Fall salmon flies

[Clay]

First I don't consider myslef a grand tier. I'm looking for simple patterns for Midwest Lake Michigan tributary fishing this fall.

I see many people fishing a stone fly followed by an egg pattern will tie up some heavy stones and many egg patterns, but am open to some ideas on patterns.

My most difficult thing is to select the patterns. There are so many. I am also interested in patterns that work in my area, I have heard many say, "oh, those are west coast patterns and they don't work around here".

I have an open mind, looking for some new tying projects. Thanks for a shove in the right direction.

[harleybob87]

I live on the west coast so to speak but I have a stone fly patern that is easy to tie and effective. You can weight it if you want here it is:

Hook mustad 87160
tail black goose biots
body: peacock herl
legs black hackle
wingcase black goose

Basicly tie in the tail close to the barb of the hook jut above the last bend. tie in the peacock herl and wind up over the hump and a little in front of it. tie in the shell case and hackle. Wrap the rest of the way up with the peacock herl, wrap hackle and trim top off cover with shell case and tie a head and you are done. Preaty easy and the work wonderfull over here fo steelhead and sink fast cause they are preaty sparse. It is just called a black stone fly nympth.

Oh and may I add the fish don't know if it is a west coast or a east coast fly. The guide I use this year caught a 37 inch steelhead on a #10 pheseant tail nympth. It is what the fish want and that is the botom line. Have confidense in you fly you use and keep it in the water and you will catch fish. Just my 2 cents

[FishnDave]

Rick,
When I used to fish the tribs in WI, egg-sucking leech patterns often worked really good. And double-fly rigs worked better than single flies. Sometimes I was too lazy to re-tie on 2 if my line broke, though, and still caught some fish. The theory was the first fly would get the fish's attention, and then they'd strike at the next one that came along.
Purple-bodied egg-sucking leeches worked best some days, olive bodies worked best other days. Some days a bright lime-green fly got their attention...sometimes a plain muddler minnow with a flash of gold or silver.
I never tried it, but I would suppose a bright "flesh fly" might work.

[darenwh]

I have had alot of success with the following:
Cone/bead head egg sucking leach - Especially with a spinner blade in front of the cone or bead.
Egg patterns: of course.
Crawfish patterns - Especially good for the steelhead and browns but works often for the salmon as well. I have watched fish chase this fly across the run striking at it multiple times when they miss it. I have also caught a fish on it, cast again near the same fish after releasing, and had same fish chase it again. They sometimes won't touch it but other times will want to kill it more than anything.
Large minnow patterns - Use patterns that resemble shad and smelt and tie them like you would for largemouth bass. A salmon/steelhead/lake brown is not a little fish and will have no trouble hitting even a four or more inch fly.
Clouser minnow.
Just about anything...

Once, I saw a bass sitting in a hole not far from some Salmon. It was large, probably approaching 6 pounds, so I decided to give him a cast with a topwater just to see what would happen. I tied on a popper and cast upstream of him. Gave it one pop and a salmon moved out of it's hole, looked at the popper as it was floating downstream, I gave it another pop, and the salmon exploded on it. I caught three more salmon on that popper that day and never got another hit from salmon on any fishing trip after that.

[Max]

Many of Lake MI and other Great Lakes tribs are loaded with Early Black Stone flies that are very effective on your Steelies. Suggest tying some some EBS with the following steelie flair:
-Use shiny dubbing like Hareline UV or Ice Dub
-Use some Pearl salt water (wide) Flashabou for the wing case.
-Use a longer hook and put an Egg up at the hook eye - An Egg-Sucking Stone.

Be creative and design you own based on what you know works.

[mikesalmon]

Hey just wondering if some guys might have one or two favorite flies for fishing the fall run of atlantic salmon.

Thanks, Mike

[Diane]

Wine colored woolly buggers with a bit of flash in the tail.
Brown and orange Clouser minnow.
Redd Foxee (another Bob Clouser pattern)
Eggs with a blood spot
Eggs with a veil