Blue and WhiteUsing the scientific approach late one night at the tying bench, keen tournament caster and steelhead guide Travis Johnson was imbibing copious amounts of fine Scotch, when he sneezed into a pile of loose marabou and the Lady GaGa Series was born...divine intervention or blind luck? Any steelhead guide can use the help of both. While guiding steelhead trips on many different rivers of the Pacific Northwest, Travis has developed some definite ideas about how...

Mark's Marabou Spey Intruder meet the needs of anglers who want extra weight to get their flies deeper than than the water commonly fished with Mark's Marabou Tube flies. These flies are tied on Montana Stainless Steel Fly Shanks, and are equipped with Dazl Eyes for extra weight. Many things such as water speed, angle of presentation, and the length of a particular cast will affect the depth that any fly will fish down to. Flies fished on longer casts normally have a longer time longer to...

Mark's Marabou Tube Flies have gained popularity for several kinds of anadromous game fish. Recently this type of fly has become extremely popular for both winter and summer steelhead. Originally designed so that a smaller hook could be used with a large fly to cut injury to wild steelhead, this configuration also proved itself as a way to land a higher percentage of fish that were hooked. These flies are very streamlined and easy to cast. Plastic tube models are very lightweight which gives...

Stuart Foaxall, Aqua Flies Fly Designer: I have been fly fishing and tying flies for well over 30 years, but mainly for European species. I took the plunge 6 years ago and booked "a trip of a lifetime" chasing Pacific fish. To say that it has absorbed me is an understatement... I just can't get enough. I spend over four weeks a year chasing Pacific salmon and my favorite, the steelhead. The chance to catch this enigmatic fish that I had read and dreamed about as a kid reading Roderick Haig...

The Bantam: The perfect late summer/early winter steelhead flyHere at FFS we think Miguel Morejohn’s bantam is one of the best late fall/ early winter steelhead flies around. Size wise this fly comes in at about 2” in length making it the perfect size for most all water conditions. It’s large enough to elicit an aggressive take in a fresh fish, but small enough to not spook more skittish late season summer fish. It has a very small set of lead eyes to break surface tension and provide a nice...

Perfect Prom Dress SeriesThis is the third generation of Prom Dress flies. We could have called these "Prom Dress G3", but after development by several top rated fishing guides, several astute fly shops, and several top rated fly tying companies, and thousands of first and second generation of Prom Dress flies sold, we arrived at "perfect". The first generation Prom Dress flies were developed by Scott Howell. They were an instant success for skilled casters, or anglers fishing heavy lines. All...

Brian Kite guides in Alaska and Northern Washington. He says, "My steelhead roots have strong ties to the Skagit Style of fishing; short heads and big flies. The Pick-Yer-Pocket was developed and somewhat plagiarized from the now famous "Intruder" style of flies originated in the region. We have been tying these flies for years, often experimenting with different types of materials in search of the "perfect swim." A major challenge with big flies is the difficult marriage between size versus...

The Prom Dress Series, first tied by Scott Howell has been around, but under cover, for several years. We made them available in December, 2009. Mark landed a steelhead from the Sandy River with a Prom Dress in the first hour of our initial test. that seemed like a pretty good start. The other guides working out of The Fly Fishing Shop had similar luck. Then they appeared in the widely acclaimed DVD Skagit Master II in January, 2011. What is going on now could be termed: "The Prom Dress...

Rowell's Sticky Sculpin Tube Fly This is what fishing guide, Nick Rowell says about his fly: "The Sticky Sculpin was originally tied for targeting big Alaskan rainbows, while guiding on the Kanektok River. Since then, it has become a go-to steelhead fly for me. I tie this fly on when the river drops and clears, or later in the season when the fish have been in the river a while. It is especially productive in the spring, and seems to get hit extra hard that time of year. I will also go to the...

Shrimpton Steelhead FlyThe Shrimpton was born from me wanting a smaller "intruderish" style fly for fishing in the winter and spring. I felt that the large heavy intruders I had been tying were often difficult for my clients to cast and fish. Also, a slightly smaller fly that still had a good profile and lots of movement might be a little more desirable to steelhead in clearer water. The first time I saw the fly swimming in the current of a favorite coastal river, I remember saying to my buddy...

Scott Howell says: "GO BIG OR GO HOME"It is impossible to start a piece on the Intruder without going into a bit of the history of the fly. My Signature Series Intruder was not a simple case of sitting down at the vice one evening and creating this revolutionary pattern. It all started way back in the early 90's with a circle of guides at a lodge in Alaska.The first 'Intruder-style' fly was the brainchild of Ed Ward, and was originally designed for king salmon. This shank-style fly was a...

What separates the Extractor from existing patterns on the market is: How simple it is to cast. The rate of speed that the fly sinks at.More movement than existing commercially tied flies while using less materials. 2 sections move independently of each other. Brian Silvey was able to achieve these results by: Tying an extremely thin body is critical to eliminating water resistance and getting this fly down fast. Using less weight to get the fly down. The only weight on the fly is the...

What separates the Extractor from existing patterns on the market is: How simple it is to cast. The rate of speed that the fly sinks at.More movement than existing commercially tied flies while using less materials. 2 sections move independently of each other. Brian Silvey was able to achieve these results by: Tying an extremely thin body is critical to eliminating water resistance and getting this fly down fast. Using less weight to get the fly down. The only weight on the fly is the...

Brian Silvey ties very pretty flies, but Silvinators aren't some of them. These flies are all business. They are about wiggles and jiggles and silhouette and sink rate. They are not only tied, they are engineered and have been tested and tweaked during many days on many rivers. The selection of colors is growing slowly as each color combination is proven by multiple fish. These are "Guide Flies," meant to bring customers back after successful days on the water. You will be amazed at the...

34By the early 1980s steelhead fly fishers were realizing the need for larger flies. Not only for dirty water, but also for covering large pieces of water. With larger flies, big rivers like the Skagit could be fished more quickly and efficiently. The least expensive and most readily available material at the time was Marabou. By winding plumes around a hook shank a large profile could be created without too much weight or bulk. Through trial and error I found that 3 plumes were about all most...

The Squidro Series was created by legendary steelhead guide, Scott Howell. They are Intruder style flies tied with special silicone leg material.Scott says:"Once you get past the fact that the Squidro stems from the same branch on the family tree as the bass jig, you can't help but see its sex appeal. This fly brings so much to the table that just simply can't be achieved with the standard feather sporting Intruder. For starters - simply put - what fish doesn't love the action of rubber legs"...

Winter Steelhead Fly Equalizer Kit This Equalizer Kit contains five (5) flies in a tough, poly fly box. This kit is assembled by our pros to put you on even terms with the fish and allow you to be very productive. Kit Contains: Common Fly Name Size Foxee Dog, Black and Blue #2 Foxee Dog, Orange and Black #2 Foxee Dog, Popsicle #2 Signature Intruder, Red and Black #2 Signature Intruder, Pink and Orange #2 5-compartment Fly Box ...

As tied by innovative Northwest fly tyer, Brian Kite, the Wombat is a traditional marabou pattern with a couple modern twists added to it. The fly was created primarily as a guide pattern since marabou is inexpensive and easy to tie with. Traditional marabous are typically tied on long-shank or heavy wire salmon hooks. We have found that the longer shank hooks tend to work them selves out of a fish's mouth due to the amount of leverage applied when playing a fish. This fly replaces the long...