Help Please

[cdpaul]

I need to tie some flies for salmon fishing this fall, i have done google searches and searched on here, but i still dont have a clue what to tie. What would be a good set of flies to cover most situations. I fish a small river with fast and slow flows. The river runs into Little Traverse Bay, northern lower penninsula. Mostly catch king salmon with a few pinks. Water is usually low with a few exceptions when it rains. Any pictures of flies and their recipes would help greatly.
CD

[Joel D. Popham]

CD,
I haven't fly fished for salmon, so I can't help you with a list of flies. However, whenever I go to a new place to fish or fish for a different species, I contact a local fly shop or two and just ask them. I will always buy a few flies to support their business, and then I use those flies as examples, to tie my own. Good luck and Best Regards...

[ScottP]

Try this:
http://www.mojoflies.com/

I fished Lake Ontario tribs a few years ago and kept it simple - egg flies, egg-sucking leeches, and small (#12) stonefly nymphs all caught fish. Have fun, hope you catch a bunch.

Regards,
Scott

ps - take Joel's advice and contact some local shops

[rainbowchaser]

I like to use marabou flies for salmon. One favorite is Jack Gartsides' soft hackle streamer. I believe it is in the fly of the week archives. I have found no advantage to one color over another so i have settled on bright colored flies that are easier for me to follow in the water. I don't weight the streamers but use split shot a couple of feet above the fly. I think marabou flies should move as freely as possible to take full advantage of their inherent liveliness. I have also just had a request to tie some #6 stoneflies for the upcoming salmon run from a new aquaintence who fishes the same water I do so I may have to try a few myself.

[cdpaul]

Thats the main problem, i dont have a local fly shop and the closest one is about 2 hours away. I have been tying egg flies and egg sucking leeches, but was wanting to try something else, so maybe i will have to try the stonefly nymph. Thanks

[NJTroutbum]

Bunny flies, egg-sucking leeches in Pink and chartruese, purple & black wooly-buggers.....really hard to beat.

[Joel D. Popham]

CD,
Do the fly shops that are a couple of hours away have web sites? Drop them an email. They will be your best source of up to date information. Best Regards....

[phishtales]

Cd,

All good suggestions so far. Although these aren't true local fly shops for you, both have a presence on the web and both provide seasonal advice on flies for salmon. Both service fly fishers on the west side of Michigan in the lower penninsula. These aren't sponsors here - the mods can delete if necessary.

www.fishbaldwin.com (Baldwin Bait and Tackle)

www.schmidtoutfitters.com (Schmidt Outfitters - Ray Schmidt)

Phishtales

[thorarinna]

fr_1.jpg

Here in Iceland Red Frances is one of the deadliest flies for Atlantic Salmon (ok, not strictly for King Salmon, but it looks like a prawn from the sea...).
Red thred
White and brown hen feathers for "feelers"
Light brown hen for palmering
Red wool in body

Gold for ribs

Pheasant tail for tail.
Shape it like a carrot

If you try it, tell me about the outcome.

Thorarinn

[Cold]

I can't say I've ever gone for salmon, but when I hit the erie tribs for steelhead, I carry 2 boxes. Box 1 is all eggs. Glo bugs, sucker spawn, estaz eggs, etc. In colors ranging from white, cream, and peach, to fluorescent orange, hot pink, and chartreuse.

The other box has an assortment of woolly buggers (black, white olive), generic nymphs (PT, stone, prince), and streamers of a few different types.

These streamers are kind of an ever changing selection, though a simple fly of palmered marabou with some flash, in a variety of colors, will certainly get the job done. Zonkers are another easy addition (carry white, black, and purple)

This year, I'll be trying out a selection of spey and dee inspired flies, hairwings, and slip-wing wets, though I can't personally vouch for them yet.