Polarbear78 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2012 I have never tried to catch salmon on the fly. However, I have found a spot that I would like to try. I am in Michigan's UP and the salmon are starting to run up the trout streams from the bigger water. The spot I go you can catch them on spinning gear using little cleos or mepps. Blue and chrome or red and brass colored have been the leaders in color so far. Any tips on patterns to try that might produce results? I plan on using my 8 wt. Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rstout 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2012 My experience with salmon on a fly are that salmon are predatory. They have a tendency to attack anything that gets in their face. I have caught them on a purple or black egg sucking leaches. My advice would be to go to the stream and try some standard patterns. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Polarbear78 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2012 My experience with salmon on a fly are that salmon are predatory. They have a tendency to attack anything that gets in their face. I have caught them on a purple or black egg sucking leaches. My advice would be to go to the stream and try some standard patterns. Thanks rstrout, I'll put together a few different colors and styles of the classic egg sucking leach and see how that works. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2012 atlantic salmon are caught every year in uk on flies intended for trout. Black pennell, hares ears, ptn, butchers, wooly buggers etc. In the low flows of summer small or dry is best. down to #14 or even #16 but they need to be a strong pattern. In deeper stronger water the fly size goes up to #8 or bigger, and tube flies up to 3inch. Colder water also means deeper fly, so sink tips and or heavy flies. patterns like cascade, ally shrimp, willie gunn etc cant be far wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bad fish rising 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2012 my favorite is alaskabous & all their variations Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frank G. Swarner III 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2012 Definitely tie some egg sucking leeches as suggested by rstout. They will be good for steelhead and browns too. Same goes for the alaskabous suggested by BFR. Try some streamers tied in colors that are similar to the cleos or mepps. That's your first big hint the fish are giving you. Big stoneflies with a hot colored thorax would work as well. Egg patterns would also work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Polarbear78 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2012 Thanks Frank and Bad Fish, I will give it a try and post my results after I put them to the test! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rocco 0 Report post Posted October 10, 2012 The simplest, quickest, and most effective salmon fly I know of for salmon in MI is a no-namer suggestive stone fly nymph made from just medium black chenille and a moderate bunch of long black deer tail. Use a tough quality long shank salmon hook -- not Mustad -- size #4 to 8. For the # 4, tie in the deer hair long -- about one and a half inches long -- aa a tail. Do not cut the deer hair bunch yet. Wind the thread forward over the remainder of the tail hair to an eye length from the front. Coat the wraps with Sally Hanson. Take the thread back to the tail and tie in the chenille. Wind it forward and tie off with several hitches over the thread on the deer hair. Now evenly trim the overhanging deer hair in front to about one half inch long. Fold the hair backward over the chenille. Make thread turns in front of the folded hair to keep it in place, Coat the head and you are done. Scale down the length and girth for the smaller sizes. You can do a dozen in an half hour or so. And the salmon -- including the big devils -- around redds hit them with fervor when fished dead drift on the bottom. Good luck. Rocco Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites