Steelhead Flies

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 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 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 Skykomish Sunrise is a Pacific Northwest steelhead swing fly built around a bright orange front body and a pale hair wing. This version uses the common hairwing dressing: red hackle-fiber tail, silver rear body, orange chenille front body, orange throat, and white calf-tail wing. Fish it on swung presentations in rivers for summer and winter steelhead, especially when a visible attractor with classic proportions is useful.

The Freight Train is a traditional steelhead swing fly for river work from fall through spring. This orange-and-white wet-fly variant shows well in colored water, rides slim in the current, and gives just enough flash and movement for broad tailouts, walking-speed seams, and soft inside edges.

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.

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.