Fly Colors

[tpeterson]

THIS.

I thought it was just me..

Me too! This is my camp. I think we need a support group

[tcorfey]

The color combinations I have caught the most salmon/steelhead on are black/purple/blue and orange/yellow/white. Shades of color vary and sometimes adding a little pink to either color combo is deadly. I could probably tie all flies in those combos using different sizes, styles and weights and do just fine. But of course I am always experimenting. Those are my go to colors, does any body have other combos they are partial to?

[Jcolin]

black and blue is a great combo. i got my first winter SH on the swing with black and orange. also all pink or black and pink. then theres purple...purple and black or straight purple. purple and pink combo we would do well with in southeast AK for coho. black and chartreuse (more black) has been good for me too. i see lots of summer run patterns, like hairwings and classic patterns in bright colors but i tend to fish more natural colors for klamath and trinity fish in the fall. would love to go far north and fish summer steelhead other than what our state has to offer some day. if not bc at least the north umpqua deschutes or grande ronde etc.

[TaylerW]

I have to break it down into two categories. Upriver/summer fish and winter fish.

With summers where I fish, they are a good bit upriver but tend to move quickly. With that I try to replicate the things they most often eat with some exceptions. Orange and pink bead heads seem to elicit a bead bite. Stoneflies, caddis, mays are all prolific in the system. Dark colored rubber legs; no flash during warm months, and black w/copper flash or black w/red and blue.

Winter fish are a different story. Where I enjoy to chase them they are pretty fresh in the river. Shortly before I typically encounter them they are out in the pacific. I like to think of colors and combinations that are akin to sardines, squid and the big hitter, pacific mackerel. I truly believe the color of a pacific mackerel is why black /w blue accents and flash is my #1 go to.

Just my .02

[hwchubb]

I’ll add my $0.02, even though Tayler’s opinion is a helluva lot more experienced than mine.

My go-tos are an orange bodied muddler for summer / fall, orange and black intruder or orange comet in the winter, with a spawning purple in the mix. I just have confidence in orange / orange and black. I’ve never caught a steelhead on blue, probably because I don’t try it until I’ve thoroughly fished through with the above flies and there probably aren’t any players, at least for me.

And definitely dark fly/ dark day rule, unless it doesn’t work. Then do the opposite.

Fish your confidence fly for steelhead. That’s the one rule that seems to hold.