Salmon Flies

Tied in 1850 by Jock Scott — gillie to Lord John Scott on the River Tweed — this is among the most celebrated of the fully-dressed Atlantic salmon flies. The body is built in two halves separated by an ostrich-herl butt, finished with the recognizable mixed married wing of dyed swan or goose, peacock wing, bustard substitute, golden pheasant tail, and white-tipped turkey, topped with golden pheasant crest and set off with jungle cock eyes. Originally fished for Atlantic salmon on the Tweed and Spey, it is today tied as much for the bench as the water — but a sparser dressing on a heavy iron will still swing a pool. Pinch or remove the barb on any hook intended for fishing.

The Silver Doctor is a classic fully dressed Atlantic salmon fly, here drafted as a Pryce-Tannatt-style variant with modern legal substitutes for protected materials. Its bright silver body, blue hackle, married wing, jungle cock sides, and kingfisher-blue cheek make it a clean showpiece pattern as much as a fishing fly for clear salmon rivers.

The Green Highlander is a fully dressed Atlantic salmon classic for clear rivers and traditional swung presentations. This dressing follows a Pryce-Tannatt 1914-style version, with a yellow-and-green body, silver rib, black hackle, married wing, topping, jungle cock sides, and blue macaw horns; Bates 1990 treats it as one of the standard reference patterns in the classic salmon fly canon.

The Egg-Sucking Leech is a Pacific salmon and steelhead streamer that suggests a dark leech trailing a loose salmon egg. The black marabou tail pulses in current, the chenille body gives the fly a simple silhouette, and the fluorescent orange head adds a strong trigger in stained water, low light, and fall salmon runs.

The Boss is a Pacific salmon and steelhead bucktail attractor for swinging through runs in spring and fall. A flat silver tinsel body gives the fly flash, the natural bucktail wing gives it a slim baitfish profile, and the red saddle hackle throat adds a hot color point at the front. It is a straightforward dressing, but clean tinsel wraps and an even bucktail wing take some control at the vise.

The Bunny Leech imitates a swimming leech, sculpin, or small dark baitfish with the pulse of rabbit fur doing most of the work. Fish it for Pacific salmon and steelhead in fall rivers, tidewater edges, and travel lanes where a broad, slow-moving profile shows well in stained or broken water. The tying is straightforward, but good material control matters because rabbit strips can bulk up quickly.

The Comet is a traditional Pacific salmon and steelhead swing fly built around flash, contrast, and a sparse baitfish profile. This silver-body bucktail variant uses a red hackle-fiber tail, flat silver tinsel body, silver rib, sparse bucktail wing, red collar, and black head. Fish it on the swing for coho, chinook, and steelhead in medium to large rivers during spring and fall runs.

The Intruder is a versatile steelhead and salmon streamer built around a long-shank hook, bead head, and marabou tail and wing. It imitates baitfish and leeches and is effective on both Pacific Northwest rivers and Atlantic salmon lochs. The pattern flies through the water with a pulsing, lifelike action and produces in a wide range of conditions, from clear low water to stained spring runoff.