FLYMPH FORUM

Steelhead Pat
Hook: Tiemco 202SP #6
Thread: Danville Flymaster 6/0, hot orange
Hackle: Partridge, brown
Rib: Tinsel, gold oval
Tail: Partridge, brown - tied short
Abdomen: Floss, orange
Thorax: Australian possum; partridge, grey; Australian possum

Note: Brush out the Australian possum with a velcro brush to form a shroud

Video here - please view in HD, if able:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JXgib-lIyY

Cheers,
Hans W

Very neat tie Hans.
Is it aimed soley at Steelhead or can it be used as a Salmon or large Trout pattern?
Does it represent a small baitfish, or just something to provoke a strike from an angry Steelhead?
Really like the double hackle method, divided by the thorax dubbing. Most double hackle Steelhead patterns I have seen have both hackles wrapped at the front.

Mataura mayfly wrote:Very neat tie Hans.
Is it aimed soley at Steelhead or can it be used as a Salmon or large Trout pattern?
Does it represent a small baitfish, or just something to provoke a strike from an angry Steelhead?

Jeff,

This is a pattern originated by Loren Williams in New York state for fishing the Great Lakes steelhead coming into the streams for spawning. He does tie it in smaller sizes, and a bit sparser, as a wingless wet for 'plain' trout also.

What does it represent? Dunno, but for Loren (a fishing guide) this is his go-to pattern

Here is a link to an article you might find interesting. It fits in quite well with this here forum topics:

http://www.hatchesmagazine.com/page/may2006/178

Cheers,
Hans W

Very interesting, thanks for the link.
Not having true Steelhead or Sea Run trout here, the patterns for them are not popular, but Ifind them quite interesting.

Mataura mayfly wrote:Not having true Steelhead or Sea Run trout here, the patterns for them are not popular, but Ifind them quite interesting.

I thought the lower Taieri had searuns, as also the Pommohacka <SP> ?

Cheers,
Hans W

Yes they do Hans, as does the Mataura. The Mataura and Pomahaka even get the odd Salmon, believed to have escaped from the farms down around Stewart Island, but they are not the runs of migration like in the States or Europe.
True Sea trout were introduced but never took hold. The trout that head to sea in the rivers you mention are just Brown Trout that go downstream for a bit of a look, hit the salt water, say "this is a bit of allright" and hang out there for a while. Bit like Kiwi teens when they go on the big O.E. just like the teens when they get fed up (or run out of money) they head home again upstream to settle down buy a house and have the obligatory 2.5 children, or in the case of the trout spawn.
But it is never in great numbers or a predictable time of the year that they return and it does not take them long to revert to the normal brown trout colouration after being the silvery sheen of sea going trout.

Beautiful fly--that's literally the first pattern I ever bookmarked.

Somehow I missed this one. Hans, this is my kinda fly! Kudos!

Nice tie there Hans. Not often we see a secondary hackle in the middle of an extended thorax like this.

gingerdun wrote:Nice tie there Hans. Not often we see a secondary hackle in the middle of an extended thorax like this.

Mostly because there isn't one