In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, Cheech with Fly Fish Food ties a pattern every angler in the western United States should keep their eyes on, the C-17 Salmon Fly.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Difficult
Spring is in the air and soon larger insects will be as well. Mother’s Day caddis and salmon flies are two hatches that anglers anticipate all year. Unfortunately for many, they do not happen everywhere in the states, but traveling for these hatches is popular despite being difficult to time in advance. If you’re one of the lucky ones who calls a river with a salmon fly hatch home, the C-17 Salmon Fly is one to tie before they start popping off.
When it comes to tying this pattern, take your time and focus on profile. Novice tyers may find it wise to practice on flies such as the Chubby Chernobyl due to foam work having a small learning curve. This is a great compliment to your hopper box throughout the season, as a simple color/size change allows you to imitate a wide variety of hoppers easily. The C-17 Salmon Fly isn’t a fly to rush on the vise, which is good because there is plenty of time to get started before the hatch begins.
Fishing this pattern on 4-6wt setups with floating lines will get the job done. During hatches where trout are keened in on larger insects, you can also get away with using leader/tippet in the 2-3x sizes. This becomes useful as larger fish are often caught in these hatches and you’re able to put more pressure on them with larger diameter tippets. Get excited for early summer and tie up a batch of the C-17 Salmon Fly while enjoying your favorite afternoon beverage.
Ingredients:
- Hook: TMC 5263 Nymph & Streamer Hook – 25 Pack – 2
- Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread – 6/0 – Fl. Orange
- Tails: Fulling Mill Flex-Floss – Black
- Body 1: Hareline – Hi Float Foam – 3mm – Black
- Body 2: Hareline – Hi Float Foam – 2mm – Brown
- Legs: Barred Sexi Floss – Medium – Orange
- Wing 1: Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Yarn – Light Dun
- Wing 2: Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Yarn – White
- Wing 3: Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Yarn – Light Pink
- Indicator: Hareline – Hi Float Foam – 2mm – Sunburst Yellow Orange
- Adhesive: Fly Tyer’s Z-Ment
Now you know how to tie the C-17 Salmon Fly!
Video and ingredients courtesy of Fly Fish Food.