Mr Heikki Anttonen is a dedicated fly angler from Finland that throughout his life, has developed salmon dry flies. We had the fortunate opportunity to meet Mr Anttonen this spring (2013). We were able to learn the story behind one of the most famous salmon dry flies from Scandinavia the Pompero Fly.

See Heikki Anttonen´s own homepage on salmon fishing

 How it all started

NB. I make the poly dubbing by cutting 1cm of poly yarn of different colours and mixing them thoroughly in a coffee grinder (even though light navy grey is the primary Pompero colour).

Tie in the calf´s tail on the hook and bring your thread to the middle of the hook.

To improve float ability, apply a waxy floating agent on the materials as you tie them in; I use the Finnish product Nahkiss

Make a spinning loop (15-20 cm. 6-8 inches) and set the loop in the midsection of the hook-shank – and bring your main thread back to the tail section.

Apply your dubbing, spin it tightly to a thread and form the body of the fly: two turns to the tail, four turns to the front, back to the tail and to the front again and tie the loop thread in by a half hitch or two.

Tie the hackle in ( by the tip) at the tail, make two turns to the shank and then bring the hackle back to the front in tight turns and make two even tighter turns at the wing or fan to be made of the calf tail waiting there. Tie the hackle in with the awaiting remains of the loop.

Bring the thread to the front, reinforcing the body hackle and push the calf´s hair up to form a fan–like front wing.

Form a neat head in front of the fan to stay in the right position. Whip finish and cut the thread away.

Take the fly off the bench, eye up and squeeze the fan together and cut to the final length

check the hackle, spread the fan and perhaps push it up a bit.

Fishing the Pompero Fly – Like Heikki Anttonen

Sight fishing for salmon is my preferred style. Cast the Pompero Fly to the upstream edge of the fish´s window, inside it, so that the fly is seen by the fish when it lands on the water. Let the fly drift tail first freely downstream straight over the fish; when the fly has passed the fish by a meter (3-4 feet), cast again. Lots and lots of short casts with a dead drifting Pomperos fly; that´s my way of fishing.

If fish can´t be seen, fish your “hotspots” similarly. When the fish rises, don´t panic; wait until it turns before you lift your rod!

Even when you use one-hand (one and a half) rods, some 10-11,6 ft. long, it´s hard work. Fishing the Pompero for salmon is a question of faith; only the fly on the water catches fish!

Tight lines Mr Pompero

Killer Whisker tied on Tube : a more dense alternative to the Bomber salmon fly

Don’t tie your Killer Whisker on a long shank hook

A fly like the killer Whisker with its long bulky body is a first-class case of a fly that – NEWER – should be tied on a long shank hook – but ideally on a plastic tube – The Leverage factor – The weight issue  – The missing exposure of the hook – The problems with big flesh wounds in the mouth of C&R salmon…all ads up

Monster Tube Caddis ™ we tie them in three sizes: Small, large and X-Large..and then we do some costume flies for a guy in Canada… They are absolutely big: 80 millimetre (3 inches)  – Without the horns

Absolutely stunning 17,1 kilo (37,7 Lb.) Salmon caught on Monster Tube Caddis ™ in Northern Norway 2010. Picture with courtesy of the Haugen family.

In this next lines of photos we will show you how to dress a: Monster Tube Caddis ™ a pattern popular for big salmon sitting in slow holding pools. Particularly big salmon is slow takers and angler must keep this in mind when presenting a fly to them. A bigger fish might decide to come top the top on the  8  or 10`th  cast- sometimes following the fly downstream for many meters.

Photo: The late Mr. Kim Nyborg with one of 6 + 20 lb salmon from the Lower Humber in Newfoundland. All fish caught on medium size Monster Tube Caddis

Tube Bomber ™ : Big dry flies with no weight or problems with leverage

Above: White Tube Bomber ™ well up the leader with this hooked Atlantic Salmon – This makes de-hooking easy – And the fish can’t use the long fly as a lever

Hooks to use with the Tube Bomber

We recommend a short shank wide gape hook at the end of the Tube Bomber  – This will give you a perfect hook-up. You can change to single, double or treble hooks according to your choice, the flow of the river or the rules of the Riverkeeper.

Read more on the hooks we suggest for the Tube Bomber …

Tying The Tube Bomber ™

Start by heating the end of the tube near a naked flame thereby creating a small collar on the tube.  – This collar will prevent the hook guard from falling-off during energetic casting. Note of warning! Not all types of tube will melt and form a collar when heated – most tubing will catch fire etc. – It is the melting point of the material that is of importance – If you use the right quality tube such a collar will easily form

For small/medium diameter tube flies or metal tubes with inner-lining tubing – Bottle tubes, but more than anything this needle is designed for big and small tube dry flies like the Tube Bomber. Shaped to fit our 1.8 mm. tube with an inside diameter (Ø) of 1.1 mm. The total length is 97 mm. A needle that will enable you to tie big tube dry flies. See the special needle in our shop

The ultimate quest: 100 cm (39.4 inches) of Atlantic salmon caught on a July day on a medium size Dark  Green Tube Bomber – Leader 0.25 mm. Maxima (8 lb.) –  Hook a small # 14 Owner St BC 

Danish salmon angler par excellence; Mr Henrik Mortensen with a bright dry fly salmon from the Bonaventure River – caught on a medium size  Monster Tube Caddis ™

Right: The Monster Tube Caddis is a modern salmon dry fly tied on a tube – and designed to imitate the caddisfly insect that salmon and trout depend upon as food when they live as parr in the river system

Salmon dry fly 1840’s

Mr. Wood was not the first Briton to recognize the potential of fishing for salmon on the surface. Descriptions of this technique can be traced back to early English fishing literature dating as far back as 1846.

One such example is found in the book “A Manual of Modern Farriery: A Popular and Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Horses and Other Domestic Animals… with a Sporting Section and UK Game Laws” by Thomas Brown, published by George Virtue around 1846.

Left: The accompanying plate displays a diverse selection of trout and salmon flies, while the text provides detailed instructions on fishing on the surface for salmon. These instructions could very well describe fishing with a salmon dry-fly, but they could also pertain to other techniques such as dibbling, dapping, or the Riffling Hitch method.

For further details and images, refer to A Manual of modern farriery 

Major J.R Fraser’s salmon dry fly patterns 1909

The earliest documentation of salmon dry-fly fishing that we have encountered originates from England: Major J.R. Fraser’s salmon dry-fly series, listed in a 1909 Farlow and Co. catalogue, along with descriptions of his fishing techniques and recommended tackle. While there is limited information available about Major J.R. Fraser and his remarkable salmon dry-fly series, we do have an introduction provided by Mr. Fraser in the Farlow fishing tackle catalogue.

Left: It is widely acknowledged among angling historians that the British were likely the first to write about salmon on the dry fly. Although Canadian angler Mr. George M. La Branche is often credited as the first to describe salmon fishing with the dry fly, the technique’s origins are frequently attributed to UK anglers. The color plates featuring Fraser’s flies to the right are from a 1919 Farlow catalogue, but Farlow had the same series of flies and writings by Mr. Fraser in earlier catalogues dating back as far as 1909.

We received invaluable assistance with details on early salmon dry-fly fishing from the Farlow 1909 catalogue from a Nova Scotia angler. Mr Perry Munro 

See the text and images from the 1919 Farlow catalogue

La Branche visits the Dee –

In 1925, La Branche journeyed to the Dee in Scotland, invited by the renowned angler, Mr. A.H. Wood. Wood was intrigued to witness the application of the Canadian salmon dry fly technique on Dee salmon. Unfortunately, unfavorable weather conditions and a scarcity of fresh-running fish posed significant challenges for La Branche, who failed to land a salmon that week. Nonetheless, La Branche managed to entice approximately 20 fish to his salmon dry fly, with two of them hooked but ultimately lost. Undoubtedly, under better conditions, he would have found success in landing fish.

Right: Pictured are Ambrose & George, attired in what appears to be a 1920s sports-casual ensemble, ready for a day of sport. These anglers share the same passion for salmon dry fly fishing as you and I.

To learn more about these salmon adventures, visit: dry fly pioneers

One can only guess on how much different the world of salmon fishing would have looked had their been – fresh water and fish in the Aberdeenshire Dee that  jinxed week in 1925..

The Wulff flies 1950

Another couple of decades came to pass when salmon dry fly yet again made the headlines.

With the book, The Atlantic Salmon – published in the late ’50s, author and famous angler Mr Lee Wulff made the salmon dry fly sport popular in North America. In his book, Lee Wulff presented a new line of dry flies named the Wulff series that he and fellow angler Mr Dan Bailey had designed. The flies were big bushy cartoon-like imitations of mayflies and was originally intended for trout fishing – but soon proven to be just the right dry flies for Atlantic salmon. The Wulff series was designed almost 50 years ago – but still today these flies are closely linked with everything concerning salmon dry fly

Tribute to Lee Wulff

Lee Wulff has greatly influenced the fly fishing sport as a whole and salmon dry fly fishing in particular. Without his dedication and profound insight into the world of the Atlantic salmon things like salmon conservation, fly fishing equipment and fishing techniques would have looked much different from what they do today – We recommend reading Lee Wulff’s book: The Atlantic Salmon

Right: A selection of original Lee Wulff Surface Stonefly as described in the 2nd edition of The Atlantic Salmon.

A salmon fly Lee Wulff produced with a cast resin body.   Lee Wulff used this cast resin technique on other types of flies for salmon and trout and he even did a do-it-yourself kit for anglers wanting to try the cast resin technique on their own fly patterns.

The Bomber’s 1960

The Bomber dry fly was originally designed as a commotion fly for fishing in the headwaters of the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. It was a Mr Elmer Smith that allegedly tied the first Bomber  – Initially, he intending the fly to be fished sub-surface he later thought it to be well suited as a salmon dry fly and had various versions of the fly made. Today the Bomber is the No. one salmon dry fly for most salmon anglers and it is tied in multiple colours and sizes.

The story goes: that Mr Smith got his inspiration to the Bomber fly after seeing a salmon rise to the cigar-butt he had just thrown in the river…

The Bomber: Probably the most versatile salmon dry fly ever made. Here a bright summer fish caught on a white Tube Bomber ™

White Tube Bomber ™ a favourite patter among many Scandinavian salmon anglers fishing clear rivers in Norway – made in 3 sizes it will cover the season and all kinds of rivers. See our flies in the E-Shop

In 1979, Lee Wulff discussed his experiments with dry flies and skaters tied on plastic tubes in his book “Lee Wulff on Flies.” Intrigued by the potential of crafting flies in sections, Wulff aimed to design flies of the appropriate size directly at the riverbank, eliminating the need to change hook sizes.

We at Fishmadman took the concept of tube dry flies further in 1995 by tying classical Bomber patterns and other salmon dry flies on extremely thin tubes. This innovative approach resulted in lightweight dry flies with significantly different hook-holding capabilities than traditional salmon dry flies. We achieved superior hooking abilities by fitting our flies with small, wide-gape hooks without adding considerable weight. Our inaugural tube salmon dry fly, the Tube Bomber™, was designed explicitly for fast-flowing waters of large rivers—a substantial, over 2-inch dry fly that would have been excessively heavy if tied on single hooks.

Positioning the dry fly correctly – is a great part of the success of dry fly fishing

An integral aspect of salmon dry fly fishing is precise fly positioning. Just like with wet fly fishing, anglers depend on the salmon to rise and intercept the fly as it drifts by the spot where the salmon is holding. Rarely will a salmon move far from its lie to take the fly, emphasizing the importance of accurate placement. To delve deeper into this topic, we’ve collaborated with a skilled 3-D animator to create a film illustrating the dynamics of fly positioning. Additionally, our newsletter offers in-depth insights into fly positioning techniques and explores the concept of Snell’s Window.

Take a look here

A very special caddisfly imitation

Monster Tube Caddis ™, with its vibrant appearance, has a strong effect on Atlantic salmon across the Northern Hemisphere. Especially large multi-sea winter salmon seem attracted to this fly in both big and smaller versions. We have had many anglers test-fishing this fly in various shades of brown – and have found that the light brown version works best – We use Coch-Y-Bonddu feathers in light brown or ginger.

It is not necessary to match the hatch in all aspects. This Monster Tube Caddis ™ is more a caricature than an imitation of the limnephilidae caddisfly that it is meant to portrait Go shopping

Danish salmon angler par excellence, Mr Henrik Mortensen, with a bright salmon from the Bonaventure River – caught on a medium size  Monster Tube Caddis ™

Finnmark – Norway August 1994 the Caddisfly river

A unique pool I fish seems to be a regular caddisfly incubator, with deep, slow water at the head of the pool – Rocks protruding here and there. When the time is right, 1000’s caddisfly insects will rise from the river and climb to safety on the boulders – like that shipwrecked person climbing onto the classic islands with only sand and that solitary palm tree.

Small salmon hooked on a Monster Tube Caddis ™ – Note how the fly slides freely on the leader.

It was with anticipation and to the beat of my heart I made my way down the narrow trail that led to the pool – The evening had been the start of the hatch of 1000´s of caddisfly insects and the early light of the morning had revealed a shoal of salmon that had moved into the pool during night. During the day I had tied a crude looking version of a caddisfly imitation, and was now ready for the salmon that had settled in the pool. I was surprised to see that some of the fish had moved down to the tail of the pool. Normally I would only see salmon falling back at night-time  – But these fish where acting just like brown trout on a summer’s day – feeding away on drifting caddisflies. I soon hooked up with salmon on the dead-drifting caddisfly imitation that I named the Monster Tube Caddis

Two bright summer salmon caught on Monster Tube Caddis ™ during a big hatch of caddisfly – The river was crawling with insects, and the local trout and salmon parr was eating away at the insects at a frantic speed… Salmon in the pool acted like trout participating in the feast –  Both fish were hooked the first time seeing the fly.

The caddisfly – an overlooked insect in the world of salmon fishing

During summer, many different hatching insects will make their way up from the river bed, some more distinctive than others but all of significant interest to the salmon parr and its trout cousin. These freshwater insects, with their many appearances, serve as their main diet throughout their life as parr and their impact on the growing salmon and trout is a cornerstone in our fly fishing – But the caddisfly is rarely directly portrayed in flies for salmon. Both the larva and the adult insect is present at the river from spring to late autumn, and especially on days with many insects on the water, the salmon and trout parr will focus on the hunt for the caddisfly.

Monster Tube Caddis: Designed to be fished at dead drift

We fish the Monster Tube Caddis at absolute Dead-drift…but we have also received reports from various anglers in Canada and Norway who have had success with a stop-and-go retrieve. The tail of the Monster Tube Caddis has strands of Mylar built-in – We initially put the strands there to keep track of the fly out on the dark water. Anglers fishing for landlocked salmon in Newfoundland have told us how they caught more fish on the fly while the mylar was present – and then fewer fish when the strands of mylar eventually were pulled off by fish.

The Monster Tube Caddis is a favoured fly for Atlantic salmon in Newfoundland

A fly pattern might be perfect for one kind of river, or it may be useful in one region and less so in another. After our initial success with the Monster Tube Caddis in the mid 90’s we made contact with some guides and anglers in Newfoundland. Some where sceptical towards the big insect imitation – but others immediately had success and called us to get new flies. Today the Monster Tube Caddis is widely used on rivers on Newfoundland and mainland Canada

Read what a Newfoundland guide wrote us

Big salmon: 40 by 21 inches from the Lower Humber caught on Monster Tube Caddis ™. Picture; With curtsy of Mr. Mark Butcher

 2010 Fishmadman competition winner

Winner of the 2010 Fishmadman competition Mr Joakim Haugen from North Norway with a giant 17 kg. + salmon (37,7 lb) caught on the Monster Tube Caddis ™ Read the story

Dry fly on the Gaspe River

The late Mr Ian Martin, with a beautiful summer salmon from the Gaspe River – caught on the Monster Tube Caddis. Read more from Mr Ian Martin

Yet another from the Gaspe River

The late Mr. Ian Martin with 44 inches (ca. 36 lb.) caught on the Monster Tube Caddis

A much different Monster Tube Caddis made for steelhead

The WAKE version of our Monster Tube Caddis – A design we have perfected over the last years – Is designed for steelhead fishing – but also proved to work for salmon in lakes and rivers – A unique caddisfly imitation to bring curious fish to the top.

Buy the Wake Monster Tube Caddis

Mr Tom Derry, Director of Wild Steelhead Funding Native Fish Society and avid steelhead angler favours the wake Monster Tube Caddis when fishing steelhead on the top. Here with a tight line on the Babine River.