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Salmon Flies
Flies for Atlantic and Pacific salmon

Jock Scott

Obsessed: Some might consider it a bit mad or even crazy, but when Danish Niels Have ties full dressed, classic Jock Scott salmon flies, he ties them by the dozen... and then he fishes with them!
Read about Niels' approach here

Classic Salmon Fly Patterns

Review: Michael Radencich has created one of the most comprehensive and valuable reference books ever written for the tyer of classic salmon flies. With over 1700 patterns and 1000 photographs, there is a lifetime of exploration between the covers.
Read the review here
Find "Discovering the Marbury Lake Flies" on this page

Discovering the Marbury Lake Flies
Find "Nize" on this page

Nize
Find "Portraits of Salmon Flies" here

Portraits of Salmon Flies
See "Tied in the Hand " by clicking here

Tied in the Hand

See "The Red and Copper Shrimp" by clicking here

The Red and Copper Shrimp
This link takes you to "Atlantic Salmon Flies of Nova Scotia"

Atlantic Salmon Flies of Nova Scotia
Find "Danish tube fly inspiration" here

Danish tube fly inspiration
Find "HKA Sunray/Bismo" on this page

HKA Sunray/Bismo
Find "Major Traherne's flies" here

Major Traherne's flies
Click to go to "Spider NJ"

Spider NJ
Directly to "Nils Jorgensen"

Nils Jorgensen
See "The Barbell Tube" by clicking here

The Barbell Tube
Videos with "Salmon Flies - Flies for Atlantic and Pacific salmon" - More videos
Grey&Green Tremple Dog
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Salmon and Seatrout approved early spring fly
Jock Scott Variant
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Variation of a classic salmon fly.
Silver Glödhäck
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Anton Pousar tying a scandinavian style tube fly for salmon called Silver Glödhäck. Me and Anton were doing a fly tying workshop and I decided to film his part for my blog. It was pretty tough to edit because there was lots of stuff I needed to cut out and speed up because the tying was focused for the tyers at the workshop, not the video. I just tried to be out of the way mostly with my camera.

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Lady Caroline
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Here's a new video of Timo Kontio tying a Lady Caroline Spey Salmon fly for flytyingarchive.com. For pattern and history of the pattern please visit our site.
Slight Hackle (pink salmon fly)
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Here we have one of the newer pink salmon flies being tied in our shop. With this fly the key is the shape: you need and slender body, big hackle and a tail that sits almost straight off the shank. Just looking at it... you KNOW it will catch pinks. Enjoy!
The Overtaker (Salmon Fly)
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Materials Used;
Hook, Salar Double Size 9
Thread, Uni-8/0 Fire Orange
Tag, Small Gold Oval Tinsel
Butt, Uni-Floss Hot Green and Chinese Red
Body, Metallic Green Lite-Brite Hackle, Dyed Black Hen
Wing, Metallic Green Flash and Black Fox Eyes, Jungle Cock
Head, Glo-Brite Number 4

Beiss
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This is a beautiful fly originally designed by Ulf Sill that will entice any salmon or trout with it's amazing movement in even the softest current. Combine that with a little Salar Alta gold sparkle and good balance because of the cone and brass 6mm tube and you have a amazing pattern. This pattern has worked really well for me on Atlantic Salmon and Sea-trout. But I'll bet big trout will love it too! Maybe next time the river is low and clear I will swing it trough the pool for some Steelhead!

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Black & Green
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A back and green salmon fly on a tube
The Red Devil Spey
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Materials Used; Hook, Salar or Alex Jackson Single size 3 Thread, UTC Flo-Fire Orange 70 Tag, Gold Holographic Tinsel and UTC Flo-Fire Orange Thread Body, Flo-Red UV and Gold Micro Straggle Body Hackle, Golden Pheaseant Breast Dyed Red Throat. Golden Pheasant Rump Dyed Red Wing, Golden Pheasant Tippet Dyed Hot Orange and Golden Pheasant Rump Dyed Red Eyes, Jungle Cock
The Ayrshire Man Salmon Fly
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Material Used; Thread - Black, Tag and Rib - Oval Gold tinsel, Tail - Polar Bear Fibre dyed Hot Orange or Bucktail dyed Hot Orange, Body- Black Floss, First Hackle - Chinese Cock dyed Sunburst, Wing - Black Bucktail, Pearl Krystal Flash and Hot Orange Arctic Fox, Cheeks - Jungle Cock, Front Hackle - Hot Orange Badger
The Toucan Salmon Fly
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Tying the Toucan Salmon Fly with Davie McPhail. Materials Used; Hook : Salar Double size 3 Tag: 4 turns oval gold Tail: GP tippets Body: Black floss Rib: Oval gold Wing: (Heron Sub) Greylag Shoulder Hackle: Dyed Black Blue Eared Pheasant or Golden Pheasant Breast Head: Black
The Wolverine Salmon Fly
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Tying the Wolverine Salmon Fly by Davie McPhail. Materials Used; Thread, Veevus 10/0 Black Tag, Large Silver Holographic Tinsel Rib, Large Oval Silver Tinsel Body, Larva Lace Salmo Supreme-Hot Lime and Rainbow Black Dubbing Wing, Back Silver Fox, Blue Metallic Flash, Chartreuse and Black Goat Hackle, Silver Fox Body Hair Dyed Black Eyes, Jungle Cock Natural or Dyed Head, Larva Lace Salmo Supreme- Rainbow Black
Durham Ranger
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I know it's not a good video but I thought you could get something from it as it's a practice one that I had done to get a feel of how to film tying a classic style salmon fly. As you can see there's a few mistakes, the main one is that I forgot to switch the camera on when I was filming the tying on of the blue hackle sorry...
The Willie Soft Gunn
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Tying the Willie Gunn on Pro tubes
The Rumpelstiltskin Micro Tube
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Tying the Rumpelstiltskin Micro Tube (Salmon Fly)
Welsh Thunder
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Tying the Welsh Thunder with Davie McPhail.
The Comally Flamethrower
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The Comally Flamethrower salmon fly tied by Davie McPhail
Tying the Green Machine
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The famous Atlantic salmon fly from Canada. See our article here.

Wallpapers with "Salmon Flies - Flies for Atlantic and Pacific salmon"

  
 Go to Classics
Classics
Tying flies not meant for fishing sounds odd to some but dragging others into the world of advanced techniques. Anders Ovesen takes us into his cave of threads and feathers and reveals some puzzles needed to tie da old school style. Hang on to this detailed description and fly to the 
  
 Go to Make 'Em Swim
Make 'Em Swim
Swedish Michael Frödins newest DVD about his FITS tube fly system and the new turbo discs, which make the flies vibrate, pulse and move more water than using a traditional cone. The fly comes more alive, but are they more fish catching? At least eye catching.
  
 Go to Green Machine
Green Machine
The Green Machine is a classic salmon fly from the Eastern part of Canada. It's fished as a wet fly in spite of being tied with deer hair and a hackle like a bomber. This article shows you step by step how to tie it and shows an alternative and easier way to create the green body.
  
 Go to Très Bien
Très Bien
This is another bright tube fly for clear water designed by Danish fly tyer Ken Bonde Larsen. And another one that uses a cone to add weight to the front of the fly. And another one, where the metal cone can be replaced by a common head or a plastic cone.
  
 Go to The Dirty White
The Dirty White
We continue our series of tube flies tied in the Scandinavian style. This fly is another subdued yellow, white and gray fly, well suited for bright light and clear water. It uses a mallard hackle to create a nice, closed shape.
  
 Go to The Overtaker
The Overtaker
A small black tube fly inspired by the classical Undertaker and flies like the Green Butt. This small fly shows that bube flies do not have to be large. It's petite, it's black and it's sexy with a small hotspot.
  
 Go to Bon Aventure flies
Bon Aventure flies
Do you know what flies to tie for clear water and how to tie them? Follow the Danish flytier Ken Bonde Larsen carefully tie some attractive and yet not too visible flies for the Canadian salmon. Tubes are his favorite and some with new plastic discs.
  
 Go to Chinese White
Chinese White
A bright tube fly for salmon in clear water created by Danish Ken Bonde Larsen. Tied in the Scandinavian style with a large and soft hair wing made of several layers. Easy to tie and impressive both in and out of the water.
  
 Go to Bon A(d)venture-Day 2
Bon A(d)venture-Day 2
Follow Kasper Mühlbach on his second day on Bon Aventure. A day of which he did not expect the big catches but the day turned out to as good as the first. Clear water, white tails, ospreys and 
  
 Go to Staring Sunray Shadow
Staring Sunray Shadow
Ray Brook's classic the Sunray Shadow can hardly be outdone by any variation of this simple yet very efficient fly. But some people still like to add little details to killer patterns. This version of the Sunray has a body and eyes.
  
 Go to Bon A(d)venture-Day 1
Bon A(d)venture-Day 1
Two days of fishing in one of the world's clearest salmon rivers, Bon Aventure, Gaspé, French Canada. Follow Kasper Mühlbach for two days on this renowned river, famous for it's fantastic dry fly fishing for salmon but also known for plenty of grilse and larger atlantic salmon.
  
 Go to A Pheasant Under Glass
A Pheasant Under Glass
Two seemingly unrelated events led tube fly tyer par excellence Bob Kenly to this method of tying and to discover a coloring system that I have never tried before: dyed Lady Amherst tail feathers and a note requesting something different to be thrown in the water for salmon in New Foundland.
  
 Go to Niels' flies
Niels' flies
If you thought that silk lines, split cane rods and full dressed salmon flies was something people used a century ago, you may want to read this article about Niels Have who fishes his classical flies on a Phoenix silk line wound on a Hardy Perfect reel mounted on a Highlander two-hand split cane rod.
  
 Go to Good, Bad, and Ugly
Good, Bad, and Ugly
Having wrapped my share of thread over the years, I thought it was time to revisit a long held interest of mine - traditional salmon flies. My first attempt years ago was pretty disappointing, and I was hoping my skills had evolved enough for me to take that next step and produce a better result.
  
 Go to The Ugliest Flies
The Ugliest Flies
Martin has just received the ugliest flies he has ever seen in his life. And no, don't worry they weren't from a potential GFF contributor or a well meaning friend, but commercially tied. They just confirmed what he has always said: home tied flies are best.
  
 Go to Tube Flies Two
Tube Flies Two
Tube fly books are few and far apart and the moment Martin Joergensen learned that this one was coming, he knew it was a must for him. Mark Mandell and GFF contributor Bob Kenly have gathered a bunch of the most innovative and influential tube fly tyers in this book.
  
 Go to Tube Flies
Tube Flies
This is the all-time classical volume on tube flies, and as the subtitle "A tying, fishing and historical guide" implies it deals with all aspects of tube flies. If you are looking for a general introduction to tubes in book-form, this is the way to go.
  
 Go to Sunray Shadow
Sunray Shadow
The Sunray Shadow is a true killer fly for salmon fishing. Tied on a tube with a wing and no body, simple as few flies, but still - or maybe rather because of that - extremely efficient. The fly uses few materials and is very easy to tie.
  
 Go to Salmon flies
Salmon flies
To review this book is like kicking in an open door - a door, which was opened a few decades ago. So many people have praised it before me, and its influence has been so phenomenal that anything but a Global Class score would make little sense.
  
 Go to Bates' Art
Bates' Art
Better late than never could be one way of putting it when you review a book originally published in 1989. Joseph D. Bates, author of the masterpiece Streamers, also wrote "The art of the Salmon Fly", which GFF partner Martin Joergensen has bought and read.
  
 Go to Hairwings & Tubes
Hairwings & Tubes
With this book "Hairwing & Tube Flies for Salmon" Chris Mann has worked his way through yet another pile of flies sent to him from all over the world. And Chris Mann has done it again and provided us pattern-hungry fly tiers with a wealth of new patterns to inspire us.
  
 Go to Spey & Dee
Spey & Dee
GFF partner Martin Joergensen writes: "...the often lightly dressed Dee and Spey flies with their long and swung back hackles and low riding wings are just soooo fishy!". That's why he finds John Shewey's book "Spey Flies and Dee Flies - Their History & Construction" interesting.
  
 Go to New Streamers
New Streamers
Converting a classic salmon fly to hairwing form has been done for many years among salmon anglers. Recently, the gang on the streamers@ mailing list tried their hand at converting classic salmon patterns to trout flies.
  
 Go to Spey Fly book
Spey Fly book
I have admired Bob's tying for quite some time - as I always considered him one of those rare tyers whose flies are museum quality beautiful, yet they have the sleekness and symmetry of a well tied fishing fly
  
 Go to Shrimps&Speys
Shrimps&Speys
"It continues page after page. Shrimps, grubs, Speys... shrimps again... more speys. Modern ones. Classic ones. I have always loved these particular types of flies, and there I am. Kid in a candy store... Dracula in a blood bank..." Read martin Joergensen's review of Shrimp & Spey Patterns.
  
 Go to Jungle Cock Repair
Jungle Cock Repair
Prime Jungle Cock necks are rare to come by. Learn how 'upgrade' fishing quality JC necks in this article.
  
 Go to Wadington shanks
Wadington shanks
Classics in a classic way. These flies may look like something of today, but the concept of Wadington shanks is old as Methusalem. Danish fly tyer Niels Have has converted four classics to effective flies for early salmon and sea trout fishing. See the pictures and patterns.
  
 Go to Cluster Egg Fly
Cluster Egg Fly
As you probably know the egg was way earlier than the chicken. This article show you how to make The Cluster Egg Fly (pom-pom eggs) - a very popular type of fly for steelhead and salmon.
  
 Go to Anatomy of a salmon fly
Anatomy of a salmon fly
Although each salmon fly pattern may call for its' own proportions and components, the following diagram and table identifies the standard anatomy and proportions used in salmon fly tying.
  
 Go to Good floss work
Good floss work
I've developed a habit instilled in me by my salmonfly tying mentors. When evaluating the salmon fly dressings of others, I look at the floss work first. It is a key characteristic that determines and shows the skills of the cream of the crop.
  
 Go to Loch Dhu Salmon
Loch Dhu Salmon
A Welsh pattern for salmon in the summer dusk. A salmon fly inspired by the Scottish pattern named after the lake Loch Dhu
  
 Go to The Orange Silver
The Orange Silver
A fly which is just a piece of imagination created one evenning in march. I have been fooling around with a plain type of steelhead or salmon flies this last year. These are all signified by simple feather wings and the use of classic materials like floss, tinsel and plain feathers
  
 Go to Sawada tubes
Sawada tubes
Niels Have's take on some Ken Sawada patterns - tied on tubes.
  
 Go to Atlantic conversions
Atlantic conversions
 Although the subject of this article may seem like heresy to dedicated tyers of classic atlantic salmon patterns, I thought it might be a fun exercise this winter to adapt some of these classic patterns to New England streamers. It was indeed a challenging and enjoyable tying experience.
  
 Go to Cone head flies
Cone head flies
The usual way of weighting a tube fly is by using copper or aluminum tubes. This article shows a totally different approach.
  
 Go to Poul Jorgensen's General Practitioner
Poul Jorgensen's General Practitioner
In this autumn I had the pleasure of meeting my countryman Poul Jorgensen at two lectures he held here in Jutland, Denmark. One of the flies he tied was his version of Edmund Drury's famous salmonfly, the General Practitioner. Tied after its original recipe it's something of a task to make; but Poul has found out a simpler, but just as effective pattern. By Preben Torp Jacobsen
  
 Go to The IQ shrimps
The IQ shrimps
Both IQ and Orange shrimp are excellent Sea Trout flies. They are easy and quick to tie. I've used them as a secret weapon for several years now. Weather conditions will dictate the size of fly I prefer. You may tie these patterns on any type of hook, singles, double including trebles in small sizes 10 to 14. By Ismo Saastamoinen
The IQ Zeb Macahan
This fly was ordered by Swedish Fly fishing shop as a logo type. I got the material and colors witch would be included and free hands to create. IQ Zeb Macahan was the final product of this.
  
 Go to The Salmon Fly Proportion, Design & Layout Guide
The Salmon Fly Proportion, Design & Layout Guide
The first rule of salmonfly tying is preparation...gathering your materials, laying them out and sizing up the situation. If you are like me, many times you will have one material that is just a touch too short and you scramble to make it fit. But in the long run, it will never fit and the fly that you meticulously hovered over for many precious hours has that major flaw. More importantly, you'll never be happy with the finished product. If only you had pre-planned and sized up your materials ahead of time.
  
 Go to Umbrella for streams
Umbrella for streams
I have been experimenting a bit with stream patterns for sea trout. One of the results has been a larger and more salmon fly like version of the Umbrella - a salt water fly that I have used with good success.
  
 Go to Spey Hackles
Spey Hackles
I've been fascinated with spey flies for a long time. The first I had ever seen was a Purple Spey tied by Tim Purvis, which arrived in a swap of steelhead flies a bunch of us FF@'ers exchanged several years ago. The next was an Olive Spey tied by Juro Mukai in a swap of atlantic salmon flies.
Speyshal
Like most ideas... they mature slowly. It was not until late March that, during a private flytying tuition session to a talented, young colleague, I saw clearly in my mind what my Skunks would look like.
  
 Go to IQ Dawn series
IQ Dawn series
The purpose of the IQ Dawn Series is to cover most variations you can encounter at a salmon river. And hopefully catch a Salmon Salar, king of fish! All flies can easily be made to spey flies - just change the hackle to heron feather instead, in the same color.
  
 Go to Cheapskate Heron
Cheapskate Heron
I came upon an idea. Actually I combined two incidents into one idea. First of all I was going through my heron feathers (yes, I have more than one) and found some butts that I had saved after having tied whole body hackles. I wanted to use these feathers, which still had a lot of useful and long barbs, but unfortunately a very thick stem.
  
 Go to The Gladiator
The Gladiator
The Gladiator started as a joke but one with a lot of thought behind it's origins. By Bob Kenly
  
 Go to How to dress salmon flies
How to dress salmon flies
This is a very quotable book. I like short, concentrated books, that don't waste too much time on repetitions and smalltalk. Mr. Pryce-Tannatt is a writer just after my heart, when it comes to that. He does not beat around the bush and talk in length about things that don't concern the subject.
  
 Go to Anatomy of A Salmon Fly
Anatomy of A Salmon Fly
Advice on how to lay out a good classical salmon fly.