Favorite Coastal Steelhead flies?

[PaulC]

I was looking at my trad box this morning and noticed it was half full from last season.
Since I'll be refilling it over the holidays, I was hoping to add a few new tyes to the arsenal.
I was curious what you folks like to use out there.
-Paul

[OregonSalmon]

My fav: the stick fly. The stick fly is a palmered comet pattern. Oh, and 'dat boss fly, 'dats a good fly.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I would say in general the Boss, Orange Flame and a Gold or Silver Comet are the most popular on the North Coast of CA.

Then some use a shrimp pattern.

Having a range of size like 2 through 10 is important too for matching water clarity.

Some just tie up a black Steelhead woolly bugger and maybe an orange one too?

I like a big black fly when it is dark, overcast or AM/PM.

In general a black fly is pretty powerful.

I think a black fly with a grizzly hackle was Bill Schadt's favorite bug?

[Darian]

Hey Paul,..... If you're talking about fishing coastal estauries, the flies are slightly different than inland on the same rivers (with the exception of the Black Wooly Bugger/Worm pattern)....

Estuary flies tend to include shrimp and maybe stickelback imitations plus flourescent patterns.... The further inland you go, the more buggy and darker the flies become.... Far too many patterns out there to list individual ties.

I'd say pick some patterns to tie and include a range of sizes (e.g. sizes 10 thru 2). The above mentioned patterns are good. As are the standards (e.g. bucktails, feather winged, etc.) Of course, if you're spey casting, the flies will be different, again.

The only rule I try to follow (until it fails) is, "bright day, bright fly; Dark day, dark fly."