Steelhead Flies

Steelhead are the West Coast version of their eastern cousins, the Atlantic salmon. Both can be elusive, frustrating, but ultimately rewarding in their line-peeling runs and spectacular acrobatics. Considered sea-run rainbow trout, these fish grow quickly in the fertile Pacific Ocean. Schools of chrome-bright steelhead return each year up the coastal rivers and streams to spawn. Although many western rivers support summer and fall run populations, the majority of West Coast steelhead are targeted by anglers in the winter months.

(Click on image to download a PDF file of the recipe and tying instructions.)