THE WHITE SALMON EGG STEELHEAD FLY - Hook Size 6
$0.75US each (reduced to $0.50US each if part of a mixed 100 or more fly order)

This fly imitates fish roe. It is one of the simplest of all flies. When salmon spawn in the fall (Autumn), there are always steelhead and trout just downstream from them, waiting to eat loose eggs. Egg flies should be weighted and fished dead drift near the bottom during spawning seasons. If you see spawning salmon, cast so the fly lands just behind them and drifts down stream from the spawning pair. You can bet there are steelhead or trout waiting below the salmon for drifting eggs. Many fly fishing anglers won't use an egg fly because it looks too much like bait, or because it is not a representation of an aquatic or land based insect. In there own way they 'match the hatch'. Egg flies imitate a naturally-occurring food that wild trout, steelhead, and salmon eat with gusto. Ask any angler that fishes Alaskan or other steelhead waters how important egg flies are to these fish. 

These imitation Salmon Egg patterns can be found in any tackle store and are manufactured in a strange variety of colors and shades. The naturally salmon eggs are not bright colors. On the contrary they are generally of pastel shades of cream, pink, orange or red. Lighter colors will mimic nature more closely. Trout will eat egg flies where ever you fish. Color and size will vary  and there are different style of egg patterns to choose from hook size 18 to 6. At present we only stock the larger more popular sizes.

You should include a few selections in an off-white or cream color. Eggs which are not immediately fertilized during the spawning process quickly turn a milky white indicating a dead egg. When other color patterns are not proving effective, switching to a "dead egg" color may quickly change your luck. I prefer to fish an egg by sight fishing. I know it is not always possible but it is more fun and much more productive. I try to drift the egg in front of the trout's nose. I make my presentation as drag free as possible as the fish will rarely take a dragging egg. It does not look natural. 

If I cannot see the egg this pattern should be fished "dead drift" on or very near the bottom. A strike indicator added to your line is a great help if you find it difficult to follow the fly's drift. It is much more important if you are using it as a searching pattern and not fishing a particular fish. Getting the presentation down to the proper depth may pose a problem in deep or fast waters. A swipe of dish soap or degreasing solution on your leader will remove any oils and other build up. It will help break the surface tension to allow faster sinking. Fast sink tips may help when fishing the bigger rivers and a tiny split shot might be necessary under some conditions.

When insect have stopped hatching and there is that lull before the late afternoon and evening hatch. If you have tried ant, beetle or hopper patterns with out success, tie on an egg and wait for the bite. 

WHAT FLY TO USE FOR SALMON FISHING

What fly do you choose apart from an egg pattern? It is generally helpful to use a color of fly that matches the overall color of the riverbed. Some rivers are generally brown like weak coffee without the milk and these conditions call for a dark brown or black fly such as the Munro killer, Thunder and lightening or Stoats tail.

Other rivers that flow off bare rock or limestone are often crystal clear. They may have a blue or green/yellow tinge so choose flies with the same coloring like Yellow Torrish or the Green Highlander. During early spring and late autumn when the rivers are in full flow after a recent storm try some of the brighter flies. Use garish yellow and orange flies for cold days like Ally's Shrimp, General Practitioner, Dunkeld, Garry Dog, Adrian's Deer Hair Prawn, Adrian's Orange Shrimp and Silver Doctor. On less cold days use more inconspicuous flies.

It still makes sense to go by the old "Bright day-bright fly, dark day-dark fly" but don't get locked into it. Experiment with patterns and sizes. After missing a strike, I like to change to a smaller version of the same pattern. If that doesn't bring a hit, I go to a fly that's completely opposite of the original.

Experiment with the speed of the retrieve past a known salmon or steelhead lie. An attack can often be provoked if you stir the hunting instinct of this great tasting, large predatory. A sudden quick retrieve can suggest the rapid escape movement of a startled small fish that has seen it’s biggest nightmare

Generally migratory salmon and steelhead trout cease feeding as they return to freshwater to spawn. They can be tempted or provoked into taking a general brightly colored attractor pattern (some fishermen call them a 'piss-em-off' pattern) like one of the orange Woolly Bugger. They may also eat out of habit something that they were feeding upon in open ocean. Flies that represent shrimp, prawns and bait fish are ideal. Try Adrian's Shrimp or the orange version.  

In North America and in other parts of the world, salmon are commonly caught on dry flies  like hoppers (grasshoppers), daddy-long-legs (craine flies) and the Wulff or Bomber series of dry flies. This is rarely tried in Europe. If you live in Europe, discard tradition and give it a try.

STEELHEADS

Steelheads are simply migratory rainbow trout. (A Sea Trout is the migratory form of the brown trout). They spawn in freshwater rivers and lakes, remain there for about two years, then migrate to the open sea where they will stay for another two to three years before they begin returning to their native rivers.

Steelheads returning to their home rivers, will be fully mature and weigh between seven and ten pounds. Fish that have stayed in the ocean longer can reaching impressive sizes of 12 to 20 pounds or more. Unlike the migratory salmon, not all sea-run steelhead die immediately after spawning. About twenty percent of each steelhead generation that returns to freshwater to spawn make their way back down the rivers and into the sea again. Not many will be strong enough to make a second spawning run.

Steelheads in the sea look very much like river trout until they begin their migration when they change to a bright silver, their backs a darker grey. Anglers call these trout "chrome bright," or "chromers." After they have been in freshwater for a time, however, steelhead slowly begin to take on the color patterns of true rainbow trout, with various patterns of black spots sprinkled across their backs, complete with smears of red on the cheeks, with distinctive red stripes marking their flanks. These red stripes can range in color from soft coral pink to a deeper blood-red color. The males fish are more colorful.

Migrations continue throughout the year, although the most active steelhead months are December, January, and March for winter steelhead; and June through August for the summer runs. Most steelhead rivers have only a summer or a winter run; some have both, and some experience no spring or summer steelhead runs at all hosting an autumn/fall and winter-run trout. It is mostly the big rivers, that have steelhead runs year-round.

Winter-run steelhead become very single minded. It is the greatest run of trout in terms of numbers. All their energy is devoted to spawning. For the most part, when they do feed, or strike a fly, they seem to do so out of habit and instinct rather than true hunger. It is this instinct - the steelhead's curiosity that can work to the angler's advantage. They will still strike at a well-presented artificial fly. They are also exceptionally wary, nervous, and incredibly difficult to catch. Winter steelhead seem to be, by far, the spookiest of the migratory steelhead. In shallow, clear water. Even the hint of a shadow moving across the water startles them, sending them scurrying.

The spring and summer trout runs produce the highest quality of steelheads, in looks and sport. They are still sexually immature when they enter the rivers. They will spend more time in freshwater before they begin spawning. Most winter-run steelhead will spawn quickly and then return to the ocean, some do linger in the rivers throughout the winter and into the spring. Spring and summer-run trout will often remain in the rivers through the summer months. When these steelheads strike, they do so with a great deal more ferocity than winter-run trout. They fight like big saltwater fish and are one of the great game fish of the world.

FISHING FOR STEELHEADS

The best way to insure good future fishing is to leave the females alone. Any bright fish is probably a hen on her way upriver, and should be left alone, although exceptionally large ones are a tempting target. Watch for female steelheads that turn on their sides and pump their tails, to scoop a hollow where they will drop their eggs. The scent stream of pheromones is like a magnet to the males. Hooking or otherwise spooking the females, is almost a guarantee that any near-by males will depart, and then there are NO fish to target. Accurately casting to the edges of the gathering steelhead male pack will get hits from the males. Cast far enough upstream of the fish to allow the fly to sink to their level before it gets to them. Drift the fly into the fish's face, and lifting and swinging away when it gets within a few inches. This method brings out their predatory instincts. You should see the strike using sun glasses. Set the hook with a downstream sweep of the rod. Play him away from the pack, to avoid spooking the rest of the fish.

Some smaller males will be chased off by larger males, and will drift back. A careful river bed presentation may elicit hard strikes from these fish. Keep the fly deep. Burn that into your brain. The fish are intent on spawning, rarely feed. You must get down to their level.

It still makes sense to go by the old "Bright day-bright fly, dark day-dark fly" but don't get locked into it. Experiment with patterns and sizes. After missing a strike, I like to change to a smaller version of the same pattern. If that doesn't bring a hit, I go to a fly that's completely opposite of the original. A huge black egg sucking leech would replace a tiny Polar Shrimp.

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