Sagebrush Light Foam Salmonfly
by @dekasso
Foam Salmonfly · Dry fly
Orange bug, gold light, fast water
A size 6 foam salmonfly dry in orange, brown and yellow, built to float high along banks and riffles during the salmonfly hatch.
A big foam salmonfly dry sits in the vise above a braided river running through sagebrush and gold evening hills. Orange foam segments, a long elk hair wing, brown hackle, barred rubber legs and a yellow foam sighter make up the fly.
- Pattern
- Foam Salmonfly
- Imitates
- Salmonfly hatch, typically late May into early July on western freestone rivers
- Hook
- size 6
- Tippet
- 2Xrule of three
- Segmented orange foam body floats high
- Long natural elk hair wing
- Barred orange and black rubber legs
- Yellow foam sighter for fast water
- Size 6 Tiemco 5212 dry hook
On the water
Bright orange foam rides the back in fat segments over a fuzz of orange dubbing. A long elk hair wing sweeps past the bend, brown hackle bristles at the thorax, and orange-and-black legs splay out like the real thing. Up front, a yellow foam tuft catches the low sun.
Slap it tight to the willows and grassy banks where adult stoneflies tumble off. Let it drift drag-free through riffle seams, then give it a small twitch as it swings past a boulder. The foam keeps it riding high in broken water.
Foam segmentation is the heart of this tie. Bind the strip down with two tight thread wraps at even spacing so each segment bulges the same, and the body reads as a fat, ribbed abdomen from below.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 2Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Use 2X or 3X tippet; the fly is bulky and casts best on a stout leader with a short, punchy stroke.
- Hang a stonefly nymph 18 to 30 inches below the bend when fish are holding deep.
- Dead drift first, then add a short twitch near structure to mimic a struggling adult.
Where and when
- Water
- Madison River, Southwest Montana
- Hatch
- Salmonfly hatch, typically late May into early July on western freestone rivers
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, grassy banks and pocket water on freestone rivers
- Also fishes
- Doubles as a big golden stone or hopper-style attractor on summer banks, and as a buoyant top fly over a dropper nymph.
Also on this water
- SalmonflyJun–Jul
- CaddisJun–Sep
- BaetisApr–May, Sep–Oct
Fished out of Ennis, West Yellowstone and Cameron.
Make it yourself
Intermediate8 materials · 12 steps
- Pattern
- Foam Salmonfly
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 5212size 6
- Thread
- Orange 140-denier
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- BodyOrange 2mm foam strip
- BellyOrange synthetic dubbing
- LegsOrange and black barred round rubber
- WingNatural elk hair
- HackleBrown saddle hackle
- ThoraxOrange synthetic dubbing
- HeadOrange 2mm foam strip
- SighterYellow foam
Details
- Imitates
- Salmonfly
- Colors
- Orange, Brown, Yellow, Black
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (12)
- Mount the size 6 hook and lay an orange thread base from the eye to the bend.
- Cut the orange foam strip to about hook-gap width and taper one end; tie it in at the bend so it extends slightly past the hook.
- Dub a slim orange belly forward to the two-thirds point of the shank.
- Pull the foam forward and bind it down with two firm wraps every quarter of the shank to form three even segments.
- Tie a rubber leg on each side at the rearmost segment, angled back and out.
- Stack a clump of natural elk hair, measure it to reach just past the end of the foam, and tie it in on top at the two-thirds point.
- Tie in the brown saddle hackle at the base of the wing.
- Dub an orange thorax to just behind the eye, leaving room for the head.
- Palmer the hackle forward through the thorax in four or five open turns and tie it off.
- Tie a second pair of rubber legs at the front of the thorax, one on each side.
- Fold the foam back to form the head, bind it down, and tie a short tuft of yellow foam on top as a sighter.
- Whip finish under the foam head and trim the legs to length.
Proportions (5)
- Foam body: overhangs the bend by about one quarter of the shank length.
- Wing: elk hair reaches just past the end of the foam body.
- Hackle: fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Legs: rear legs roughly one shank length, front legs slightly shorter.
- Sighter: yellow foam stands about one third of the shank above the head.
Tips (4)
- Use a sharp razor to cut the foam strip so the edges stay clean and segments look crisp.
- Stack the elk hair well; even tips give the wing a clean, natural taper.
- A drop of head cement on each segment wrap stops the foam from spinning on the shank.
- Keep the belly dubbing thin so the foam sits low and flat on top.
Common mistakes (4)
- Over-tightening the segment wraps can cut the foam; use firm but steady pressure.
- Uneven segment spacing looks lumpy; mark the shank in quarters before binding the foam.
- Too much elk hair flares and hides the body; use a pencil-thick clump at most.
- Crowding the eye leaves no room for the foam head; stop the thorax a full eye length back.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 6 · Materials only · 12 flies
$65.10
$5.43 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- Orange 140-denier thread$2.95
Materials
- Orange 2mm foam strip$11.85
- Orange synthetic dubbing$9
- Orange and black barred round rubber$3.50
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Brown saddle hackle$11.95
- Yellow foam$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 48 flies
$189.43
$3.95 a fly
Bought separately $199.40 · you save $9.97
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- Orange 140-denier thread$5.90
Materials
- Orange 2mm foam strip$39.50
- Orange synthetic dubbing$31.50
- Orange and black barred round rubber$14
- Natural elk hair$22
- Brown saddle hackle$47.80
- Yellow foam$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 144 flies
$489.15
$3.40 a fly
Bought separately $555.85 · you save $66.70
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- Orange 140-denier thread$17.70
Materials
- Orange 2mm foam strip$114.55
- Orange synthetic dubbing$90
- Orange and black barred round rubber$35
- Natural elk hair$55
- Brown saddle hackle$143.40
- Yellow foam$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$215.10
$17.93 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- Orange 140-denier thread$2.95
Materials
- Orange 2mm foam strip$11.85
- Orange synthetic dubbing$9
- Orange and black barred round rubber$3.50
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Brown saddle hackle$11.95
- Yellow foam$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$331.93
$6.92 a fly
Bought separately $349.40 · you save $17.47
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- Orange 140-denier thread$5.90
Materials
- Orange 2mm foam strip$39.50
- Orange synthetic dubbing$31.50
- Orange and black barred round rubber$14
- Natural elk hair$22
- Brown saddle hackle$47.80
- Yellow foam$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$621.15
$4.31 a fly
Bought separately $705.85 · you save $84.70
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- Orange 140-denier thread$17.70
Materials
- Orange 2mm foam strip$114.55
- Orange synthetic dubbing$90
- Orange and black barred round rubber$35
- Natural elk hair$55
- Brown saddle hackle$143.40
- Yellow foam$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- salmonfly
- foam
- stonefly
- dry fly
- orange
- elk hair
- rubber legs
- trout
- freestone
- big dry
- summer