Flies For Great Lakes Steelhead by Cameron Larsen

Flies For Great Lakes Steelhead by Cameron Larsen

As we stated in our article on Pacific Steelhead flies, the steelhead fisheries of the Great Lakes region has developed differently. First off the Erie steelhead has only been around a little over a hundred years. First planted in the 1880s, the steelhead nearly died off in the 1950s due to pollution in Lake Erie. But since the 1980s, intense stocking efforts by Ontario, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have been the reason for this area being nicknamed Steelhead Alley.

Erie steelheaders use a wide array flies in their pursuit of this most worthy game fish. One can classify them broadly in the same way trout anglers classify flies. In general the Erie steelheader carries a variety of streamers, egg patterns, and nymphs.

Steelhead feed heavily on schools of shad, smelt and other fish in the summer months. And when they first enter the river they have fish on their brains. Streamer patterns are the thing to start off with, when steelhead are first stacking up to make their run. Primary patterns used are the woolly bugger, Mickey Finn, Muddler Minnows and other streamer patterns. Dead drifted or swung they are deadly in the early months.

Steelhead consume lots of eggs in their lifetime. Especially in the winter, when suckers move up the rivers to spawn. The most popular egg pattern is the Sucker Spawn, with the Crystal Meth a close second. Egg patterns are generally bounced along the bottom. And are a good choice all winter long into March.

The last class of patterns fished for Erie steelhead is the basic nymph and beadhead nymphs. Like trout, steelhead consume lots of nymphs in their lifetime. The same nymphs that are popular for trout fishing are used in Steelhead Alley. With Hares Ear, Prince, caddis larva and stonefly imitations being the most popular. Buggy nymphs seem to work best, and although bug life is fairly dormant in the winter these are never a bad choice.

Some classic steelhead patterns from the Northwest are used as well, including the Green Butt Skunk. And in murky waters the Popsicle is popular along with other bright streamers.

After reaching the water, use some of the same techniques discussed on out other steelhead articles, clearer water go smaller and more subtle colors, high, murky water go brighter and larger.

About the Author
Cameron Larsen was a commericial fly tier for 12 years. He now operates the online fly shop The Big Y Fly Company. At www.bigyflyco.com

Do Fish See in Color by Cameron Larsen

Do Fish See in Color by Cameron Larsen

Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that or ought to know that. Like humans, the retina of a fish have rods and cones. Cones are used in the day and rods at night. Color vision evolved to help fish identify potential food. In the environment of the fish, the background will either be the bottom, the water itself, or if looking up for food it could be the sky. The bottom is normally tannish olive to green. When looking across the water, the background appears pale silver blue. But if the water is off color due to algae or high water one must take that into consideration as well. Skylight becomes more important at dusk and dawn when it contains more reds.

Thus for opportunistically feeding game fish, flies with bright or contrasting colors and/or a lot of flash will make them stand out against the above mentioned backgrounds. The Mickey Finn, tied with yellow and red, and a silver body is one of the most effective attractor patterns. As for dry fly attractors , the Royal Wulff is still hard to beat, with its red and peacock body and white wings. Black flies, because of their strong silhouette also are easy for fish to spot. Lets not forget patterns that contain strands of flashabou or other tinsel that reflect light when stripped or while drifting through the current are easy for fish to spot.

The fly fisherman also must remember that color behaves differently in water that it does when seen in the air. Water is denser, and the colors are diffused quicker. Cloudy days where there is less overall light will offer less visibility, and colors will disappear quicker in the depths of the water. And the clarity of water obviously greatly effects this as well. This is important in fly selection because certain colors travel farther in low light than others. Red is the first color to disappear, usually at about 15 feet in clear water, followed by orange and then yellow. Blues and greens are visible to the fish as long as there is light. Yet silver and white will be brighter.

So while the Mickey Finn is obviously a great choice as an attractor fly, it would not be as good a choice in murky water or if fished deep. A better attractor might be a white Woolly Bugger or White Marabou Muddler.

Color is also important to remember when matching the hatch. Since fish use vision as the deciding factor to strike, ones offering must be the correct color. However, very small differences in hue seem to not be much of a factor as most insects will vary slightly in color as well. But if the intensity of color the artificial fly has can be a factor. If the artificial is more intense than the natural it is more likely to catch fish. Why this seems to work is somewhat a mystery. It is understood that fish see deeper into the ultraviolet range than humans, so perhaps they are just seeing something we dont. It could also be due to the effect water has on colors. Perhaps well never know, but like many things in fishing, why something works is not as important as just knowing that it does work.

While color is probably not the most important factor in a fish striking a fly. The above considerations are nevertheless a good thing to have in the back of your fly fishing mind.


About the Author
Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishing guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Company. Http://www.bigyflyco.com. He can be reached at info@bigyflyco.com. The above article will appear in the Big Y Fly Fishing E-Zine at Http://www.bigyflyco.com/Bigyflyfishingezine.html