You may also click on any of the navigation buttons on the left to access other parts of this website accessible from this particular page
Top Silver Salmon Fly Patterns for Alaska
by Mark Wade ©See our Alaska Angler Fly Shop for a Complete Line of Alaska's Hottest and Newest Patterns that Work!
When I think of going fishing for silver salmon my heart starts to beat a little faster in anticipation of the spectacular leaps and fast runs these fish make. Tackle is tested to the limit and drags are prematurely worn.
Fly fishers have several colorful fly patterns from which to choose. The Las Vegas Showgirl, featured in Alaska Angler issue number 31, is among the top five most effective patterns for silvers. Also in the top five is the Bunny Alaskabou, Alaska Angler issue number 40. It is a variation of George Cook's Alaskabous which are tied in two different styles. One is patterned after the Stu Apte saltwater flies. The other is tied like the Popsicle pattern described below. Though the original popsicle was tied with orange, fuschia and purple, I have seen them tied in every color combination you can think of. Generally, three different colors are chosen to match different water conditions and species of fish. Purple is usually the best pattern for silvers.
Another excellent fly pattern to have on hand is the Baker Buster. This pattern was originated by Bill Baker and is an excellent choice for silvers and other species of salmon and trout. The last pattern that I will discuss is the Flash Fly which is considered by many to be the best pattern for silvers that you can have in your fly box. The original silver and red pattern has been changed by many who tie flies. Silver and purple, silver and pink, or silver and orange seem to be the most popular color combinations.
Many fly fishers claim that if they had to fish one pattern for silvers it would be the Flashfly. However, I recommend having a variety of different patterns to meet changing conditions encountered on various rivers. A good collection of patterns includes both weighted and unweighted flies. If you have someone tie the flies for you, make sure they use different color thread so that you can easily distinguish which patterns are weighted or unweighted. Our choices for the best silver salmon fly patterns are Flash Fly, Las Vegas Showgirl, and Popsicle with the Baker Buster and Alaskabou running close behind.
Flash Fly
Hook: Mustad 3407 or 34007 1/0, 2 or larger depending on the watershed you will fishing
Weight: .035 wire or none
Thread: Red 3/0 monocord
Tail: Silver Flashabou
Body: Silver diamond braid or silver poly flash
Underwing: White bucktail
Overwing: Silver flashabou
Hackle: Red schapplen or soft hackle
Popsicle
This fly is tied with a technique called reverse-winging where the wing is tied in reverse. It makes the fly more durable so that the wing will not be pulled out.
Cover the hook shank with wire from directly above the hook point to 1/4 inch back from the hook eye. Attach the thread and bind the wire down, leaving the thread at the wing position, which should be 1/4 inch from the hook eye. Attach a wing-length portion of Flashabou extending forward from the hook eye. On top of that, attach a wing-length section of calf tail. Return the thread to a point above the barb of the hook. Tie in a tail of Flashabou. Tie in a section of diamond braid or poly flash and wind forward to the wing. Tie in position. Attach the red hackle and make three turns stroking the fibers to the rear of the hook. Tie off the hackle and fold the calf tail and the Flashabou back to a wing position and wrap down with thread to hold it. Build up a neat, tapered head. Whip finish and head cement and the fly is complete.
Hook: Mustad 36890 or Equivalent
Size: 1/0 4
Weight: .035 wire or none
Thread: Red 3/0 monocord
Body: Fluorescent Orange, Fushia,and purple marabou, wound as hackles. Add electric blue and gold Flashabou in very small amounts.1. Cover the hook from midway on the hook shank to two eye lengths back from the eye of the hook. Attach the thread and bind the wire down returning the thread to the midway position on the hook shank.
2. Select a short 4-inch blood quill marabou feather dyed orange and tie it in by the tip the same way as you would tie in a hackle feather. Wrap the marabou forward, stroking the fibers to the rear of the hook.
3. Add the electric blue and gold flashabou not to extend past the marabou body.
4. Repeat step 2 with the next color of marabou and then repeat step 3.
5. Tie in the last of the marabou and wrap forward as discussed in step 2 and tie of. Build up a neat tapered head, whip finish and head cement and the fly is complete.
Baker Buster
Hook: Mustad 7970
Size: 2 8
Weight: .035 wire
Thread: Danville Flat Waxed nylon #505
Tail: White Marabou
Body: 3 Red Schapplen Hackles and 2 two-inch pieces of unraveled silver mylar tubing
Cover the hook shank with wire from directly above the point to 1/4 inch back from the hook eye. Bind down the wire returning the thread to above point. Attach the white marabou tail with the tail being no longer than the hook shank.
Attach the red hackle tip first and wrap as you would a collar, stroking the fibers to the rear of the hook. Unravel the 2 inch piece of mylar tubing so that you are able to slide it over the hook shank with the tubing surrounding the hook but still have 1/4 inch left to tie down. Repeat the hackle and mylar steps. Build up a neat tapered head, whip finish and head cement and the fly is complete.
Alaskabou (Stu Apte version)
Hook: Mustad 3407
Size: 1/0
Weight: none or bead chain or lead eyes
Thread: Danville flat waxed nylon #505
Tail: Fuchsia marabou and purple and silver flashabou
Body: Thread wraps to the hook eye
Hackle: Purple schapplen
Attach the thread and tie in a bulky marabou tail extending 1 and 1/2 times longer than the hook shank. Tie in several strands of silver and purple flashabou on both sides and top, extending the length of the wing. Tie in the purple schapplen and wrap as you would a collar, stroking the fibers to the rear of the hook. Build up a neat head and then continue to wrap down the hook shank building a thin body to the hook eye. At this point if I was to weight the pattern I would attach the eyes. If not, continue to the next step. Whip finish and head cement and the fly is finished.
Glo-Bug
A visit to Alaska means only one thing to many fishing travelers. Trophy fly fishing in pristine locations. King salmon, silver salmon, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Arctic char and more, await the fly fisher outfitted with the right flies. Rainbow trout are among the most sought after fish in Alaska and one fly insures success.
The Glo Bug, a salmon egg imitation, has been used by fly fishers for the past 30 years. It is tied in a myriad of colors and variations. Most fly tiers use the Mustad 9174 hook which is 3x strong with a short shank and a ringed eye.
Though there are other brands of egg yarn, I prefer that produced by The Bug Shop in Anderson, California. Available in 37 eye catching colors and four different sizes this yarn is a proven favorite. The most popular type is called, simply, Glo Bug Yarn. It is 5/16 of an inch in diameter and comes packaged in 15-foot lengths, enough to tie approximately 24 standard Glo Bugs depending upon size.
Glo Bugs Rope is the type of yarn that I prefer when tying bigger flies like Klutina King Killers or Fat Freddies. The larger size is easier to work with when tying larger patterns that require a lot of yarn. Excellent results can be achieved using one piece of rope instead of the customary four to six pieces of yarn when tying standard Glo Bugs. Packaged in 36-inch lengths, the rope measures about one inch in diameter.
Glo Bugs Fly Yarn is 1/8 of an inch in diameter and is packaged in 10-yard lengths. It is used for smaller Glo Bugs or to achieve that tiny dot in the middle of the egg you've always wondered about.
Glo Bugs Professional Series Micro Yarn completes The Bug Shop line. It is 1/16 of an inch in diameter and used to tie the smallest of flies.
Most flies that are tied to represent Alaskan salmon eggs are much too big. The idea is to match the egg of the sockeye salmon, which is small compared to the king salmon eggs which may be as large as 3/8 of an inch in diameter. The eggs of sockeyes run about 3/16 of an inch in diameter and not larger than 1/4 of an inch in diameter. It is also necessary to match the correct color combination of the eggs in the stream that you will be fishing. I have found that a number of fly fishers don't realize that the eggs will change color as the season progresses. When the eggs are first laid by the female they will be an orange/pink color and will change to a lighter shade of pink turning into a creamy yellow color.
I carry a wide color assortment of egg patterns when I go fishing, but the Peachy King, Champagne, and Cream are my favorites. You can expect to lose a lot of flies when fishing for rainbows, so don't skimp on your Glo Bug selection.
Hook: Mustad 9174
Size: 6 - 8
Thread: Danville Flymaster Plus #505
Body: 4 to 6 pieces of Glo Bugs yarn or 1 piece of Glo-Bugs rope
Before tying this pattern there are a few rules to be sure your finished Glo Bug looks like a salmon egg not a scrambled egg.
1. Sharp scissors are a must. I have used Thompson Supreme scissors for the past seven years of professional fly tying. They feature factory sharpened, ice-tempered, stainless steel blades with extremely fine serration ground into one blade which will grip the material that you cut. Glo-Bug yarn will dull a pair of scissors so for production tying I use two pair and rotate them on a continuing basis.
2. The thread must be strong enough to be able to pack the yarn tightly together. I recommend Flymaster Plus or Kevlar thread.
3. The yarn must stay on top of the hook shank or your Glo Bug will end up looking like a scrambled egg.
This will take practice and I suggest you use Glo Bug rope which is easier to handle than four to six pieces of yarn.
Start by laying a short section of thread on the hook starting at the eye and working back to the middle of the hook. Lay the yarn on the side of the hook nearest you and make three wraps of thread through the middle of the yarn; each wrap being tighter than the first and in the same spot. Pull hard on the thread to tighten the yarn securely, making sure the yarn is on top of the hook. Gather the yarn together between your fingers and pull it upward. Hold it there while you take six to eight turns of thread in front and in back of the spot were you tied in the yarn, making sure the yarn does not slip under the hook shank. Move your tying thread to the front of the fly and whip finish. Hold the yarn up tightly with one hand and make a cut parallel to the hook shank and a hook gap distance from the shank of the hook. If the thread was wrapped tightly enough, the yarn should flare. Pull the yarn down and around with your fingers in order to distribute and shape it as desired. Trim if needed.
When fishing for rainbows with Glo Bugs, fish them like you would fish with a nymph. Use a floating line and a strike indicator with a long 9 - 12 foot leader. Keep the egg as close to the bottom as possible by adding small split-shot to get down to the fish. The fish will be looking for the egg close to the bottom not mid-depth, so adjust your split-shot to have the fly pattern just tickling bottom. Using a strike indicator will increase your chances of catching fish and allow you to set the hook quickly keeping the fly out of the gill-rakers and causing damage.
Remember to crimp down the barb of the hook when you use Glo Bugs because they are so effective the rainbows will take them in the back of their throat.Learn the specific how-to and where-to-go secrets of catching trophy sheefish, trout and salmon on your own with Alaska's best selling, 368-page book, "How to Catch Alaska's Trophy Sportfish", available for $25.95 + $6 shipping from Alaska Angler Publications, POB 83550, Dept. AAW, Fairbanks, AK 99708 907-455-8000 or order at our web site www.alaskaangler.com
This page last updated: July 31, 2001