Most Chinook salmon flies are ugly, stemming from a Northern California tradition of goggle-eyed, skinny-chicken looking Comets with too long tails.
But tie one on anyway, and heave a Type-II shooting head out in an ungraceful loop and let the little pink and black fly swing through the estuary current. When the first strip stops hard, and the line takes off across the pool… The salmon lunges for deep water, and you are physically connected by a wispy piece of plastic to a marine predator the size of a fifth-grader. You will believe.
Chinook Salmon Fly Pattern Library: Updated, featuring patterns from Jay Nicholas, Rob Russell, Barrett Christiansen and Tony Torrence.
