I just had to post in here because the fly fishing forum has died over the past week even more than usual.

When fishing for salmon, steelehead and searun trout, how much do you think fly selection matters?

I think line selection is far more critical that fly selection. The best fly wont catch fish if its not in their zone. I do think that color and profile of a fly are important.

hehe I just like the hog youre holdin. Man I gotta get into the rivers better.

For Salmon and Cutts in the salt- definitely pattern- especially salmon (timing). Freshwater... presentation! However, Kalama River Silvers seem fairly selective to small (#10) patterns over larger ones.

Black and purple are (were) generally my year around "go to" Steelie colors. I don't think size of the pattern matters much as long as the water hasn't been beaten to death . With that, we are back to presentation... We just never know what makes a fish tick!

Downriggin'

In the salt anything that looks like a baitfish will catch fish. Especially the cutts will hit anything flashy and usually the silvers too.

For resident Silvers:

In the winter through early spring my catch ratio is higher (25 to 1) with zooplanton patterns than baitfish patterns. In April, the fish tends to be very selective on zooplanton.

The turn to bait full time normally occurs in late May/early June.

As far as Cutts, I like a dark (mottled effect)inverted Muddler fished down around the rocks or a small herring tube fly tied with Artic Fox and peacock Angel Hair.

Downriggin'

Yeah, I'd agree on consensus. In salt, I think you have to match a bit more. I use baitfish and crustacean patterns. But in the rivers, if you can present it to them, you can hook them. I have caught fish WELL out of the "norm" for river conditions. It's more the confidence you have in the fly and how you work it. But, there are some flies I know I've had steelhead rise to. Only certain patterns do work better on the rise. But under the surface, I've caught them on a wide variety of flies.

I don't fish for salmon enough to offer a qualified opinion. I don't know about sea-run cutthroat in saltwater; in freshwater the fly pattern does seem to matter some, but not a lot to me, although I use about 3 patterns for cutts.

For steelhead, I believe fly pattern is all but irrelevant. An undisturbed steelhead, with suitable water temperature, will hit the first properly presented bait or lure it sees. So I match my fly selection to water conditions more than anything, favoring larger, brighter flies at winter flows and smaller, darker flies during the summer and fall. Unfortunately, this makes fly tying pretty boring. I could get by with 3 patterns for the whole year, in sizes 8 to 1. So to keep my mind from going numb, I tie whatever garish assortment of materials I pull out of the jars and material grab bag.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.