Steelhead Anglers

My friend, Carl Engel, uses a Boss variation called the Pinky which has been used on the Babine for over 20 years and probably has accounted for more caught Steelhead than any other single fly.   This fly plows water like a tugboat while the pink wings are visible to the angler like you cannot believe.  Steelhead LOVE black dry flies. 

This Spey is based on the famous Green Butt Skunk.  The Green Butt is silk floss tied over a gold tinsel tag so it glows like a lantern in the water.  This fly has an awesome silhouette in the water and has accounted for Steelhead up to 31+ pounds so far.  

Alec Jackson Spey Heavy Wire hooks are available for sizes 1.5 and 3.  The heavy wire hook is especially good when fishing with a dry line in a place where you need to get down.  In winter the sink tip takes care of it but when summer fishing you often have situations where you need to get down and the only way to do it is either a weighted fly(yuck) or a heavier hook.

Once I was privileged  to fish the holy water on the Kalama river.  The person I fished with had grown up there and in a day helped me become aware of the awesome power and history of Kalama river steelhead.  The experience so changed me that I poured through my fly history books at home to find the fly that changed the course of fishing history on the river.  One fly that keeps coming up is the Kalama Special.  Designed by Mooch Abrams for Cutthroats it was fished so thoroughly and effectively fo Steelhead by Mike Kennedy that is has become Kalama river legend.  I offer an adapted Spey version of this simple fly using Gadwall as the hackle and Mallard flank wings.  The Yellow/Gray combinations along with the movement of the long flowing hackle is hard for Steelhead to leave along.  Now you can have a bit of Washington State Steelhead lore in your fly box.

Alec Jackson Spey Heavy Wire hooks are available for sizes 1.5 and 3.  The heavy wire hook is especially good when fishing with a dry line in a place where you need to get down.  In winter the sink tip takes care of it but when summer fishing you often have situations where you need to get down and the only way to do it is either a weighted fly(yuck) or a heavier hook.

This Spey was created during late nights tying with Jimi Hendrix.  The only thing I can say about this fly is hang on to your rod when fishing it, the strikes are incredible! 

Alec Jackson Spey Heavy Wire hooks are available for sizes 1.5 and 3.  The heavy wire hook is especially good when fishing with a dry line in a place where you need to get down.  In winter the sink tip takes care of it but when summer fishing you often have situations where you need to get down and the only way to do it is either a weighted fly(yuck) or a heavier hook.

The colors on this fly have to be seen to be believed.  The Sunburst Spey Hackle over black iridescent dubbing give the fly a subtle glow from a great distance.  The fly has a great profile but it is understated in every way and will never spook fish but rath tease them into picking it up.  Did I mention the copper tag and rib which drive Ironheads crazy?

This fly was suggested by the need to have an orange fly in the box and my obsession with the work of Syd Glasso.  The gold hook causes the red butt of this fly to shine like a road sign and the sleek bronze mallard wings make it a real show fly, but one that Steelies just cannot resist. 

Alec Jackson Spey Heavy Wire hooks are available for sizes 1.5 and 3.  The heavy wire hook is especially good when fishing with a dry line in a place where you need to get down.  In winter the sink tip takes care of it but when summer fishing you often have situations where you need to get down and the only way to do it is either a weighted fly(yuck) or a heavier hook.

This fly is not a dry at all but I would never go fishing with my box of dries without this fly.  When the Steelhead refuses to eat a well presented dry one must sometime resort to a wet fly.  This is the one.  This variation of the "Doc Spratley" is tied entirely of pheasant tail with a black collar so it is just a big Pheasant Tail Nymph.  No trout can resist!  This fly in size 3 is the big producer on the Thompson for brutes up to 25 pounds.  Put a handful of these in your dry fly box!

Here it is.  A multi hued variation of the original.  A bit of flash, a lot of movement and a great profile in the water.  This is the culmination of the last 5 years on the water fishing big patterns