Steelhead Slammer

The Steelhead Slammer is a simple fly pattern for high water steelhead.  With the cold front coming in we should see some high water next week.  Tie some up!

Hook: MFC no. 7045 size 10
Thread: red 6/0
Tail: vernille or micro chenille
Body: Estaz regular
Colors: (tail/estaz) chartreuse/orange, pink/chartreuse, brown/chartreuse

STEP 1: Place you scud hook in the vise so the hook eye is pointing down slightly.  Attach your thread id shank and wrap back to half way between the tie in point and the hook barb.

STEP 2: Tie in a piece of vernille or micro chenille with a one inch tag extending forward.

STEP 3: Secure the chenille tag by making even wraps up to behind the hook eye.  Trim off any excess chenille.

STEP 4: Tie in a length of Estaz.

STEP 5: Make 2-3 wraps of Estaz.  Make a small head, whip finish, and cut the thread.  Trim the chenille tail so it is about 2 in long.

STEP 6: This is a optional step.  You can take a lighter and melt the end of the chenille.  This doesn't effect the fish catching ability of the fly, just makes it look nicer to the fisherman.

The finished fly.

 There you have it another simple fly for steelhead.  As always this fly is avaiable custom tied from me at Autumn Siren Flies.

Tyler Straight

Custom Tied Steelhead Flies

steelheadflies@me.com

CKOF Website Design

countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com 

Flash Fly

The Flash Fly is a woolly bugger type fly invented by a Pennsylvania steelhead fisherman.  Not to be confused with the Jim Teeny pattern, this fly is good when the water is slightly off color and when the fish can't see a white woolly bugger that well.  Tie some up and try them the next time you go fishing. 

Hook: MFC no. 7008
Thread: white 3/0
Weight: gold beadhead
Tail: white marabou
Body: silver hackle flash

STEP 1:  Flatten the barb on your streamer hook of choice and slide on a gold beadhead (the small hole should be going in the direction of the hook eye). Put the hook in the vise and attach your white thread mid-shank and wrap back to the tie-in-point.

STEP 2: Select a large white marabou feather and remove the center stem.  Tie the marabou feather in so that it extends the same length as the hook shank from the tie in point.  Secure the marabou with many thread wraps and make sure the entire shank is covered. Trim off the excess.

STEP 3: Tie in a length of pearl hackle flash so that the "flash" points backwards.  Advance your thread to behind the beadhead.

STEP 4: Wrap the pearl hackle flash up to your thread.  This fly is most effective when tied sparse so don't overdo it with the flash.  Tie off and whip finish.



The finished fly.

A large inland Brown that ate the Flash Fly.

Tyler Straigh

Custom Tied Steelhead Flies

steelheadflies@me.com

CKOF Website Design

 countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com

Frammus

The Frammus is an egg pattern from the Salmon River.  Its tied differently than most egg patterns but works great for steelhead.  This is also one of my favorite egg patterns for stream trout.  The best color combinations are chartreuse/red and orange.

Hook: MFC no. 7045 size 12-16
Thread: Red, Orange, or Chartreuse 6/0
Body: orange or chartreuse vernille or micro chenille
Wing: Red Glo-Bug Yarn

STEP 1: With your scud hook in the vise, attach your 6/0 thread and wrap back to the tie in point.

STEP 2: Tie in a length of vernille. Make several wraps over the vernille or micro chenille and wrap your thread up to 1/8th in behind the hook eye.

STEP 3: Wrap the vernille or micro chenille up to the thread and tie off with several thread wraps. Trim off the excess.

STEP 4: Take a piece of Glo-Bug yarn and separate it into a strand approx. twice the diameter of the vernille you use.  Tie it in to form a wing that extends to the hook barb.

STEP 5: Fold the strand of Glo-Bug yarn over the wing secure down with several thread wraps.

STEP 6: Cut the top piece of Glo-Bug yarn that was folded back so that it is half the size of the first wing.  Make a couple of half-hitches and cut your thread.

The finished fly.

Tyler Straight
Custom Tied Steelhead Flies
countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com
autumnsirenflies.blogspot.com

Art's Black Stone

Art's Black Stone is a variation of the Kauffman Black Stone.  Art Estus showed me a easier technique for tieing the wingcase.  Instead of turkey sections he uses folded scud back.  Art's Black Stonefly is exactly the same as Art's Golden Stonefly, the only difference being the black dubbing and brown oval tubing.  The black stonefly is similar to the golden stonefly but bigger and as its name suggests black.  This fly is heavily weighted so it makes a good point fly in a tandem fly rig.

Hook: MFC 7073 size 10-6
Thread: black 6/0
Weight: gold beadhead
Tail: black goose biots
Antennae:  black goose biots
Body: black hares ear dub
Rib: medium brown
Wingcase: 1/4th in wide brown scud back

STEP 1: With a MFC 7073 size 6-10 in your vise, attach your thread near the eye.  Take two black goose biots and tie them in for the antennae using the least amount as thread as possible.  The biots should be about the length of half the hook shank.  Whip finish and cut the thread.  I like  tie several fly antennae first then tie the bodies.



STEP 2: Slip a gold beadhead onto the hook and push the beadhead over the thread wraps and up to the hook eye.  Take your yellow 6/0 thread attach it mid shank and wrap back to the tie in point.




STEP 3: Take another pair of black goose biots and tie them in as the tail, they should extend half the hook shank.  Tie in a piece of medium brown oval tubing and bring your thread back to the tie in point. 



STEP 4: Take a clump of black hares ear dubbing and dub a body so that the dubbing covers the entire first half of the hook shank.  Take the oval tubing and rib the dub body.  Trim off the tubing.



STEP 5: Tie in a piece of 1/4th wide brown scud back for the wing case.  Fold over the scud back to form a loop. Secure with several wraps.  Dub a small ball of black hares ear dub other the thread wraps.






 

STEP 6: Fold a another loop in the scud back to form the second wingcase.  Tie down with several wraps of thread.  Put some black hares ear dub into a dubbing loop.  Make a spiky ball covering the thread wraps.  This will imitate the stoneflys legs.  At this point there is the optional step of adding black rubber legs to the fly.



STEP 7: Advance your thread to behind the hook eye.  Form the third and final wingcase with the scud back.  Secure the scud back withe several wraps of thread and trim off.  Whip finish, cut your thread, and add a drop of head cement.  The Black Stone is now finished.

The Finished Fly

Large king salmon caught on a black stone.

 There you have it, a black stone fly pattern.  This pattern really isn't as hard as it looks, just several steps.  I tie this pattern commercially, its available from autumnsirenflies.blogspot.com.  If you have any questions please email me or leave a comment at the bottom of the page. If you would like to try a simpler stonefly pattern, try the Estaz Stone.
 

Tyler Straight

Custom Tied Steelhead Flies

steelheadflies@me.com

CKOF Website Design

countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com 

Art's Golden Stone

Art's Golden Stone is a variation of the Kauffman Golden Stone.  Art Estus showed me a easier technique for tieing the wingcase.  Instead of turkey sections he uses folded scud back.  The golden stonefly is smaller than its cousin the black stonefly and is present in the Lake Erie tributaries. This fly is heavily weighted so it makes a good point fly in a tandem fly rig.

Hook: MFC 7073 size 10-8
Thread: yellow 6/0
Weight: gold beadhead
Tail: yellow goose biots
Antennae: yellow goose biots
Body: yellow hares ear dub
Rib: medium gold wire
Wingcase: 1/4th in wide brown scud back

STEP 1: With a MFC 7073 size 8-10 in your vise, attach your thread near the eye.  Take two yellow goose biots and tie them in for the antennae using the least amount as thread as possible.  The biots should be about the length of half the hook shank.  Whip finish and cut the thread.  I like t tie several fly antennae first then tie the bodies.


Photo 1A

Photo 1B

STEP 2: Slip a gold beadhead onto the hook and push the beadhead over the thread wraps and up to the hook eye.  Take your yellow 6/0 thread attach it mid shank and wrap back to the tie in point.



Photo 2B

Photo 2B

STEP 3: Take another pair of yellow goose biots and tie them in as the tail, they should extend half the hook shank.  Tie in a piece of medium copper wire and bring your thread back to the tie in point. 


Photo 3A



Photo 3B

STEP 4: Take a clump of yellow hares ear dubbing and dub a body so that the dubbing covers the entire first half of the hook shank.  Take the copper wire and rib the dub body.  Trim off the copper wire.



Photo 4A

Photo 4B

STEP 5: Tie in a piece of 1/4th wide brown scud back for the wing case.  Fold over the scud back to form a loop. Secure with several wraps.  Dub a small ball of yellow hares ear dub other the thread wraps.




Photo 5A

Photo 5B

STEP 6: Fold a another loop in the scud back to form the second wingcase.  Tie down with several wraps of thread.  Put some yellow hares ear dub into a dubbing loop.  Make a spiky ball covering the thread wraps.  This will imitate the stoneflys legs.  At this point there is the optional step of adding yellow rubber legs to the fly.


Photo 6A

Photo 6B

STEP 7: Advance your thread to behind the hook eye.  Form the third and final wingcase with the scud back.  Secure the scud back withe several wraps of thread and trim off.  Whip finish, cut your thread, and add a drop of head cement.  The Golden Stone is now finished.



Photo 7

The finished fly.

 

 There you have it, a golden stone fly pattern.  This pattern really isn't as hard as it looks, just several steps.  I tie this pattern commercially, its available from autumnsirenflies.blogspot.com.  If you have any questions please email me or leave a comment at the bottom of the page. Sometime I will post a simpler golden stone pattern for steelhead.

 

Tyler Straight

Custom Tied Steelhead Flies

steelheadflies@me.com

CKOF Website Design

countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com