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Flies That Survived The Test Of Time

Photos Courtesy of Carl Coleman Fly Shop

Troy has asked me to do a fly list for the up coming Autumn's fishing. This can be a little dangerous. I have been compared to a pack mule, because of all the flies I will carry. To make matters worse, I am a flytier, and enjoy experimenting with different fly patterns. My fly list easily gets out of control.

So with much effort, I have taken a chainsaw to the list. With great pain, the list has been hacked to 12-flies. We all must make sacrifices at times and Troy needs the space in the magazine.

The 12 flies, I have picked have survived the test of time. They are proven fish catchers. A few of these flies may surprise some people. You may not consider these flies as Salmon River flies. The size of the flies are a lot larger than what most anglers would think of using, but I believe that we have a tendency at times to use flies that are too small. In order to get a fish to bite a fly, they must first see it and then keep their attention focused on the fly. Small flies don't do that at times. A traditional wet fly tied on a size 4 hook will definitely get their attention. We must accomplish this without running the fish off. This is why most of the flies on the list are tied with earth tone colors. The water in the Fall is very clear, and the fishing pressure always seems to be heavy. In my experience, bright colored flies need to be small, so the fish won't back off the fly when it is presented. I personally use bright colors sparingly in my tying.

I enjoy fishing and tying traditional Salmon and Steelhead flies. There are 5 of these on my list. For the most part, I am a Wooly Bugger fisherman when it comes to Salmon Fishing. What I like best about Wooly Buggers is they are easy to tie. When Salmon fishing, if you are not losing a few flies, you are not fishing. The other benefits of Wooly Buggers, is that there isn't a wrong way to fish the fly, dead drift or swing, the fly will fish well both ways.

Here is my list of 12 flies:

• Wooly Bugger
• Boss
• Black Bear Green Butt
• Green Butt Picket
• Fall Favorite
• White Zonker
• Stone Fly
• Infected Pheasant Tail
• Hare's Ear
• Nuclear Row Bug
• Carpet Fly
• Estaz Egg

Most of these flies' work well when fishing both the Salmon and Steelhead. A few of the flies will be effective for all three fish, which includes the Brown Trout. I will explain how the fly list is broken down:

Salmon
As I have said, I like to swing flies. Salmon like a fly with some action in it. I choose flies with that in mind. I will fish Wooly Bugger's in size 6. I tie them in the earth tones colors of black & silver, and brown & copper. My favorite flies are the Traditional Salmon Fly, the Boss, Green Butt Black Bear, Green Butt Picket, in size 6, and 4, and Stone Flies in sizes 8 to 6. Coho Salmon are the exception to the rule. They like bright colored flies like the Fall Favorite in size 6 and 4, and the Infected Pheasant Tail in size 8.

Steelhead
What can I say said about Steelhead, except that they will bite every fly on the 12-Fly List. When I am fishing for Steelhead and there are a lot of Salmon around, I will use the Infected Pheasant Tail, Fall Favorite, or a Hare's Ear. Once the Salmon start spawning, the Steelhead will key in on the eggs. At that point, the egg flies will become the hot fly. A Nuclear Row Bug Fly tied in the colors Oregon Cheese and Chartreuse, on dark days may work well. The other two Egg Flies are the Carpet Fly and Estaz Egg in colors of Burnt Orange and Chartreuse. I prefer to keep my box of egg flies simple and only carry these flies in sizes10 and 8. I have added the White Zonker in size 4-6 to the list because it has counted for so many Steelheads in the Genesee River. Due to my experience with this fly, I could not leave it out. The fly has also earned its keep on the Salmon River. Another good choice would be the Stone Fly Nymph.

Wooly Bugger Hook: Daiichi 2220 and 1530 Size: 2220 #6 1530 #4 Thread: UNI 6/0 Black Tail: Maribou brown Hackle: Brown Body: chenille - brown copper	Boss Hook: Daiichi 2451 Size: 4 Thread: UNI 6/0 orange Tail: Black bear Rib: Ova silver tinsel Body: Pseudo seal dubbing black Hackle: Orange - style Eyes: Bead chain links tied on at head	Black Bear - Green Butt Hook: Daiichi 2441 Size: 6 - 4 Thread: UIN 6/0 black Tail: Black bear Butt: Z-Lon fluorescent green Rib: ova silver tinsel Body: Pseudo seal dubbing Collar: Black hackle Wing: Black bear	Green Butt Picket Hook: Daiichi 2441 Size: 6-4 Thread: UIN 6/0 Black Tag: Flat silver tinsel Butt: Flex - Floss chartreuse Tail: Brown hackle Rib: Fine copper wire Body: peacock herl Hackle: Brown tie in tip first
Fall Favorite Hook: Daiichi 2441 Size: 6 - 4 Thread: UIN 6/0 orange Body: Flat silver tinsel Wing: Fluorescent orange calf tail Hackle: Orange - collar style	White Zonker Hook: Daiichi 2220 Size: 6 -1 Thread: UIN 6/0 Orange Body: Silver mylar piping Wing: Zonker strips white	Hare's Ear Hook: Daiichi 1530 Size: 12 - 8 Thread: UIN 6/0 black Tail: Brown hackle fibers Rib: Fine ova gold tinsel Abdomen: Hare's ear Wing case: Goose Thorax: Hare's ear Legs: hare's ear picked out in thorax area	Infected Pheasant Tail Hook: Daiichi 1530 or 1710 Size: 10 - 8 Thread: UIN 6/0 black Tail: Pheasant tail tips Rib: Fine copper wire Abdomen: Ring neck pheasant tail fibers Thorax: Fluorescent red chenille Wing Case: Pheasant tail thorax Legs: Pheasant tail tips
Nuclear Row Bug Hook: Daiichi 1530 Size: 12 - 8 Thread: White waxed thread Body: Oregon cheese dub Wing: White glo-bug yarn	Jay's Flash Back Stone Hook: Daiichi 1120 Size: 10 - 6 Thread: UIN 6/0 black Tail: Black goose split Rib: Medium copper wire Abdomen: Olive V- rib flat side down Thorax: Black seal substitute Wing case: Pearl flash back Hackle: 2 goose biots split and tied to rear Head: Counter sunk bead with two turns of peacock behind head	Mark's Carpet Fly Hook: Daiichi 1530 Size: 12 - 8 Thread: Kevler - orange Body: Standard knitting yarn, mix of white orange, Cadmiun yellow, yellow ocher, pink, peach, lie yellow Net: The pattern is tied like a glo-bug, the many colors make the fly look like a small cluster of eggs. The fly is typically tied with 7 strands of yarn for a #10, 12 for a #8.	Coleman's Estaz Egg Hook: Daiichi 1530 Size: 12 - 8 Thread: red or orange waxed thread Body: Butter Rum, or chartreuse yellow Esyaz Wing: White or yellow globug yarn [length of body] The tail and wing is the same piece of yarn. Tied in at tail and then used later for the wing, Tail: White or yellow globug yarn (approximatey1/2)

Brown trout
By the time the Brown Trout gets around to running, the rivers will be saturated with eggs from the Spawning Salmon. All a Brown Trout will want is eggs. My first choice is Nuclear Row Bug Fly in the color Oregon Cheese in size 8. Most of my Brown's have been caught with that fly. The Carpet Fly and the Estaz Egg will round it out for the egg flies. However, when the Brown Trout become a little reluctant to take an egg fly the Hare's Ear and Stone Fly will fill in just fine.

My pick of 12 flies, probably isn't what some people would have in mind. As I have said, they are time proven and there is no doubt that these flies will produce. In my experience, all of the flies have produced for me over the years. In my experience, it doesn't matter how good the fly looks, or how effective the fly is supposed to be, if the fly is not properly presented to the fish, the fly is only worthless stuff wrapped around the hook. We all have a lot of fun talking about flies, tying and trading flies, but remember, that good presentation is where it all happens. n

Have a good Fall Fly
Fishing! Jay

Jay Peck is a fly fishing guide fishing on the Lake Ontario tributaries; fishing the Salmon River in the fall, September through mid October for salmon, steelhead and brown trout. Fishing Oak Orchard, Lower Genesse and Sandy Creek in Monroe County, from mid October through December for giant brown trout and steelhead. Contact Jay at Coleman's Fly Shop at 585-352-4775 or e-mail him at www.colemansflyshop.com. He will be fishing steelhead on the Oak Orchard and the Genesee River all winter and the Salmon River in April..

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