Salmon Flies

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Salmon Flies Quick Picks Best All-Around Atlantic Pattern: Green Machine - The modern standard on Atlantic salmon rivers from the Gaspe to the Miramichi. Its buoyant spun-deer-hair body swims with a lifelike wiggle on the swing, and it produces in nearly any water height. Best All-Around Pacific Pattern: Dolly Llama - An Alaska staple, this heavy articulated fly creates incredible movement that triggers aggressive strikes from Kings, Silvers, and Chum. Its weighted head gets down fast in swift currents. Best for King Salmon: Stu's Chinook Intruder - A big-profile Intruder built to swim broadside in heavy current and provoke territorial takes from massive Chinook. Tied on a stout shank with a stinger hook to withstand powerful runs. Best Attractor Pattern: Egg Sucking Leech - A versatile classic that mimics a leech eating a salmon egg, effective for nearly every salmon species. The contrasting head color provides a strike point in murky glacial water. Best for Surface Action: Cigar Bomber - For summer conditions when Atlantic salmon will look up. The Bomber style is the go-to profile for waking a fly over holding water with a controlled swing and a clean surface footprint. How to Choose Salmon Flies Atlantic vs. Pacific Salmon Atlantic Salmon: Atlantic salmon fishing is built around the swing, with sparse hairwings, modern Spey-style patterns, and surface Bombers. Since these fish rarely feed in the river, profile, contrast, and presentation matter more than imitation. Classic patterns like the Green Machine, Sun Ray Shadow, and Undertaker have earned their place over decades. Pacific Salmon: Pacific species respond to bigger, brighter, and heavier. Kings want large Intruders and leech patterns in black, blue, and chartreuse; Coho chase flash and movement in pink and purple; Pinks and Chum eat smaller bright patterns and surface wogs. Weighted heads and articulated bodies help in the fast, often glacial rivers these fish run. Match Fly Size and Color to Water Conditi