On this page, we aim to delve deeper into the nuances of riffling hitch fishing, expanding upon the general information on our introduction page dedicated to this captivating surface sport. If you have any specific questions or inquiries, please feel free to contact us at rifflinghitch.com, where we’re available to chat with you. Alternatively, you can contact us directly here at fishmadman.com. We’re always happy to assist you!
It's all happening right in the surface
It’s all happening right in the surface – Which makes the riffling hitch technique one of the most fantastic sports a fly fisherman ever can venture into – Some of the best takes of the season will be on the hitch fly – and both big and small salmon is drawn to this miniature fly in such a way that your whole perception of salmon fly fishing will change once you have tried this sports of sports..
Your perception of salmon fly fishing will change once you have tried this sport.
Riffling Hitch is not a particularly demanding sport – but like when fishing dry fly, skating, dibbling or dipping, it´s a sport that demands your full attention.
It is associated with fly fishing for Atlantic salmon but is also a technique equally used by anglers fishing steelhead on top.
Fishing riffling hitch is a visual sport, and salmon will always show themself when they approach the fly – Doing so gives away vital information about their position. Still, they will also give you some idea about their intentions.
Sometimes it can be tiny aspect in the way you present the fly – or it could be small details in the way the fly move that make all the difference. Things worth analysing – imitating and refining.
Hitching a hook-fly in the surface - Portland style
Hitching the fly the Portland way – riffle hitch knot
Riffling Hitch The Portland way is the traditional style of fishing riffling hitch in North America. It is described as; A couple of half-hitches tied in behind the head and eye of a single or double hook fly so that the leader sits at an angle of the fly – This will make the fly pull to the surface.
Blue Charm: Probably the most versatile of all salmon flies. Here styled to be used with the Portland Hitch
Correspondingly with salmon fishing literature the technique Portland hitch departs from Portland Creek in Newfoundland where local anglers in the beginning of the 20th century would reuse broken gut flies by tying them on to the leader with a series of overhand knots/hitches.
What is a gut-eye fly?
In the early years of fly fishing for Atlantic salmon – salmon hooks did not have eyes as we know them today. The hook shank was tapered toward the front, and the leader, made of strands of gut, was tied directly to the hook’s shank.
Later in fly fishing history, twisted strands of gut were tied onto the hook shank, forming an eye to which the angler would tie the tippet.
During summer, there will be times when the riffling hitch – or the fly moving on the surface – will be much more efficient than other flies.
Exploring the Portland Hitch: Should the Fly Ride Sideways or with the Hook Pointing Downward?
Navigating the intricacies of the riffling hitch technique can seem daunting, leading many anglers to hesitate in adopting it due to uncertainty about its proper execution.
For years, North American salmon anglers have debated whether the hook gape should face downward or outward. Some argue that positioning the hook toward the center of the stream enhances hooking efficiency when the fish intercepts the fly and returns to its lie.
In the illustration below, we’ve used a thick white line to demonstrate how you can tie your flies to ride on the surface with the hook facing downward, akin to the traditional wet-fly method. We’ve selected a series of flies, including classic patterns favored by us and fellow anglers over the years. These flies are tied slim on lightweight hooks and trimmed to optimize performance when hitched. Ample space ahead of the head allows for hitching.
Portland Hitch – Simple but a bit intricate
The leader can either be tied to extend to the left or right side of the fly, depending on what river bank you are fishing from. For best performance, tie the hitches on the fly so the leader extends from the fly towards the bank – when the fly is facing upstream.
Here a version of the Blue Charm on a # 6 lightweight hook Get flies in E-SHOP 
Riffling Hitch the European way
Europeans anglers rarely tie on single hook flies to fish them with a Portland Hitch set-up; we would instead use tiny tubes to work salmon to the surface.
Europeans anglers rarely tie on single hook flies to fish them with a Portland Hitch set-up; we would instead use tiny tubes to work salmon to the surface.
Just as with the Portland Hitch, the leader comes at a slant of the fly – in this case, through a hole in the belly. You can fit single, double or treble hooks in the tube and position the hook how you like.
See the many perfect Riffling Hitch patterns in the Fishmadman Shop.
Hitch tube fly seen from below
Single or two holes in the riffling hitch tube fly?
Single or Dual Hole Riffling Hitch Tube Flies: A Closer Look
The number of holes in a riffling hitch tube fly often sparks debate, but the answer is straightforward. Let’s examine the two types of RH tube flies separately.
Single-hole RH tube flies typically feature a hole in the belly, with the wing positioned on top. These flies are versatile and can be effectively used from both riverbanks.
Two-hole versions have a hole in each side of the fly and rely on the angler to use one hole for the left bank and another for the right bank. The leader can either be tied to extend to the left or right side of the fly, depending on what river bank you fish from. Let the leader extends from the fly towards the bank – when the fly is facing upstream.
So what is the better solution?
Two-hole versions feature a hole on each side of the fly, allowing the angler to utilize one hole for the left bank and the other for the right bank. Depending on the riverbank you’re fishing from, the leader can be tied to extend either to the left or right side of the fly. Position the leader to extend from the fly towards the bank when the fly is facing upstream.
What about the hole in the front of the tube – should that be blocked up?
The front of the riffling hitch tube is typically left open, a detail that often stirs debate among fly tiers and RH anglers. My response to this debate remains consistent: one fly tier may create an excellent RH pattern with a blocked hole in the front, while another may produce a superb pattern with the hole left open. Both variations can result in great flies, illustrating that this aspect has no strict rules. Fly tying, particularly riffling hitch fly tying, revolves around micro-details, and what constitutes the perfect fly isn’t always immediately apparent to the naked eye.
A note on the hole in the front of the tube: I and many other riffling hitch anglers also use our diminutive RH flies as regular tube flies – Put your leader through the fly the traditional way and get a micro tube fly you can fish just below the surface
Fly tying, and especially riffling hitch fly tying, is all about micro details – and what creates the perfect fly is not always visible to the naked eye.
Riffling Hitch is the discipline in salmon fishing where the questions about flies and fishing – expose the fact that we know very little about details in salmon flies.
See our page on riffling hitch fly tying.
Micro details in riffling hitch fly tying - Read our special page on this issue
If you are interested in learning more about micro-movements and details in the art of building riffling hitch tube flies
When to use Riffling Hitch
Riffling Hitch flies will work in all kinds of circumstances. Weather and temperature can not always be held as a guideline – Saying this, I will note that there seems to be a period during summer when a Hitched fly will work exceptionally well. The Hitched fly may pull salmon to the top even during spate and muddy waters when salmon move closer to the bank and out of the fast turbulent water.
Keep up the deception!
Keep up the deception!Riffling hitch flies should be fished at an even phase. Atlantic salmon loses interest if the fly loses momentum and stops hitching. Sometimes you may have to add speed by lifting the rod or mending downstream. At other times you might need to slow the fly down by mending upstream or letting out line. Make sure to follow the fly closely during its path across the river salmon tends to leave their lies to intercept the fly, often seen by wakes near the fly or flashes of silver below it. Riffling Hitch wake fly pattern V-FLY Silvertip seen from below Get the fly
Here UK angler Mr Jerry Rothman hitches the middle stretch of Allan’s stream at the fantastic Kinnaber beat on the North Esk. Salmon is hanging just on the edge of the current, making the V-FLY the perfect Riffling Hitch fly.
Terrible conditions...try a riffling hitch micro tube
Wind from the north and other such terrible things
Riffling Hitch flies are among the few patterns that can still produce results even in unfavorable conditions—though not always guaranteed. For instance, try presenting a tiny, slim Black & Gold Hitchman when relentless northern winds have persisted for days, causing salmon to become selective and reluctant to strike.
Animals blend into their environment
After a brief stint in freshwater, Atlantic salmon shed their sea lice and shortly thereafter, lose their appetite, transitioning into the salmon so many anglers have come to know a species that can prove elusive to catch. Prolonged periods of cold weather and decreasing water levels often exacerbate this anorexic behavior. Perhaps it’s the challenge of enticing salmon on a fly during such trying times that polarizes anglers’ perceptions even further.
Here is an 85 cm salmon that took in horrific cold summer weather on a tiny Black & Gold Hitchman fly…After 1 hour of casting this specific fish, seizing the offering as though it were the first fly it had ever encountered.
In fact, salmon are catchable and tiny hitch flies are often the right medicine for such difficult salmon.
Salmon can indeed be caught, especially when faced with challenging conditions, and often, tiny hitch flies prove to be the remedy for such tricky situations. During periods of cold, clear weather with dropping temperatures and water levels, Atlantic salmon entering the river tend to settle in holding pools or safe pockets they discover along their upstream journey. They may remain hidden, blending into their surroundings, occasionally revealing themselves. While some may remain elusive, others may become momentarily available, particularly during brief intervals throughout the day. In such instances, I’ve found tiny hitch flies to be highly effective, often the sole fly suited for the task at hand.
As for what exactly these small hitch flies mimic, it’s difficult to say definitively. One possibility is the caddisfly, a prevalent insect in the local river environment, even on icy cold summer days.
A superior pool for Riffling Hitch fishing
Some places are just made for Riffling Hitch! Here looking at the Lower Dyke pool at the North Esk River in Aberdeenshire, Scotland – The best Riffling Hitch pool I have ever fished – The famous Bailey Middleton pool below.
An excellent river to use Riffling Hitch More about North Esk
STOP PRESS! – Well! The Lower Dyke Pool is no more – It has been ruined by a breach on the dike above – resulting in tons upon tons of gravel being washed downstream into this pool of pools..
White water is often a sign of hot-spots for salmon and steelhead
Keeping the fly jumping on top
A simple yet effective trick when trailing flies: Ensure your fly skims along the surface of the white water, especially effective at the inlet of a pool where waterfalls and fast ripples provide resting spots for salmon.
Though the water appears opaque due to bubbles preventing human visibility, salmon perceive it differently, emerging from the depths like a troll from a box to seize your fly. Over the years, I’ve demonstrated this technique to sceptical anglers who, upon trying it, have experienced success firsthand. Once you’ve witnessed a sizable salmon erupting from those frothy bubbles to take your fly, there’s no turning back—you’re hooked.
Cover the area like your panting a entire canvas – top to bottom
Keep the rod high and the line short while you search off the entire area of white water…Keeping focused on regions with different water flow speeds: On the edge of the drop-down where the river falls into the pool – On the edges of the fast water – At the very back-end of the white water – or by a small oily spot in the middle of everything… These spots are not always prominent nor visible – But when ones are found, they will always be the place to focus on…Mr. Salmon will very likely be their next time – The best procedure is to move the fly backwards slowly – When you have covered an area – lift the fly and place it on the water and do this process again and again – only very rarely will a salmon chase the fly that is moving forward…that is the game of its cousin; the sea trout.
Only very rarely will a salmon chase the fly that is moving forward…that is the game of its cousin; the sea trout.
More white-water tactics
An effective technique for attracting the attention of salmon concealed within white water is to employ small, shimmering hitch flies, such as those from the Hitchman series. Begin by positioning yourself upstream, casting across the current, and allowing the fly to dance along the surface. Maintain a high rod position and keep the line lifted out of the water. Don’t fret if the tiny fly seems inconspicuous or if you doubt whether the salmon will notice it—rest assured, they will. With keen observation, you may even witness them aggressively snapping at the fly amidst the turbulent river. Stale salmon, accustomed to countless presentations of sub-surface flies, are often enticed by these minuscule, shimmering offerings.
Just the one you were looking for… A super strong fish on the fly rod… jumped five times and made a 150-meter long run straight into the pool below – Fly a Hitchman Gold
See-through & iridescent
If you have followed our work here on Fishmadman, you would have read about the qualities of see-through tubing and the role that iridescent colures play in nature. We incorporate these elements into many of our flies that we and other anglers have succeeded with over the years.
Like a good cooking recipe, we have combined the right things and made an irresistible dish. Here the Green Hitchmann fly is tied on our 3.2 mm. tubing. The red spot on the throat of the fly indicates the entrance hole for the leader and doubles as a vision of the stomach seen on small see-through fry.
Just... below the surface!
The Bugs
No, advice on riffling hitch technique goes without mentioning the salmon Bugs so popular with North American anglers. Salmon Bug patterns have their methods and unique details worth spending time and effort into learning, and putting the bug´s family of flies into a short frame on riffling hitch fishing know-how is, in fact, a bit sketchy… but bugs are, to some extent the fly patterns that I find to be very well connected with the riffling hitch technique.
My observations over the years have led me to conclude that there is a fishable layer… just below the surface, where a well-presented deer hair bug can do wonders just before the riffling hitch season picks up.
There is a fishable layer… just below the surface, where a well-presented deer hair bug can do wonders just before the riffling hitch season picks up
I fish the bugs wet and close to the surface as possible. I like to add a tiny amount of flotant to the flies. As you can see from the images, these salmon were hooked close to the snout, a familiar spot to hook Atlantic salmon on a small bug fly – Why is this so? I don’t know…but make sure to get your bugs tied on solid hooks, as hooking salmon in this spot often leads to hard-fighting fish.
Flies used: Green & Orange Glitterbugs.
