Snowline Orange Foam Salmonfly
by @john
Foam Salmonfly · Dry fly
Big orange bugs under snowy peaks
A size 6 foam salmonfly dry in orange, tan and brown, tied to float high along freestone banks during the big stonefly hatch.
A foam salmonfly dry with a long orange body, a tan elk hair wing and barred legs kicking out below. Orange foam, brown hackle, black-and-orange rubber legs and a yellow foam sighter make up the whole bug.
- Pattern
- Foam Salmonfly
- Imitates
- Salmonfly emergence, typically late May into early July on western freestone rivers
- Hook
- size 6
- Tippet
- 2Xrule of three
- Size 6 2X long dry hook
- Segmented orange 2mm foam body
- Natural elk hair wing
- Barred orange and black rubber legs
- Yellow foam sighter on top
On the water
Orange foam runs past the bend in neat segments, cinched with orange thread. A tan elk hair wing sweeps back over it, brown hackle bristles at the front, and four barred legs splay out like a bug that just crawled off a rock. A yellow tab of foam sits up top where your eye can find it.
Fish it tight to the willows and cut banks when the big stoneflies are flying and dropping on the water. Slap it down, let it drift drag-free, then give it a small twitch so the legs pulse. In broken riffles the foam keeps it riding high.
Foam segmentation is the part to get right. Wrap the thread twice, snug but not crushing, at even spacing, and the body keeps its shape and its float through a long day.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 2Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 2X or 3X tippet; the bulky foam and legs can twist finer line.
- Land it hard near the bank, then dead-drift with an occasional short twitch.
- Add a beadhead nymph on 18 inches of tippet off the bend for a dry-dropper.
Where and when
- Water
- Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley, Montana
- Hatch
- Salmonfly emergence, typically late May into early July on western freestone rivers
- Target
- Brown trout, Rainbow trout, Cutthroat trout
- Water type
- Freestone rivers: riffles, grassy banks, pocket water
- Also fishes
- Doubles as a big hopper or golden stone in late summer, and carries a dropper nymph through riffles and pocket water.
Also on this water
- SalmonflyJun–Jul
- Yellow SallyJul–Aug
- Mother's Day CaddisApr–May
Fished out of Livingston, Gardiner and Emigrant.
Make it yourself
Intermediate7 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Foam Salmonfly
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 5212size 6
- Thread
- UTC 140 Denier orange
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- Underbodyorange dubbing
- Bodyorange 2mm foam
- Hacklebrown rooster saddle
- Wingnatural elk hair
- Legsorange and black barred rubber legs
- Indicatoryellow foam
- Headorange 2mm foam
Details
- Imitates
- Salmonfly
- Colors
- Orange, Tan, Brown, Black, Yellow
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the size 6 hook in the vise and start the orange thread behind the eye, wrapping back to the bend.
- Dub a slim orange underbody over the rear two-thirds of the shank.
- Cut a strip of orange 2mm foam about the hook gap wide and twice the shank long, layered so the edges show.
- Tie the foam in at the bend with an extension reaching half a shank length past it.
- Segment the foam forward with two firm thread wraps every few millimetres, stopping at the two-thirds point.
- Tie in the brown rooster saddle by its tip and palmer it through the thorax area, then tie off.
- Stack a clump of natural elk hair and tie it on top so the tips reach just past the bend.
- Tie in two barred rubber legs on each side, one pair angled back and one forward, each about a shank long.
- Fold the foam forward to form a short head over the eye, then back, and secure it with tight wraps.
- Tie a small strip of yellow foam on top at the tie-in point as a sighter and trim it to a short post.
- Whip finish under the foam head and add a drop of cement to the wraps.
Proportions (5)
- Foam body extension: about half a shank length past the bend.
- Elk hair wing: tips reach just beyond the hook bend, no farther than the end of the foam.
- Rubber legs: roughly one shank length each, splayed wide.
- Hackle fibres: about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Foam head: short, about one eye length past the hook eye.
Tips (4)
- Pre-cut the foam strip with a slight taper so the rear segments look like a real abdomen.
- Stack the elk hair well so the tips line up evenly over the body.
- Use a marker-free approach: the barred legs already carry the black and orange contrast.
- Keep thread tension firm but steady on the foam so it compresses without tearing.
Common mistakes (4)
- Cutting through the foam with tight wraps; ease off and use two snug turns instead of one hard one.
- Crowding the eye; leave room for the head fold and whip finish from the start.
- Wings that flare upward; make a soft loop first, then tighten so the hair lies flat.
- Legs that are too short; trim them only after the fly is finished and you can judge the balance.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 6 · Materials only · 12 flies
$60.60
$5.05 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 Denier orange thread$2.95
Materials
- Orange dubbing$4.50
- Orange 2mm foam$11.85
- Brown rooster saddle$11.95
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$3.50
- Yellow foam$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 48 flies
$176.61
$3.68 a fly
Bought separately $185.90 · you save $9.29
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 Denier orange thread$5.90
Materials
- Orange dubbing$18
- Orange 2mm foam$39.50
- Brown rooster saddle$47.80
- Natural elk hair$22
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$14
- Yellow foam$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 144 flies
$449.55
$3.12 a fly
Bought separately $510.85 · you save $61.30
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 Denier orange thread$17.70
Materials
- Orange dubbing$45
- Orange 2mm foam$114.55
- Brown rooster saddle$143.40
- Natural elk hair$55
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$35
- 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
$210.60
$17.55 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 Denier orange thread$2.95
Materials
- Orange dubbing$4.50
- Orange 2mm foam$11.85
- Brown rooster saddle$11.95
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$3.50
- 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
$319.11
$6.65 a fly
Bought separately $335.90 · you save $16.79
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 Denier orange thread$5.90
Materials
- Orange dubbing$18
- Orange 2mm foam$39.50
- Brown rooster saddle$47.80
- Natural elk hair$22
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$14
- 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
$581.55
$4.04 a fly
Bought separately $660.85 · you save $79.30
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 Denier orange thread$17.70
Materials
- Orange dubbing$45
- Orange 2mm foam$114.55
- Brown rooster saddle$143.40
- Natural elk hair$55
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$35
- 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
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- salmonfly
- foam
- dry fly
- stonefly
- orange
- elk hair
- rubber legs
- freestone
- trout
- dry dropper
- size 6