Salmon and trout possess highly specialized vision, finely tuned to detect a range of colours. This adaptation is crucial for their survival, helping them locate prey and avoid predators. Their ability to perceive colours such as red, green, and blue, along with ultraviolet (UV) light, makes the colours of our flies an important factor in enticing these fish. The right combination of hues can make all the difference when fishing for these elusive species.

The Iconic Jock Scott Salmon Fly

One of the most renowned patterns in the world of fly fishing is the Jock Scott. Believed to have been created by the ghillie Jock Scott while crossing the North Sea, this fly is now a must-have in every serious angler’s arsenal. It is a testament to the power of colour and design, playing a key role in its enduring popularity among salmon anglers around the globe.

Design of the Centuries

Victorian fly tyers were true pioneers, crafting intricate and striking flies that remain iconic today. These early designs often featured up to 30 different feathers, glimmering metal threads, and vibrant silk threads, all meticulously combined to create flies that were both visually stunning and highly effective. Their legacy continues to influence modern fly patterns.

Bridging Tradition and Innovation

The success of classic fly patterns from the Victorian era was not just about visual appeal but also the use of natural materials like feathers and wool. These materials have a unique ability to attract trout and salmon, ensuring these timeless patterns are still in use today. The craft of fly tying has evolved, but the principles of design, especially the use of vibrant colours, remain just as relevant for contemporary anglers.

The Role of Colour in Salmon and Steelhead Flies

Certain colours continue to play a significant role in the success of salmon flies.

As seasons change, so too do the most effective fly colours. For example, in 2024, the White Bomber became the go-to fly for salmon, whereas in 2023, dark green Bombers led the pack. These shifts, although difficult to explain, are a common phenomenon among salmon anglers, and part of the intrigue of the sport.

White Tube Bomber the favourite colour for salmon in 2024 – See this Bomber in our shop 

Dark Green Tube Bomber was the favourite colour for salmon in 2023 – See the Dark Green Bomber in our shop

Learn more about the different colours of Bombers on Fishmadman here.

Salmon and sea-run brown trout undergo significant changes in their vision as they transition between the sea and freshwater rivers. These adaptations may explain why red flies become particularly effective later in the season, as the fish’s vision adjusts to detect different wavelengths of light.

While some anglers currently pursue salmon with dry flies on rivers like the Dee, it remains a rare sight in Scotland, England, and across Europe. This is unfortunate because dry fly fishing offers unparalleled excitement and challenge.

Based on extensive experience fishing in rivers throughout Scotland and Scandinavia, I understand that dry fly fishing isn’t suitable for every river. However, it can be a viable option on many rivers, providing an alternative approach for anglers seeking new challenges.

Dry fly pioneers – Mr. George M. La Branche and Colonel Ambrose Monell was pioneers in the world of dry fly for salmon – Their fishing was done with bushy palmer-hackle flies, fished at dead drift over known salmon lies.

What are Salmon bugs?

Bugs are small miniature salmon flies, mostly made with a deer hair body, tied on # 8 – 12 single hooks. Either low-water salmon hooks with an up-eye or stronger down-eye trout fly hooks. It is a fly designed to be fished as a so-called dead-drifting fly on the surface. Just below the surface or across the river as a form of hitch/commotion fly, bugs may be fished below the surface as a traditional wet fly.

The Glitter Bug with a brown-orange hackle is the author’s favourite for green-tinted forest rivers.

Body like a segment of an insectThe deer-hair body on bug flies is often shaped like an insect thorax. (in entomology, the thorax is the middle section of an insect’s body, between the head and the abdomen, bearing the legs and wings.)

Deer hair and its enticing effect on salmon

It is the deer hair material in itself that makes flies like the Bomber and the Salmon Bugs so efficient. The buoyant deer hair gives the fly a particular posture or pose in the water, making the fly float or become more or less suspended when pulled under. The deer hair also has a general alluring effect on many fish.

What is within the deer hair that attracts fish has not yet been determined, but many fish species, among others, trout, do eat animals with fur. Read more about deer hair and its enticing effect on Atlantic salmon. Go to page

Orange Machine White Tail

1. A quality cock hackle.

2. Fluorescent tags.

3. Strong quality hooks. We use Kamazan B180, Partridge salmon hooks and VMC trout fly hooks.

4. Dimunitvie tails.

5. Deer hair body.

Less is more

A light body hackle could aid the fly in staying afloat or add to its overall pulsating and delicate looks when fished below or on the surface.

Many Bug patterns have distinct fluorescent tags, diminutive tails, and dito hackles related to other famous low-water wet flies like The Undertakers and the Black Bear flies.

On a broad scale, less fluorescent material used in fluorescent tags in green, yellow, or red is the way forward when tying flies for Atlantic salmon in low and clear water – and quite the opposite when building flies for high and dirty water.

Mr Elmer Smith made the first bug salmon fly.

Using deer hair as body material in salmon and trout flies is a North American tradition deriving back to famed patterns like The Muddler Minnow and the Bombe series of flies. It is the venerable Reverent Elmer James Smith from New Brunswick in Canada, who, in the 1960s and 70s, initially tied the flies that we have come to know as salmon bugs. With the success of his famous salmon dry fly, the Bomber, the reverent  designed a much smaller and sparsely dressed derivative of the Bomber pattern that came to be known as the Bucks Bug

Photo of the late Father Elmer James Smith, the exceptional salmon dry fly pattern designer. Image from Miramichi Salmon Museum – Doaktown, New Brunswick, Canada

The Carter Bug is another famous bug pattern from Canada designed autonomously by Mr Bill Carter from New Brunswick, Canada. The Carter Bug is typically tied with a brown hackle, but I have also had success with this fly tied with an orange hackle.

Was the Bucks Bug the first purposely tied salmon bug, or was it the Carter Bug?

The Carter Bug was designed at the same time as the Bucks Bug

In regards to the timeline of the design of the Bomber and the equally famous Bucks Bug, also attributed to Elmer Smith by, among others, Joseph Bates, it is known that other well-described and much earlier patterns like Rat Faced MacDougall and the great pattern the Irresistible (from the 50s) are deer hair body trout flies that most likely where used by anglers on both the East as the West coast of Canada to catch Atlantic salmon and steelhead on the surface long before intentionally made patterns like the Bucks Bug. 

Likely, the Rev. Elmer Smith and Bill Carter (the designer of the Carter Bug) could have used such Irresistible or Rat-Faced MacDougall flies or, probably, a Muddler in their pursuit of salmon or trout, herby getting their inspiration to design their own deer-hair floating salmon flies. 

If the Carter Bug or the Bucks Bug is the first salmon bug, it is still out for verdict. Based on what we know, both the Carter Bug and the Bucks Bug are of the very same period, so as we usually would write here on Fishmadman, we still try to get all the details of surface fly history in the correct chronological order. So, Fishmadman.com could also be described as an online fishing book with a historical chapter on flies that may change over time. Any knowledge that may help us on this task is, as always, welcome.

Here, the famed Glitter Bug originated by Canadian fly tier Danny Bird. The Glitter bug is a fine example of a fly formulated on another pattern. It is incorporated into a specific fishing purpose or river system.

It’s a genuinely excellent salmon bug for peaty water.

Glitter Bug in Scotland

A peat-colored Scottish river in October. Fish have seen 100s patterns over summer; in such conditions, a small natural brown Glitter Bug could work great when fished deep as a regular wet fly.

A bug for every river

Famous patterns for Atlantic Salmon are quite often found in many versions, and for a good reason: one fly may work great in one body of water, but another similar version may work better in the neighbouring river, something quite notable when you look at the good amount of bug variations found in fly boxes around the Northern Hemisphere.

The famous 1970s fly, the Green Machine, started as an offspring of the equally renowned Bucks Bug. They are tied with a body of bright green deer hair and a small green fluorescent tag. Some anglers may prefer a dark green body on their Green Machine, while others choose a pale olive body.

An equally popular version of the Green Machine is the Green Machine White Tail, with a more or less dense tail made from the hair from a white calf’s tail, often accompanied by a fluorescent red and green tag.

Bugs are a type of micro-Bombers

Bugs are, in a sense, micro-Bombers, and I also readily use them as such, greased up fishing them in pockets and seems where the salmon hold out on their way up the river. Some of these spots are often shallow pools where a fly like a regular # 8 – 4 Bomber won’t be in its element. Sometimes, even scaring fish. Here, the tiny bugs come in handy.

The Bomber may work significantly in fast runs and pools with  1 – 3 meters of water but less so in slow or shallow pools where a greased-up bug may be the perfect choice.

A bug fished just below the surface in a shallow pool 

Salmon staying in shallow pools on their way upstream are easily intimated. It is like the fish are too aware of their exposed position, and a wrongly presented sub-surface fly may send them running. A salmon bug fished just below the surface may be the best solution. Fished drifting towards the fish is a great way to get a hook-up.

Matching the hatch

You may also use small bug flies exclusively to hook up with salmon that have spend their summer in the river. Salmon that is starting to take colour. Who will jump when new fish enter its pool and occasionally rise to the trail of drifting insects. A salmon that needs you to be on your toes when presenting your fly.

You can often bring such fish to the surface to look at your bug, but sometimes, it needs more than a small floating fly to do the trick; from time to time, you must match the hatch and bring differently coloured bugs and small dry flies to the table. Most likely, it will be a small fly that resembles some of the aquatic life the fish may encounter through the long days of waiting.

Mini CDC Bomber White ‘n Grizzly Bug #14

see it in the shop 

Mini CDC Bomber Brown n White Bug #14

See it in the shop 

Mini CDC Bomber Brown Green Bug #14

see it in the shop 

In the photo is a small stale salmon, one of my most memorable fish in 2023. After refusing my # 12 Green Glitter Bug several times (in the best trout manner possible), I suddenly saw what he had been looking for all afternoon when a bright sulphur mayfly left the surface and flew off for the sanctuary of the bushes. It never got that far as the salmon leapt free of the water and grabbed the insect mid-air.

It was a gratifying experience for a surface fishing nerd like yours truly. I quickly changed to a # 12 CDC Bomber in white and got an instant hook-up from a fish I had spent my afternoon trying to catch.

The Crimson But Bug. Yet another variation of the famous Bucks Bug. This pattern is a loved pattern for many anglers in Newfoundland.

A test project. In 2010, we did a short video on a bug project. We were tying a Green Machine bug on a tube.

Fishmadman Newsletter offers: Join our Newsletter and get a total discount.

Our Bug fly tier has created a series of prevalent bugs tied on up-eye salmon hooks, Kamazan and Osprey hooks, in sizes 8 -12, which we will offer at an exclusive Christmas price to our newsletter readers.

25 different bugs + 3 room plastic box + 2 spools of Umpqua Perform X HD

Price before discount $ 95.25

Weather conditions in the Nordic countries, Ireland and Scotland, are becoming similar to those we can experience in areas of North America, where east-facing rivers run in a landscape that in many ways resembles Norway, or rather Switzerland, which precisely shares a latitude with both Newfoundland and the rivers where Atlantic salmon run in Canada.

The summer rivers in Newfoundland and Canada can quickly run both warm and shallow, and it is in such conditions that salmon anglers do their fly fishing. It is not without reason that fly fishing with micro wet flies, riffling hitch, and dry flies is popular in North America. Such flies are just better to trick salmon with than trying to deceive them with a traditional wet-fly fished below the surface – when the river temperature fluctuates past 16 – 19 degrees Celsius.

Micro flies, riffling hitch and dry flies are popular among fly fishermen in North America. These types of flies are more uncomplicated to trick salmon with than trying to deceive them with a traditional wet-fly fished below the surface

Learn more about the riffling hitch technique and the tackle to use

Climate changes and salmon fishing – Keep up the spirit – think positively.

It is hard to keep up the spirit when river systems and areas where salmon and their relatives live are in dire straits. When giant river systems like the Tana River in Nothern Norway close down for commercial and recreational fishing because of a lack of fish, everyone gets worried, but when Local anglers who have lived for generations at the Tana River tell me about the great river, how in the past they also have seen years with very few fish, and how the locals suffered from starvation due to the lack of salmon runs I know that stocks of Atlantic salmon are fluctuating.

When some river systems are doing very well while the neighbouring river is doing poorly, climate changes make it hard to zoom in and find a solid explanation for such strange events.

One thing is true: the salmonoid species is quite good at adapting to the places where it lives and is widespread across our planet.

Thinking of how trout eggs brought down from European river systems decades ago to southern places like Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand have formed into healthy strains of fish populations in so many river systems (with different spawning cycles) is mind-boggling.

A positive attitude as anglers, fish, and river conservationists must be the best way forward as we try to navigate through new evidence and scientific data that form in the wake of the changing climate on Mother Earth.

Remember to bring your kids and grandkids fishing because it is only by sharing the dreamy and glorious moments at the river and ponds that new generations would want to conserve the fragile world of trout and salmon.

Weather conditions in the Nordic countries, Ireland and Scotland, are becoming similar to those we can experience in areas of North America, where east-facing rivers run in a landscape that in many ways resembles Norway, or rather Switzerland, which precisely shares a latitude with both Newfoundland and the rivers where Atlantic salmon run in Canada.

The summer rivers in Newfoundland and Canada can quickly run both warm and shallow, and it is in such conditions that salmon anglers do their fly fishing. It is not without reason that fly fishing with micro wet flies, riffling hitch, and dry flies is popular in North America. Such flies are just better to trick salmon with than trying to deceive them with a traditional wet-fly fished below the surface – when the river temperature fluctuates past 16 – 19 degrees Celsius.

micro flies, riffling hitch and dry flies is popular among fly fishermen in North America, these types of flies are simply easier to trick salmon with than trying to deceive them with a traditional wet-fly fished below the surface

Learn more about riffling hitch technique and the tackle to use

It is hard keeping up the spirit when river systems and areas where salmon and their relatives live are in dire straits. When giant river systems like the Tana River in Nothern Norway close down for commercial and recreational fishing because of a lack of fish, everyone gets worried, but when Local anglers that have lived for generations at the Tana River tell me about the great river, how in the past they also have seen years with very few fish, and how the locals suffered from starvation due to the lack of salmon runs I know that stocks of Atlantic salmon are fluctuating.

When some river systems are doing very well while the neighbouring river is doing poorly, climate changes make it hard to zoom in and find a solid explanation for such strange events.

One thing is true the salmonoid species is quite good at adapting to the places where it lives and is widespread across our planet.

The thought of how trout eggs brought down from European river systems decades ago to southern places like Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand have formed into healthy strains of fish populations in so many river systems (with different spawning cycles) is mind-boggling stuff.

A positive attitude as anglers, fish, and river conservationists must be the best way forward as we try to navigate through new evidence and scientific data that forms in the wake of the changing climate on mother earth.

Remember to bring your kids and grandkids fishing because it is only by sharing the dreamy and glorious moments at the river and ponds that new generations would want to conserve the fragile world of trout and salmon.

Vejrforholdene i de nordiske lande, Irland og Skotland, er ved at være lig dem, vi kan opleve i områder af Nordamerika, hvor østvendte elve løber i et landskab, der på mange måder minder om Norge, eller rettere sagt Schweiz, der netop deler en breddegrad, med både Newfoundland og elvene, hvor Atlanterhavslaks svømmer i Canada.

Sommer-elven i Newfoundland og Canada kan hurtigt løbe både varme og lave, og det er under sådanne forhold, at laksefiskere dyrker deres fluefiskeri. Det er ikke uden grund, at fluefiskeri med; mikro-vådefluer, riffling hitch og tørfluer er populært i Nordamerika. Sådanne fluer er bare nemmere at narre laks med, end at forsøge at fange dem på en traditionel vådflue fisket under overfladen – når elven temperatur svinger sig op over 16 – 19 grader celsius.

Mikrofluer, riffling hitch og tørfluer er populære blandt fluefiskere i Nordamerika. Sådanne fluer er bare nemmere at narre laks med end at forsøge at fange dem på en traditionel vådflue fisket under overfladen.

Lær mere om riffling hitch-teknikken og det udstyr, der skal bruges

Klimaforandringer og laksefiskeri – Hold humøret oppe – tænk positivt.

Det er svært at holde humøret oppe, når elvsystemer og områder, hvor laks og deres slægtninge lever, er i hårde vanskeligheder. Når gigantiske elvsystemer som Tana elven i Nordnorge lukker ned for kommercielt og rekreativt fiskeri på grund af mangel på fisk, bliver alle bekymrede, men når lokale lystfiskere, der har boet i generationer ved Tana-elven, fortæller mig om den store elv, hvordan der tidligere også har været år med meget få fisk, og hvordan de lokale sultede på grund af manglen på laks,  så ved jeg at bestandene af atlantisk laks er svingende.

Når nogle elvsystemer klarer sig meget godt, mens naboelven klarer sig dårligt, gør klimaændringer det svært at zoome ind og finde en solid forklaring på sådanne mærkelige begivenheder.

Én ting er sandt, at laksearten er ret god til at tilpasse sig de steder, hvor den lever og er udbredt over hele vores planet.

Tanken om, hvordan ørredæg bragt ned fra europæiske elve og åer, for årtier siden til sydlige steder som Argentina, Chile og New Zealand, er blevet til sunde stammer af ørred i så mange elvsystemer (med forskellige gydecyklusser) er forbløffende tankegods.

En positiv holdning som lystfiskere og naturfredningsmeneske  må være den bedste vej frem, når vi forsøger at navigere gennem nye beviser og videnskabelige data, der dannes i kølvandet på det skiftende klima på vores jord.

Husk at tage dine børn og børnebørn med på fiskeri, for det er kun ved at dele de drømmende og herlige øjeblikke ved felten, åer og søer, at nye generationer ønsker at bevare den skrøbelige verden laks og ørred svømmer i.

In 2020, we did a Fishmadman blog page on Salmon bugs Called The Missing Link Salmon Bugs, covering a few fine points on the bugs used for salmon fishing. In this newsletter, we wish to further the details on salmon bugs and give you some first-hand usage tips based on my experiences with

What are Salmon bugs?

Bugs are small miniature salmon flies, mostly made with a deer hair body, tied on # 8 – 12 single hooks. Either low-water salmon hooks with an up-eye or stronger down-eye trout fly hooks. It is a fly designed to be fished as a so-called dead-drifting fly on the surface. Just below the surface or across the river as a form of hitch/commotion fly, bugs may be fished below the surface as a traditional wet fly.

The Glitter Bug with a brown-orange hackle is the author’s favourite for green-tinted forest rivers. 

Body like a segment of an insect

The deer-hair body on bug flies is often shaped like an insect thorax. (in entomology, the thorax is the middle section of an insect’s body, between the head and the abdomen, bearing the legs and wings.)

In the photo: TDF sea run brown trout (sea trout ) caught by experienced sea trout angler Mr Robert Holt from the US …Smoke and Flies Robert Holt.

Here is a compilation of some of the flies chosen for our shop by some of the Tierra del Fuego anglers we know –

Where is the  Tierra del Fuego region

I 2020 lavede vi en Fishmadman blogside om Salmon bugs som hed “The missing link salmon bugs” Her beskrev vi nogle måder, hvor på man kunne benytte bugs i sit laksefiskeri. I dette nyhedsbrev ønsker vi at uddybe detaljerne om laksebugs og give dig nogle førstehånds brugertips baseret på mine erfaringer med disse fluer.

Hvad er laksebugs

Bugs er små miniature laksefluer, for det meste lavet med en hjortehårskrop. Bundet på #8 – 12 enkeltkroge. Enten low-water laksekroge med up eye eller stærkere down-eye ørredfluekroge. Det er en flue designet til at blive fisket som en såkaldt deaddrift flue på overfladen (uden bevægelse). Lige under overfladen eller på tværs af elven som en form for hitch/commotion-flue, bugs kan også fiskes under overfladen som en traditionel vådflue.

Glitter Bug

Glitter bug med et brun-orange hackle er forfatterens favorit til grøntonede elve i skovlandskaber.

Kroppen som et segment af et insekt

Hjortehårkroppen på bugs er ofte formet som en insekt-thorax. I entomologi er thorax den midterste del af et insekts krop, mellem hovedet og maven. Den del af insekters krop bærer ben og vinger.

På billedet: TDF-havørred fanget af den erfarne havørredfisker, Mr. Robert Holt, fra USA… Røg og fluer Robert Holt.

Her er en samling af fluerne valgt til vores butik af  fluefiskere fra Tierra del Fuego som vi kender

Hvor er Tierra del Fuego-regionen?

We are fortunate to know some dedicated steelhead anglers in Northwest America who help us design steelhead patterns on tubes. One such angler is Ms. Hannah Chloë Thorne Belford, owner of the Damdochax River Lodge in northern British Columbia, Canada. Hannah requested the Fall Caddis. She noted, “Hatches happen all fall, but I really notice them in October. Steelhead loves them, and you’ll see big ‘trout’ sipping them on foam lines, but it’s not trout 😃 A version of the Fall Caddis on your riffling hitch tube would be a great fly to use.”

The Fall Caddis fly pattern, also known as the October Caddis, gained popularity among fly tiers and anglers who recognised the importance of imitating this significant fall hatch. Fly tyer and author Randall Kaufmann, an influential figure in the fly fishing community, developed several effective patterns for this hatch. Although the exact origin of the Fall Caddis fly cannot be attributed to a single individual, it has evolved through various adaptations and improvements by different anglers over the years.rivers. 

Fall Caddis tube Wake fly # 6 This is a 40-millimetre fly (from front to end of tail). The body is 27 millimetres long, equivalent to a # 6 fly. (the fly is here seen with a Partridge Patriot Barbless Stinger # 6 tied on our incomparable riffling hitch tube 3.2 millimetres

The Grease Liner is a classic steelhead wake fly pattern designed by Mr. Harry Lemire in the early ’60s. Once a favorite and a “must-have” wake fly, it was gradually replaced by flies that wake more easily. We now tie the Grease Liner on our Riffling Hitch tube, ensuring it wakes just as well as our modern wake fly patterns. This blend of tradition and innovation makes the Grease Liner a valuable addition to any angler’s fly box.

Tube Grease Liner – Wake fly – Medium # 4 Black This is a 45-millimetre fly (from front to end of tail). The body is 27 millimetres long, equivalent to a # 4 fly. (the fly is here seen with a Partridge Patriot Barbless Stinger # 6

Partridge NTD Nordic Tube Single #8

This hook is not just for one type of fly. It’s suited to our medium tube flies like Sunray Shadow, Garry  Alley Scrimp, and even bigger steelhead wake flies. Designed to be large enough to hold a leaping fish and small enough to quickly de-hook a fish with minimum effort, it’s ideal for salmon, steelhead, and sea trout tube patterns.

Black Nickel Finish / Straight-Eye

A hook that is termed as one of the best single tube fly hooks in the world of fly fishing ten hooks pr. pack

We’ve curated a selection of classic Bombers tied on Partridge CS42/R Bomber Dry Fly Hooks. Available in three colours and sizes 6, 8, and 10,  flies crafted to meet your angling needs. See them in the shop 

Bright yellow was a key colour in Victorian fly patterns and remains a staple in modern salmon and trout flies. The yellow flies are particularly effective one or two days after a flood and especially effective in rivers with slightly murky water. Fly: Bulldog # 7/0

The bright red tag has become a timeless feature in salmon and trout flies, frequently used in modern low-water patterns and those patterns designed to be fished near the surface. Often paired with a bright yellow or green wound tag, it creates a striking and highly effective design. Fly: Black Doctor # 2/0

Shimmering threads in gold or silver add a subtle yet effective glimmer to a fly. In many cases, a small amount of shimmering material has a greater impact than larger quantities, providing just the right amount of sparkle to attract fish.

The iridescent peacock feather, a key feature in countless fly patterns, holds an undeniable allure for salmonids. Green peacock herl, in particular, is a versatile material that elevates nearly any salmon or trout pattern, adding both visual depth and irresistible attraction.

The dual-coloured body—featuring a lighter-coloured rear and a darker front—is a well-established design used by both trout and salmon anglers. The Rusty Rat originated by East Coast fly tier Mr Joseph Clovis Arseneault in the 1940s is a prime example of how 20th-century anglers drew inspiration from traditional salmon fly patterns like the Jock Scott pattern.

Black and white contrasting feathers are an evolutionary design found in birds,  used to camouflage them into their surroundings and break up their body’s outline to avoid detection by predators. Such camouflaging pattern is also seen in some water insects. Salmon and trout, no doubt, have developed the ability to identify these contrasting stripes as part of their predatory instincts.

The Jungle Cock feather, once a key feature in Victorian salmon fly designs, brings together a mix of ingredients that effectively can deceive salmon and trout. These fish, like many predators, instinctively target the head and eyes of their prey for an effective strike. The distinct contrast between the bright and dark colours of the Jungle Cock feather, along with the wavy structure, makes this feather a useful tool for anglers targeting salmon and trout

Blue and green are colours that seem particularly effective for attracting fresh trout and salmon. This is likely because salmon and trout entering from the sea have eyes adapted to detect shorter wavelengths, like blue and green, which help them spot prey in the open ocean. As they spend time in the river, their vision gradually adjusts, becoming more attuned to other colours. You can learn more about this fascinating adaptation further down in the newsletter.  Fly: Silver Doctor # 11/0

The see-through quality is also a key feature of tube flies designed for surface fishing, such as riffling hitch tube flies and larger patterns like Sunray Shadows. Modern materials like twinkle flash and mylar further enhance this effect, adding a subtle transparency that can be highly effective for attracting trout and salmon. Incorporating these elements into your fly designs can significantly boost their allure and effectiveness.effektivitet.

🍒The Cherry on Top

No discussion about colors for salmon and trout flies is complete without mentioning the importance of the see-through aspect in our flies.

In general, most of our flies are perceived by trout and salmon as some form of edible prey rather than being dismissed as, say, a piece of driftwood or other plant debris found in the water column. A combination of moving hair, dubbed woolen bodies, and other organic materials creates this impression. However, the see-through quality also plays a crucial role in enticing fish to strike—something fly tiers quickly learn when their flies are made too dense or solid.

It’s better to allow light to shine through our flies and the materials they are made of, as this transparency seems to be an essential part of deceiving the salmonids that roam our rivers.

In fly fishing, especially when selecting colours for salmon and sea trout flies, there are certain golden rules that many anglers swear by. However, it’s important to remember that these rules often come with an important caveat: flexibility is key. Fishing conditions are constantly changing, and fish behaviour can be unpredictable. Sometimes, it’s those small adjustments you make that can lead to success. So, yes—follow the golden rules, but don’t hesitate to adapt and experiment as needed.

• Weather Matters The weather conditions have a significant impact on how flies are perceived by salmon and sea trout. On clear, bright days, fish tend to respond better to lighter, more vibrant flies. However, on dark and murky days, you’ll often find that darker fly patterns are more effective at attracting fish.

• Match the Environment The environment where the fish are located plays a crucial role in determining which fly colours will be most effective. For example, if you’re fishing in an area with a lot of foliage, flies that blend in with this natural backdrop tend to work better. On the other hand, if you’re fishing over a grey-tinted riverbed, a grey Bomber fly could be just the thing to catch the fish’s attention.

• Yellow Flies After a Spate Yellow-coloured flies are especially effective a day or two after a spate, particularly in murky rivers. The bright yellow hue stands out in the dim water, making it an excellent choice for fish hiding out in less-than-ideal visibility.

• The Power of Red Red flies tend to become more effective as the season progresses. * Read about this further down in our newsletter.

• Black Flies: A Universal Choice Black flies are a reliable and versatile option in nearly all rivers and conditions. Their adaptability makes them a staple in many anglers’ fly boxes, as they prove effective regardless of water clarity or time of day. It’s important to note that in low-light conditions, such as the twilight “witching hour” before complete darkness sets in, flies are often perceived primarily as black. During these times, slightly larger and darker flies can be especially effective, capitalising on their visibility in the reduced light. This highlights the fact that without light, colour perception changes, making black flies a go-to choice when other options may not stand out.

Yearly variations

As with every season, the most effective fly patterns tend to change. In 2024, White Bombers became my go-to fly, a striking contrast to 2023, when dark green Bombers produced the best results.

The reasons behind these shifts are difficult to pinpoint, but they are something most salmon anglers will notice over time. It’s one of the many fascinating mysteries that make our sport so intriguing.

White Tube Bomber the favourite colour for salmon in 2024 – See this Bomber in our shop 

Dark Green Tube Bomber was the favourite colour for salmon in 2023 – See the Dark Green Bomber in our shop

Learn more about the different colours of Bombers on Fishmadman here.

We’d love to hear from you! If you have any thoughts or insights about colours in salmon and trout flies, feel free to drop us a message at fishmadman@gmail.com. We’re excited to connect and look forward to hearing from you!

Nymphs for salmon and sea trout

During my summer of salmon fishing, I occasionally switch to a heavy nymph to target sea trout or salmon hiding in secluded areas of the river, often in slow or slack water. For this type of fishing, I rely exclusively on strike indicators. Over the years, I’ve tried a wide variety of them, but this season, I discovered a game-changer.

I purchased a set of indicators from Patrick and Teri Douglas in Belgrade, Montana. Their OROS strike indicators feature a clever foam design with an easily adjustable screw-on, screw-off system. This innovative setup makes them incredibly practical and user-friendly. I was so impressed that we’ve decided to include these OROS strike indicators in our range of fly fishing gadgets.

The version we offer in our shop is the # small model featuring a 16 mm diameter.

See a  video on how you attach this smart OROS strike indicator (the strike indicator used in this video is the BIG version) – The one we sell is the SMALL version.

On the subject of nymphs

Starting in 2025, we will be expanding our collection of TDF flies with the addition of two new nymph patterns. The first, the Copper John, is a widely recognized favourite among anglers targeting sea-run brown trout (sea trout) in Argentina. The second is a unique stonefly pattern, inspired by a design featuring two golden brass

Double Gold Bead stonefly in action October 2024

See previous newsletter

Klar gul var en nøglefarve i victorianske fluemønstre og er stadig en fast bestanddel i moderne fluer til laks og ørred. De gule fluer er særligt effektive en eller to dage efter en elv-stigning og fungerer især godt i elve med let grumset vand. Flue: Bulldog # 7/0

Den klare røde tag er blevet et tidløst element i lakse- og ørredfluer, ofte anvendt i low-water mønstre og mønstre designet til at fisket nær overfladen. Ofte kombineret med en lys gul eller grøn tag skaber det et iøjnefaldende og yderst effektivt design.  Flue: Black Doctor # 2/0

Skinnende tråde i guld eller sølv tilføjer en diskret, men effektiv glans til en flue. I mange tilfælde har en lille mængde skinnende materiale større effekt end større mængder, da det giver præcis den rette mængde bling-bling til at tiltrække laks og ørred.

Den iriserende påfuglefjer, en central funktion i utallige fluemønstre, har en uomtvislig tiltræknings kraft på laksefisk. Især grøn påfugle herl er et alsidigt materiale, der løfter næsten ethvert lakse- eller ørredmønster, idet det både tilføjer visuel dybde og uimodståelig tiltrækning.

Den tofarvede krop—med en lysere bagende og en mørkere forende—er et velkendt design, der bruges af både ørred- og laksefiskere. Rusty Rat, skabt af fluebinder Joseph Clovis Arseneault i 1940’erne, er et fremragende eksempel på, hvordan fiskere i det 20. århundrede hentede inspiration fra traditionelle laksefluemønstre som Jock Scott-mønstret.

Sort-hvid kontrasterende fjer er et evolutionært design, der findes hos fugle, og bruges til at camouflere dem i deres omgivelser og bryde kroppens kontur for at undgå at blive opdaget af rovdyr. Et sådant camoufleringsmønster ses også hos nogle vandinsekter. Laks og ørred har uden tvivl udviklet evnen til at identificere disse kontrasterende striber som en del af deres jagtinstinkter.

Jungle Cock-fjeren, som engang var et nøgleelement i victorianske lakseflue-designs, samler en blanding af ingredienser, der kan narre laks og ørred. Disse fisk, ligesom mange rovdyr, har instinktivt tendens til at målrette angreb mod hovedet og øjnene på deres bytte. Den markante kontrast mellem de lyse og mørke farver på Jungle Cock-fjeret, sammen med den bølgende lak agtige struktur, gør disse fjer til et nyttigt redskab for fluebindere der binder ørred og laksefluer.

Blå og grøn er farver, der ser ud til at være særligt effektive til at tiltrække friske ørreder og laks. Dette skyldes sandsynligvis, at laks og ørreder, der kommer ind fra havet, har øjne, der er tilpasset til at opfange kortere bølgelængder som blå og grøn, hvilket hjælper dem med at opdage bytte i det åbne hav. Når de har opholdt sig noget tid i elven, tilpasser deres syn sig gradvist og bliver mere modtageligt for andre farver. Du kan læse mere om denne fascinerende tilpasning længere nede i nyhedsbrevet. Flue: Silver Doctor # 11/0

Den gennemsigtige kvalitet er også en nøglefunktion i tubefluer designet til overfladefiskeri, såsom riffling hitch tube fluer og større mønstre som Sunray Shadows. Moderne materialer som twinkle flash og mylar forstærker yderligere denne effekt og tilføjer en subtil gennemsigtighed, der kan være meget effektiv til at tiltrække ørreder og laks. At inkorporere disse elementer i dine fluedesigns kan markant øge deres tiltrækningskraft og effektivitet.

🌭 Rossinen i pølseenden.

Ingen diskussion om farver til laks- og ørredfluer er komplet uden at nævne vigtigheden af den gennemsigtige egenskab i vores fluer.

Generelt opfattes de fleste af vores fluer af ørreder og laks som en form for spiselig bytte i stedet for at blive afvist som f.eks et stykke drivtømmer eller andet planteaffald, der findes i vandsøjlen. En kombination af bevægeligt hår, dubbet uldkrop og andre organiske materialer skaber dette indtryk. Dog spiller den gennemsigtige kvalitet også en afgørende rolle i at lokke fisken til at hugge—noget fluebindere hurtigt lærer, når de fluer de binder bliver for tætte eller kompakte.

Det er bedre at lade lyset skinne igennem fluen og de materialer den er lavet af, da denne gennemsigtighed synes at være en essentiel del af at narre de laks- og ørreder, der svømmer i elv og å.

I fluefiskeri, især når man vælger farver til lakse- og havørredfluer, er der visse gyldne regler, som mange fiskere sværger til. Det er dog vigtigt at huske, at disse regler ofte kommer med en vigtig forbehold: fleksibilitet er nøglen. Fiskeforholdene ændrer sig konstant, og fiskens adfærd kan være uforudsigelig. Nogle gange er det de små justeringer, du foretager, der kan føre til succes. Så ja – følg de gyldne regler, men tøv ikke med at tilpasse dig og eksperimentere, når det er nødvendigt.

Vejret betyder noget

Vejrforholdene har stor indflydelse på, hvordan fluer opfattes af laks og havørred. På klare, lyse dage reagerer fisk generelt bedre på lyse fluer. På mørke og uklare dage vil du ofte opdage, at mørkere fluemønstre er mere effektive.

Match miljøet

Miljøet, hvor fiskene befinder sig, spiller en afgørende rolle i at bestemme, hvilke fluefarver der vil være mest effektive. For eksempel, hvis du fisker i et område med meget bevoksning, vil fluer, der blandes ind med den naturlige baggrund, ofte være mere effektive. På den anden side, hvis du fisker over en gråfarvet flodbund, kan en grå Bomber-flue være lige præcis det, der fanger fiskens opmærksomhed.

Gule fluer efter stigning på elven

Gule fluer er især effektive en eller to dage efter en stignin. Den lyse gule farve skiller sig ud Især i uklare elve, hvilket gør den til et fremragende valg hvis du fisker i elve med opvivlet sand og udvaskning af jord.

Den røde flues kraft

Røde fluer bliver ofte mere effektive, jo længere ind i sæsonen man kommer. *Læs mere om dette længere nede i vores nyhedsbrev.

Sorte fluer: Et universelt valg

Sorte fluer er et pålideligt og alsidigt valg i næsten alle elve og forhold. Deres tilpasningsevne gør dem til en fast bestanddel i de flestes flueboks, da de er effektive uanset vandklarhed eller tidspunkt på dagen.

Det er vigtigt at bemærke, at i lavt lys, som ved den skumrings-“heksestund”, før det bliver helt mørkt, opfattes fluer primært som sorte. I disse perioder kan lidt større og mørkere fluer være særligt effektive, da du udnytter deres synlighed i det reducerede lys. Dette understreger det faktum, at uden lys ændrer farveopfattelsen sig, hvilket gør sorte fluer til et go-to valg, når andre muligheder ikke skiller sig ud

Årlige variationer

Som med enhver sæson plejer de mest effektive fluemønstre at ændre sig. I 2024 blev Hvid Bomber min foretrukne flue, hvilket var et markant kontrast til 2023, hvor den mørkegrønne Bombers gav de bedste resultater.

Årsagerne bag disse skift er svære at fastslå, men det er noget, de fleste laksefiskere vil bemærke over tid. Det er et af de mange fascinerende mysterier, der gør vores sport så spændende.

White Tube Bomber – den foretrukne farve for laks i 2024 – Se denne Bomber i vores butik.

Mørkegrøn Tube Bomber var den foretrukne farve for laks i 2023 – Se den Mørkegrønne Bomber i vores butik.
Lær mere om de forskellige farver af Bombers på Fishmadman. Her

Vi vil meget gerne høre fra dig! Hvis du har tanker eller idéer om farver i fluer til laks og ørred, er du velkommen til at sende os en besked på fishmadman@gmail.com. Vi ser frem til at høre fra dig!

Nymfer til laks og havørred

I løbet af min sommer med laksefiskeri skifter jeg af og til til en tung nymfe for at fiske efter havørreder eller laks, der gemmer sig i langsomt eller stillestående vand. Til denne type fiskeri bruger jeg gerne strike-indikatorer. Gennem årene har jeg prøvet mange forskellige, men denne sæson opdagede jeg noget, der virkelig gjorde en teknisk forskel.

Jeg købte et sæt indikatorer fra Patrick og Teri Douglas i Belgrade, Montana. Deres OROS-strike-indikatorer har et smart skumdesign med et let justerbart skrue-på, skrue-af system. Denne innovative opbygning gør dem utroligt praktiske og brugervenlige. Jeg blev så imponeret, at vi har besluttet at inkludere disse OROS-strike-indikatorer i vores udvalg af fluefiskegrej.

Den version, vi tilbyder i vores butik, er den lille model med en diameter på 16 mm.

Se en video om, hvordan du monterer denne smarte OROS strike indicator (den strike indicator, der bruges i videoen, er den STORE version) – Den, vi sælger, er den LILLE version.

Om nymfer

Fra 2025 vil vi udvide vores samling af TDF-fluer med to nye nymfe-mønstre. Den første, Copper John, er en meget anerkendt favorit blandt havørredfiskere i Argentina. Den anden; Double Gold Bead stonefly, er et unikt mønster  designet med to gyldne messingperler.

Double Gold Bead stonefly in action October 2024

Se forrige nyhedsbrev