The Joy of Fly Fishing in New Brunswick» Blog Archive » A Few Atlantic Salmon Flies I’ve Tied & Tried.

August 1, 2008

A Few Atlantic Salmon Flies I’ve Tied & Tried.

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Image via WikipediaFly fishing for the Atlantic salmon in New Brunswick can be quite frustrating when you can’t get any response after hours of carefully putting your artificial flies right on the end of their nose. But that’s Atlantic salmon fishing and makes it all the more exciting when that strike finally arrives, be prepared for it.

All those hours of holding your breath all pays off when your line goes tight and the fight is on. That fight is the reason I am still salmon fishing after 30 some years.

I have used a lot of Atlantic salmon flies over the years and most I would say I don’t have a clue about their names but there are a few that I do know the names.

Mickey Finn

One of first early spring salmon fly I was introduced to by my brother-in-law Joe and is still my favorite early season fly is the Mickey Finn. A great artificial fly for those spring black salmon. It has also hooked me up with a few nice sized brook trout as well.

Butterfly

The Butterfly is another Atlantic salmon fly I like using in the early spring right through the fall. I have three butterfly patterns that I use. They look the same but have different coloured wings (red or white) and the butt colour is either red, yellow or green.

Personally I tend to use a butterfly that has a red butt, I haven’t really noticed if the wing colour makes a difference but I have noticed that I get more stricks when the butt is red.

Brown Bug

The one I call a brown bug most likely has a real name, I just don’t know what it is yet. It looks very much like a Green Machine, which is another fly I like to use and have had much success with over the years.

Green Machine

I like using the Green Machine when the water is low. I like to let it drift right up to the salmon’s nose and then just yanking it away as if the bug had been sleeping and just realized it was in a dangerous situation.

It’s one of those flies that just seem to give me confidence in fly fishing for the New Brunswick Altantic salmon.

I couldn’t tell you how many Atlantic salmon I have caught using the Green Machine. Sometimes it just seems to be the only fly they are willing to smack.

I have tried to take some pictures of my flies but I really suck bad at picture taking. I will try again with a tripod and better lighting. At that time, if all works well, I will put up a picture of each of the flies mentioned above.