Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
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Adirman on Sep 5, 2016September 5th, 2016, 8:04 am EDT
I dont fish Buggers myself that often, usually early or late in the season, and tend to fish them more like I would a nymph on the bottom. Olive has been the most productive for me
RiverRocks on Sep 5, 2016September 5th, 2016, 10:21 am EDT
Black Wooly Buggers always seem to be the best in the the upper peninsula of Michigan. My opinion, of course.
Wbranch on Sep 6, 2016September 6th, 2016, 11:12 pm EDT
It is said that when Henry Ford was asked what colors would the Model A have he said "You can have any color you want as long as it is black". Now I don't know if he really said that but my favorite color, and the one that I catch the most fish on is all black.
Over the years I have tied it with some variations. My current style is black marabou tail slightly longer than the OAL of the hook. Four strands of pearl Krystal Flash tied in on either side of the marabou, tie in a piece of gold or silver wire, tie in a long and webby black saddle hackle tip first, tie in and wrap a piece of black Estaz. Tie off Estaz at eye. I usually tie bead head buggers with a red or fluorescent pink bead. Wind the hackle forward and tie off behind the bead, Counter wrap the wire to secure the hackle and tie off.
A simple fly to tie and very effective for trout, steelhead, and smallmouth bass. I tie mine on up eye black salmon hooks #2 - #6 but any good heavy hook will do the job.
I have also tied them in brown, olive, purple, and chartreuse. I have seen that Chartreuse is a very good color for steelhead. My two biggest ever steelhead, both 16# ate a #4 chartreuse bugger on the swing.
Over the years I have tied it with some variations. My current style is black marabou tail slightly longer than the OAL of the hook. Four strands of pearl Krystal Flash tied in on either side of the marabou, tie in a piece of gold or silver wire, tie in a long and webby black saddle hackle tip first, tie in and wrap a piece of black Estaz. Tie off Estaz at eye. I usually tie bead head buggers with a red or fluorescent pink bead. Wind the hackle forward and tie off behind the bead, Counter wrap the wire to secure the hackle and tie off.
A simple fly to tie and very effective for trout, steelhead, and smallmouth bass. I tie mine on up eye black salmon hooks #2 - #6 but any good heavy hook will do the job.
I have also tied them in brown, olive, purple, and chartreuse. I have seen that Chartreuse is a very good color for steelhead. My two biggest ever steelhead, both 16# ate a #4 chartreuse bugger on the swing.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Jmd123 on Sep 7, 2016September 7th, 2016, 5:47 pm EDT
OK, since this thread has been given new life again, I'll have to chime in...
Black is a fine color, I like to use an all-black size 10 with black bead-chain eyes. This fly kills 'em at Clark's Marsh in the spring, just one example of many places where it has worked very well. But seriously, I have tied some more effective color patterns for trout:
POG Bugger - Peacock herl body, Olive grizzly marabou tail, natural Grizzly hackle (tied in at the head, wrapped backwards to the tail, counter-wrapped with medium green wire) - with or without black bead-chain eyes. Replace the peacock herl with brown chenille, the olive grizzly marabou with brown grizzly marabou, and the medium green wire with medium copper wire, and you have another deadly trout bugger, again with or without black bead-chain eyes.
For warmwaters, add chartreuse with grizzly hackle or all chartreuse, yellow, and hot pink for bass...and also silver crystal tinsel chenille for the body, blue hackle and marabou, and some silver Krystal Flash in the tail, deadly on many species but especially crappie and perch.
Just my suggestions, they work for me.
Jonathon
Black is a fine color, I like to use an all-black size 10 with black bead-chain eyes. This fly kills 'em at Clark's Marsh in the spring, just one example of many places where it has worked very well. But seriously, I have tied some more effective color patterns for trout:
POG Bugger - Peacock herl body, Olive grizzly marabou tail, natural Grizzly hackle (tied in at the head, wrapped backwards to the tail, counter-wrapped with medium green wire) - with or without black bead-chain eyes. Replace the peacock herl with brown chenille, the olive grizzly marabou with brown grizzly marabou, and the medium green wire with medium copper wire, and you have another deadly trout bugger, again with or without black bead-chain eyes.
For warmwaters, add chartreuse with grizzly hackle or all chartreuse, yellow, and hot pink for bass...and also silver crystal tinsel chenille for the body, blue hackle and marabou, and some silver Krystal Flash in the tail, deadly on many species but especially crappie and perch.
Just my suggestions, they work for me.
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
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