Bodkin / Patterns

Deschutes River Salmonfly

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 3XL-4XL long dry-fly/stonefly hook, 4-8
  • Thread Orange 6/0

Materials

  • Body Burnt orange (Foam strip or orange dubbing)
  • Rib Black ostrich herl (Palmered brown/black hackle, trimmed (optional))
  • Underwing Amber vinyl rib medium (Elk or Antron (optional))
  • Wing Natural gray squirrel body fur (Elk or deer hair)
  • Hackle Brown grizzly hackle (1-2 feathers at the head)
  • Indicator Orange permanent marker (Foam or bright poly tuft (optional))

How to tie it

  1. Mount the long hook and start orange thread. Salmonflies are big, so use the whole shank.
  2. Tie in a burnt-orange foam strip (or dub a fat body) and build a plump, segmented abdomen over the rear two-thirds.
  3. If ribbing, palmer a hackle back over the body and secure with a counter-wrap, then trim it short and buggy.
  4. Add an amber underwing if using, then a full clump of natural elk hair as the down-wing, tips reaching just past the bend.
  5. Wind two turns of brown grizzly hackle at the head for float and a leg-kicking silhouette.
  6. Add a small orange foam or poly indicator tuft on top so you can track this big fly on broken water.
  7. Build a head, whip finish, and cement.

Tying videos

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