Part of my collection of Winter Steelhead Tube Intruders. The colors represented here are at the top of my list to fish in Oregon Coastal Rivers.
This is an opinion piece, and the reader should digest my thoughts knowing that I am as biased as any steelhead angler you’ve ever met where fly color is concerned. I definitely have ideas about the color hues of the steelhead flies I fish in winter (summer too) as well as color hue combinations and I’ll share these ideas briefly in this article.
I should also emphasize that my opinions and bias are based on the world I live in—the Pacific Northwest. Anglers who fish the Great Lakes tributaries regularly fish flies with dominant color hues that are in my least favored category. It is entirely possible that their flies would be as successful here on the west coast as they are in the Great Lakes region.
Food for thought. Our tendency to fish certain color combinations creates a self fulfilling prophesy because we can only catch fish on the flies we fish. We hear that blue/black is a good fly color to fish and that influences our own fly choice.
To generalize, my fly designs are based on my belief system that is founded on three tiers of “favored colors” that I fish in the winter.
Top Tier = black, blue, purple.
Middle Tier = pink, orange, red.
Bottom Tier = olive, chartreuse.
Least favored color hues for my winter steelhead flies = brown, tan, white, yellow, gray.
This is my way of saying that the flies I am most likely to reach for on any given day are likely to include combinations of colors in the top tier, namely black, blue, and purple.
I may also use a butt or “trigger point” using a bright color like pink, orange, or chartreuse.
The flies pictured at the top of this page are (from left to right) what I would refer to as:
1. Black (chartreuse butt)
2. Blue and Black (chartreuse butt)
3. Red & Black
4. Purple & Black (orange butt)
5. Pink & Shrimp Pink
6. Pink & Orange
On combining colors: I rarely fish steelhead flies that are monochromatic. I nearly always fish flies that combine at least two colors within a tier, and these combinations include blue/black; purple/black; and blue/purple.
I also combine a hint of top tier colors with a dominant second tier color. Examples include orange/black; chartreuse/black; pink/purple; red/black. pink.blue. Note that in these flies the second tier color creates the overall color hue of the fly and the top tier color is a secondary enhancement.
Oddly, I never use black to enhance pink, but I can not explain why. Most probably, a fly that is dominantly pink with a black highlight would catch winter steelhead. But my fly boxes are already full enough that I am reluctant to craft yet another combination and further complicate my choices.
Color variation – the only unambiguous color I fish is black. You will see a lot of variation in colors like purple, blue, pink, shrimp pink, red, orange and even chartreuse. Some of these color hue differences are intentional and reflected in the labeling of the material. For example, our selection of Fish Hunter Spey Marabou includes 4 different blue hues. Even so, you should expect some variation in the shade of most colors that are dyed in different lots, because these are natural materials and the dye sometimes sets differently under different conditions.
Three varieties of blue marabou. The differences are subtle and do not show as well in this photo as they do when you look at the feathers on a steelhead fly.
Two more variations of blue marabou. These are easily distinguishable from the blues pictured in the previous container of blue marabou.
Here is a great combination: blue and black.
Another great color combination, I fish purple and black or in combination – but you could fish each of these colors alone.
Here are two versions of red and an orange to complement.
Two versions of shrimp pink and bubble gum pink marabou.
Chartreuse and Cerise Marabou.
I would call this a black fly, a color that fishes well under a wide variety of conditions, and this fly has a chartreuse trigger point.
I would refer to the color hue of this tube fly as pink even though it has a shrimp pin kostrich highlight.
I would refer to the color of this fly as purple and black, with an orange trigger point.
I call the color hue of this fly blue and black with a pink trigger point.
I refer to this fly as my red and black tube intruder.
The rationale for fishing various colors at different river conditions is a complicated, twisted world that is full of self indulgent ideas mixed with personal experience and magic. Here are some of the thoughts that run through my mind when tying on a fly.
If the water is on the brownish side of steelhead green, I will first reach for that are dominantly pink or purple.
If the water is a perfect steelhead green I am likely to fish any of my top tier colors alone/in combination.
If the water is on the clear side of steelhead green and the sun is high, I will likely fish orange/red; red/orange; orange/black; red/black; or olive/black.
The color that I am least likely d to fish as a dominant theme for steelhead is chartreuse. This is funny because a chartreuse fly would be in my first tier of color choices if I were fishing for Chinook.
You should know that some successful winter steelhead anglers often rank pink and orange in their top tier while I place them among the middle tier of color choices. Anyway, I hope these thoughts help a little, the most important part of hooking a winter steelhead on the swing is to grab a fly, tie it on, and keep it wet. All the intellectualizing accomplished by me and others has yet to catch a fish while sitting at the computer or fly bench.
Jay Nicholas winter season 2016/17
Hi, Jay, When I lived on and fished the Skeena River and tribs., I frequently used the colour combinations you mention. I’d like to make a couple of comments. Water temperature is a factor, I found. Brighter colours – pink and orange – tend to move the fish better in colder temps. I think. Also, you don’t mention the amount of flash in a fly, but complementary Flashabou, Crinkle Flash etc. is an important factor in these Intruder type ties. I like incorporating Crystal Hair in the tails and Flashabou or Crinkle Flash in the wings. Really like your patterns and colour range.
Love it. I could talk fly colors all day!
Excellent post with the appropriate explanation of personal opinion and preference accompanying it.
Jay is the master.
Great article Jay, as always. Entertaining AND informative.
My steelhead mentor almost always fished an offering with a sizeable amount of white material visible, regardless of the rest of the color scheme. So naturally I adopted this practice, and neither of us ever seemed to suffer from a lack of eats. Many years ago I toyed with the idea that the white material, reflecting ALL of the wavelengths of visible light present, might be the brightest and most visible material in off-colored water. And with the exception of flash, it is. Next time the river is blowing out on you, before you leave, dunk some flies at your feet and see for yourself.
Jay,
I agree with all your choices as this is exactly how I would rate any of these colors.
Interesting side note, in my observation I have seen Steelhead (Winter/Spring) react negatively to big presentations in primary colors in that of Red and Orange by simply peel out of the run/lay when swung down and across. I can typical make a half dozen+ casts with your top tier colors without spooking the fish (and maybe be so lucky and come tight!), whereas I seldom get more than 1-2 cast(s) with Red or Orange.
In addition, “your least favorite colors” Steelhead hardly acknowledge.
I seldom fish in high and really off colored water so this observation is that of sight fishing in clear-to-semi-murky water.
Keep em’ coming Jay, I’m a big fan of the blog.
Easy Mends,
Jakob
Your winter flies are great. I noticed most have dumb bell eyes. When I use dumb bell eyes, it feels like there is more grab on the water with my anchor than I need. Could be just me. What is your opinion on dumb bell eyes? Also what fly would you use for the Sixes in Jan./Feb? Thanks!
Thanks Tod for the response.
Dumbbell eyes will feel like there is “more grab” due to the weight. Dumbbell eyes are for getting deep and “dredging.”
As far as an opinion, it depends. Is the fisher new to spey casting (I’m assuming you use a spey setup due to the anchor)? If so, I would not use a weighted fly until their cast was sufficient enough to lift the fly off the water in sequence with the fly-line and shooting head since the heavier fly theoretically would be harder to cast, even for those with experience.
Dumbbell eyes though are heavy and for big, deep water. Other weighted things such as tubes, shanks, cones, beads, etc. work too. At this point it’s the desired look you’re going for and the way you’d like the fly to fish. For instance, I just got off a river that moves so slow that any fly with weight would snag every cast. So you would never use a dumbbell there. You could use an intruder, but without the weight. Is it still an intruder though? Yes. Different sizes, etc. So different weights too. Bonefish fishers always have eyes on their flies, but they need the same fly to get down to the bottom in 3 seconds and that changes due to depth, so they use plastic, beed chain, dumbbell eyes to get that done. Weight for Depth!!!
Some people don’t like weighted flies at all, because they can be hard to cast. Sometimes people may not have the appropriate size rod/fly line for the fly they’re casting. It takes mass to cast mass. Now we’re talking about line grains and such…..
As far as the Sixes, etc. Swinging: Comet, Egg Sucking Leech, Intruders, Clousers, Hohbo Spey, Fish Taco, Silveynators. Nymphing: Eggs, Cooper Johns, Lightning Bugs.
Tight Lines,
-Caddis Fly Shop
I have been using your patterns and refining my tying for the winter when I realised that you are also the author of “advances intruder strategies ” great book thanks