FAVORITE PATTERNS OF CLARK-SKAMANIA FLYFISHERS
Introduction
Founded in 1975, Clark Skamania Flyfishers is dedicated to preserving wild fish stocks and the natural resources that sustain them. The club promotes fly fishing as a method of angling that fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature’s diversity.
Favorite Patterns of Clark Skamania Flyfishers is a collection of the flies our members reach for most often when they’re on the water. Some are time-honored Northwest standards; others were developed for specific waters and unique fishing challenges. While many are tailored to our home waters and native fish species of the Pacific Northwest, our members fish globally—in both salt and fresh—so you’ll also find patterns suited for destinations far afield.
These patterns—designed and tied by skilled hands—reflect not only a deep understanding of our home waters but also the creativity and care that make fly fishing as much an art as a sport. We share them here to enrich the collective knowledge of fellow anglers and to inspire those just beginning their journey.
Steelhead and Salmon Flies
Michael Golub
Kalama Special
# 4-8 Mustad 36890
Hook:
Thread
Tail:
Black
Scarlet hackle fibers
Body:
Yellow Wool Yarn Palmered with Golden Badger Hackle
Wing:
White Bucktail
Golden Badger
Hackle:
Head:
Black Thread
Notes: I have a cabin on the Kalama River and my goal is catch a wild steelhead on the Kalama River using this traditional pattern.
Forrest Koponen
Bucktail Belle
#4 Steelhead
Hook:
Thread
Tail:
Black Uni, 6/0
Red hackle fibers
Body:
Yellow floss
Wing:
White and red bucktail
Rib:
Medium silver tinsel
Hackle:
White and red tied as a throat
Butt:
Peacock herl
Notes: #1 Put three layers of floss on the body. Tie the floss at the back end then wind the thread to the front end of the body. Wrap the floss back and forth three times then tie off. #2 The portions of deer hair will stack up better if you put a wrap around each before you tie it down. Be careful to keep it centered.
Jim Hutchinson
Steelhead Skater
#8, TMC 7999 or equivalent
Hook:
Tail:
Thread
Body:
Orange either 6/0 or 8/0
White deer tail, fine
Wing:
Rib:
Hackle:
Notes:
Head:
Mike Butcher
Faux Vairon
#1-#8, TMC 7999 or equivalent
Color should match general color of fly. either 6/0 or 8/0
Hook:
Tail:
Thread:
Body:
None
Metallic diamond braid. Generally silver, gold, or copper.
Wing:
Fine wire that matches braid. This keeps the body getting destroyed after one or two fish.
Rib:
Hackle:
Underwing, a bunch of marabou. Overwing, a few strands of flashabou.
Two contrasting hackles. Usually I match the general color pattern (black and orange, cerise and purple, etc)
Head:
Two or three turns of small chenille, again match the general color combination. Then whip finish your thread in front.
Notes: The fly is more a general style of tying than a particular color scheme. Getting the chenille head proportions I'm not always precise on. Just try to keep it visible.
When I first started tying flies, around 1971 or 1972, someone told me to tie a muddler. Having no idea how to make the deer hair head and no youtube in that time, I could not tie the head of a muddler. Being an inexperienced tier of that time, I took some small gray chenille and made a poor facsimile of muddler with a chenille head. Ugly, but the dang thing caught fish. This was years before anyone had heard of an egg sucking leech. Many years later, in tent camp in Alaska, while tying up flies to support 4 anglers with minimal materials, I again turned to this head style. I tied it in a cerise and purple color pattern, and we slaughtered silver, pinks, chums, basically anything in the river. This fly has been killer for most any steelhead, salmon, or cutthroat application I've tried it. The samples submitted are the original pink/cerise and fall steelhead (black/orange) rendition. It can adapt to any color scheme you wish.
In Alaska, the fly was given the name "chupacabra" by a partner, but I told him it was just a fake muddler. Which I later gave a Gallic twist called 'Faux Vairon', literally "fake minnow".
Craig Lynch
Craig’s Comet
#8 TMC 7999 Steelhead or equivalent
Hook:
Thread
Tail:
Black Uni, 6/0
Black squirrel, bear or kip tail; 1.5X shank length
Body:
Aft half any silver tinsel; front half seal or equivalent
Black saddle tied in at tip and folded
Hackle:
Notes:
Mike Butcher
Lady Thor
#2-8, TMC 7999 or equivalent
Hook:
Back 1/2 to 2/3 silver tinsel or mylar, front half to front 1/3, cerise or hot pink dubbing. Comb out to your liking.
Tail:
Thread
Body:
Pink or red, either 6/0 or 8/0
Pink hackle fibers
Kip tail or Arctic fox.
Wing:
Rib:
Fine silver tinsel
Hackle:
Larger brown grizzly soft hackles.
Notes: At times I've played with Krystal flash as an underwing. Just try to keep the body more silver than dubbing. I shoot for 2/3 and 1/3, but after combing the dubbing, it makes that part more than 1/3.
In 1975, as a teenaged beginning steelhead fly fisher, I ran in to old time Clark Skamania member Dave Ulrich on the Washougal. On that day, Dave gave me a few flies. One of which was a variation of the classic "Thor" steelhead pattern. The only difference was the pattern Dave gave me had a body that was mostly tinsel and only a tiny part chenille. I happened to catch 4 steelhead on that fly before I lost it. I copied that pattern in a myriad of color combinations. The one I have added here, has probably been my most successful(but purple is also good). It is a very good early summer steelhead pattern and holds it's own in winter too. I've tied it all the way down to size 10 for sea-run cutthroat trout.
Head:
Pink thread.
Forrest Koponen
Easy Purple Peril
Your favorite #4 standard Steelhead hook.
Black or purple Uni, 6/0
Hook:
Tail:
Thread
Body:
Wing:
None
Purple Chenille or purple Antron dubbing
Squirrel tail. Squirrel wing makes a fine tail but unlike bucktail it is solid not hollow. Use a drop of super glue to hold it in place.
This is a Spey hackle. Ringneck rooster rump feather is the easiest to find. Blue eared pheasant as well as purple dyed Golden pheasant or any spey style feather you may like
Rib:
Hackle:
Medium silver tinsel
Purple saddle hackel
Collar:
Notes: Like most flies the Purple Peril has been revised and retied many times over. I like to add a spey hackle to most of my Steelhead flies, hence the spey feather.
The fly was designed by George McLeod in 1930. Over the years it has become one of the most popular flies in the NW. Very close to the Green Butt Skunk. I use it as well as many of the fishers I know. It's always been one of my favs.
Conway Special
Greg Clarke
#10 wet fly
Hook:
Mixed crimson red and white hackle barbs
Thread:
Tail:
Body:
White nano silk
Orange silk floss with orange hackle( palmered)
Rib:
Fine oval gold tinsel
White goose shoulder with thin married red plus yellow goose over
Wing:
Hackle:
Crimson red hackle collar
Tag:
Fine oval gold tinsel
Head:
Peacock herl
Notes: Designed by Dan Conway. Good for brookies in lake.