Nymphs for Salmon River Steelhead

[Nymphmeister]

What nymphs do you guys like for fishing the Salmon River, esp. in the Winter?

[Dave]

Fascinating post Torrey, I'm interesting in hearing your thoughts?!

I'm going through the fly selection chapter in the Supinski right now, so I'll be better versed within the next day or so.

As for me, right now at the moment, I'm tying some hot-pink C.J's., as it is a favorite of Barr's for Steelhead fishing. I'm also trying to get a good number of Stones tied up before the next trip up to the SR (which will hopefully be soon).

We had a great post going a week or so ago about "Nymphs and Hot-spots" which covered a lot of Steelhead questions of mine. In there you outline a few stone patterns/variations with hot-spots to create a more "vibrant" version. I remember a crystal stone that sounded really interesting.

[Nymphmeister]

You will find that many popular "nymphs" for the Salmon River Steelhead incorporate wild color schemes, Estaz, Crystal Chenille, and or Sparkle Braid (for wingcases). I would say have patterns from drab to gaudy in different sizes. Don't forget Caddis Larva for up there, in various colors (esp. green, olive, and chartreuse), with and without flashy materials like Ice Dub try size mostly in #10-12, but 8 & 14 could be good to have too. You can also do a funky version of them with Sparkle Braid abdomens, even in wild colors like fl. pink and orange, etc. Make your nymphs SIMPLE for up there, 3 minutes or less to tie is my general rule for Steelhead patterns. Bring some plain and flashback Hare's Ears (mostly #10-12), maybe some olive ones too. And some plain Black stones (mostly #8-12), as well as some with various types of "hot spots". Experiment and have fun, try to think "out of the box" and show the fish something different. And don't forget to tie some Teeny Nymphs, they are excellent- hot pink in a #8-10 is a favorite of mine for there in the Winter.

[AaronJasper]

1. Size 14 Oregon Cheese glow bug with or without an orange dot
2. Size 14 Oregon Cheese glow bug with or without an orange dot
3. Size 14 Oregon Cheese glow bug with or without an orange dot
4. Size 14 Oregon Cheese glow bug with or without an orange dot
5. Size 12 Black or Brown stonefly with krystal flash tails, rib and wing case.

[Fascist Killer]

Torrey- Do you ever use the teeny nymphs for trout?

[AaronJasper]

I am a bit skeptical as to the Teeny nymphs

[Fascist Killer]

bottom got'em predator! Shit I'll snag a fish bitch! hahaha. j/k. I ask because Gathercole includes them in his beginner book as one of the easier and cheaper ties.

[Nymphmeister]

Rego-
Teeny nymphs hammer Steelhead. Aaron has never fished them so his opinion is not valid. I've caught numerous steelhead on them, including my first big one back in the day. I've used them from a #2 to a #14, from fluorescent to drab, and they all work, and are painless to tie and loose. 60 second pattern. Jim Teeny fishes nothing but that fly and variations on it (see jimteeny.com), crazy bastard. Yes they work for trout, that's what he actually developed them for, but no I haven't personally used them for trout.

[Fascist Killer]

They look as though, if you didn't weight them at all, they'd make a good point fly on a brace of wets... maybe add a little something to them to give them a bit more motion.

[Nymphmeister]

You can dead drift or swing them, they work both ways. You could add to them, but part of the point of the patterns design is that it is easy to tie and painless to lose to a snag.