California Steelhead
Many traditional fly patterns have survived the test of time and are still
fished successfully on California steelhead rivers. Some of the most popular
of these include Assassins, Brindle Bugs, Burlaps, Green Butt Skunks,
Silver Hiltons, even Muddlers. As anglers began to experiment with
different tactics in targeting steelhead, exciting new fly patterns emerged.
Though steelhead in upriver environs take on more and more trout
characteristics – both in their physical appearance and their actions and
reactions to the environment surrounding them – they are still steelhead,
and their experiences evolved while living in the ocean never fully leave
them. This means that although they may be less likely to charge across the
stream to hammer a bright pink prawn imitation, they nonetheless remain
responsive to attractive qualities in flies – those that provide the mere
essence of the living creature – and do not always need an exact imitation
to entice a take.
Mr. Fox’s Sleech
As swinging flies for steelhead regains popularity in
California, new fly patterns designed by local anglers are proving successful all up and down the coast. Mr. Fox’s Sleech is one such pattern, designed by the innovative Tim Fox. It is a twisted blend on the original articulated and string-leech style of flies, and proves effective in its many color combinations on all of California’s coastal steelhead rivers. A combination of rabbit strips and polar chenille, the Sleech fairly wriggles in your hand, and is even more dramatic in the water.
Recipe for Mr. Fox’s Sleech
Back hook: Gamakatsu Octopus hook or Daiichi 2571, size 2
Front hook: Mustad 3406 or any cheap ring-eye hook, size 2
Bead 1Ž4 inch Brite Bead
Thread: Black 6/0 or flat waxed nylon
Tail: Zonker cut rabbit
Body Rusty copper UV Polar Chenille and a black Zonker rabbit strip, or
purple Polar Chenille with a purple Zonker rabbit strip
Connector 30 pound braded backing
Collar Black or pink schlappen
Weight: 15 wraps of .035 lead wire or substitute
Recipe for MC Redd Reaper
Hook Tiemco 105, sizes 6 through 10 or equivalent
Thread Orange Kevlar
Eyes Small black bead chain
Yolk Orange, tangerine, or red McFly Egg Yarn
Veil: Champagne, pink lady, peachy king, shrimp pink, or golden nugget
Glo-Bug yarn
The MC Redd Reaper
Anyone who has spent time on steelhead rivers cannot deny that steelhead respond to eggs. Simple, commonplace egg patterns like the Glo-Bug have
proven their worth over decades of use. While guiding on the rivers of Northern California, Michael Caranci set out to design a new-and-improved egg pattern to better serve his customers. The goal was to combine the best qualities of the Glo-Bug (it’s soft, like egg candy) with a visually three-dimensional representation of a salmon egg, and the result was the MC
Redd Reaper, so named because it swiftly improved hook-up rates with the heavy Central Valley steelhead on the Lower Sacramento River. Using McFly
Foam, which is slightly more “poofy” and vibrant than Glo-Bug Yarn, he tied a small yarn egg in the middle of the hook, then wrapped a thin layer of lighter colored Glo-Bug Yarn around the internal egg to form a veil. As soon as the fly gets wet, the color of the “yolk” literally glows through,
giving the fly a realistic appearance under water.
Recipe for MC Redd Reaper
Hook Tiemco 105, sizes 6 through 10 or equivalent
Thread Orange Kevlar
Eyes Small black bead chain
Yolk: Orange, tangerine, or red McFly Egg Yarn
Veil: Champagne, pink lady, peachy king, shrimp pink, or golden nugget
Glo-Bug yarn
The Psycho Prince
Mike Mercer, nationally acclaimed fly tying guru and senior staff of The Fly Shop in Redding, California, is one of the true masters at figuring out what sort of fly characteristics trigger active responses from fish. Since the 1980s, Mike has logged hundreds of days targeting steelhead on the Trinity and Lower Sacramento Rivers, and the propensity of Trinity River steelhead to eat attractor nymphs spurred the design of his Psycho Prince. The Psycho Prince was designed to not only boast some life-like representations of a real insect, but to add just enough pizzazz to lure steelhead to taste it
consistently. The end result is a nymph pattern that imitates nothing in particular, incorporates enough flair to get a stubborn steelhead’s attention, yet has more natural insect characteristics than many imitative patterns. The original Psycho Prince was gold in color, but the fly has since been proven effective in many different color combinations.
Recipe for Mercer’s Psycho Prince
Hook: Tiemco 3769 size 12 through 6
Thread: Camel 8/0 Uni-Thread
Bead: Bold bead to match hook size
Tail: Brown turkey or goose biots, tied splayed
Abdomen: Orange Ice Dub
Abdomen carapace: Slip of dark mottled turkey tail.
Rib Copper wire
Bursting wingpads: Electric Banana Angel Hair, clipped short
Splayed “wings” Amber or tannish orange turkey or goose biots
Collar: U.V. brown Ice Dub
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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