Cody Unczur good point Cody. I tie quite a few blue colored Estaz eggs for clients fishing the Salmon River. I should try out a blue version of the Flea. Thanks
Wonder when this fly started being called a Salmon River Flea. About 40 years ago we used to call this fly The Bartlett Special after Bruce Bartlett a fly fishing and duck hunting guide par excellence who tied the first Bartlett Special I ever saw or fished. Bruce lived in a house on a cliff above the Salmon River in what is now the DSR.
Thanks for your comment. I wasn't aware of Bruce and his contribution. If you have more info on Bruce or the pattern, I'd be interested in hearing it. I can see how the name may have been changed over the years from Bartlett Special to the SR Flea. I did some quick digging around but didn't find much information on the fly. Much appreciated!
I was always taught that steelhead are picky on what they want to eat. Latter on I found out that they eat anything when there hungry. They like anything that represents a meal as long as its the right size and the color of what there eating. I have used a cue tip to catch steel head. Just die the cue tip the color there eating and whamo. Good fishing
Camy, thanks for the reply. I've never heard of using a cue tip, but it makes sense. I'm sure you could use so Cool-aid to dye them up. Thanks for the tip ;) Cheers
Chimo! That's an obg pattern. I didn't realize that was considered an egg pattern. Then the Framus must be too. I guess they're all suggestive attractor patterns. I second Cody on the blue. I have a box of SR flies, all fleas, Framus, and Rusher's type Estaz nymphs, many are blue. Those nymph patterns had single biot tails though. Anyway I think yours is the first flea video I've seen. Very cool, cheers 👍🎓 Professor!
An Oldie yes, but I find it strange that such a well-known pattern has very little written about it on the web. I didn't find any other Fleas on youtube or elsewhere. I might have to add the Frammus and the Rusher's to the list of flies to film. I'll be sure to add some blue into the next SR fly.
Piscator Flies I know right! Where did you look? I googled Salmon River NY fly patterns and found a few. GFF had some posts. Gary Borger wrote some things about it and the Framus (that's what I was looking for). I didn't read everything, just the snippets under the sites. Even Whittikers shop didn't have any thing on it. Guess it's just not sexy enough. Uncle Dickie T. had an article in Fly Tyer on an Estaz stone fly and I think he mentioned the SR. Of all places I remember seeing it,(a flea) and a blue one to boot, was on pinterest!. Tied by Fran Verdoliva, the former guide. Rick Kustisch (?) had it in his Salmon River Journal too. Along with other flies, some simple some fancy. As of Feb 2 they were hitting nymphs and egg sacks. Lots of chrome in the Douglesson, some guy hooked in the double digits, as in #'s of fish not pounds. I wasn't aware of the triple play or what ever you said it caught. Simple fly too. Then again they hit pieces of yarn too. We use to go for a hat trick in the fall, ducks, Kings, and browns I think, that was in the 70's. Well I have to finish Jay N's intruder ramble, I love that guy, very "free form" but always reaches his destination. Cheers Piscator! Flea fly fo fum, I smell the start of a Steelhead run! 👍😁
I caught Jay's Intruder talk and enjoyed it. After that, I went and watched Charlie Piette tie a Ward's intruder from 10 years ago. I don't remember the video quality being so low years ago, but it only had 240p as it's highest. I did see GB's post on the flea and a couple others, but it was pretty sparse from what I was expecting. You might be right that it just isn't sexy enough for the A-list attention.
Piscator Flies Chimo, So you tied them for clients. I found the ones I have in the 80's, maybe, as I slid a down on a snow bank to fish a road side stretch on the SR. It was like an archaeological find compared to what you see today promoted by the "industry". I just found them in my "cave". I think one flea is a #14. The other flies maybe average 10 or 12. Just realized now looking at them the tyer incorporated hot spots with the fluorescent orange wing cases on the nymphs. Even the all black Framus type have fluor red thread tags and heads, micro krystal flash wings. Some look like shrimp or scud patterns with contrasting bodies and backs. I think I found them when I started tying, so I didn't have a clue as what the micro materials were or that they were available at that time. Except for the biots and a couple of palmered hackle ones they're all synthetic. Actually they're all awesome flies, a real eye opener as to what I've tyed for stream trout, more traditional "old school" stuff that still catch fish. Hey, there's even some caddis type with silver tinsel underbody and translucent light olive lace wound over, micro chenille thorax. Some have a single biot tail. A lot of what I've read from guides stress natural patterns and eggs. These flies pose as a natural in profile and size, simple ties, but use limited flash and hot colors to attract. Glad you tied the Flea! Yeah I didn't finish Jay's video. I will later. I saw Martyn White tie his big 90 bone fly. Beautiful, I really like the wing. And wooly bugged latest I watched. Cool effects with the rumble and whistle of the train as he fought his biggest fish, just like the movies! Cheers Darren 👍😎
Hi Ted, yes, I'll use a floating line and split shot on these to get them down. i carry a range of shot sizes to get the fly into the sweet spot. Cheers
Blue is also a killer color here on the SR, especially for Coho and Steelhead. Estaz, yarn or sucker spawn varieties all work great.
Cody Unczur good point Cody. I tie quite a few blue colored Estaz eggs for clients fishing the Salmon River. I should try out a blue version of the Flea. Thanks
Wonder when this fly started being called a Salmon River Flea. About 40 years ago we used to call this fly The Bartlett Special after Bruce Bartlett a fly fishing and duck hunting guide par excellence who tied the first Bartlett Special I ever saw or fished. Bruce lived in a house on a cliff above the Salmon River in what is now the DSR.
Thanks for your comment. I wasn't aware of Bruce and his contribution. If you have more info on Bruce or the pattern, I'd be interested in hearing it. I can see how the name may have been changed over the years from Bartlett Special to the SR Flea. I did some quick digging around but didn't find much information on the fly. Much appreciated!
Nicely done keep up the great work I smashed the like bottom for you 🤙
Reel-Phatties, thanks and much appreciated. Tight lines.
I was always taught that steelhead are picky on what they want to eat. Latter on I found out that they eat anything when there hungry. They like anything that represents a meal as long as its the right size and the color of what there eating. I have used a cue tip to catch steel head. Just die the cue tip the color there eating and whamo. Good fishing
Camy, thanks for the reply. I've never heard of using a cue tip, but it makes sense. I'm sure you could use so Cool-aid to dye them up. Thanks for the tip ;) Cheers
The countdown has started. I have about two months before I can test out these new steelhead flies I've tied over the winter. Can't wait!
Spring can't come soon enough. I've had enough of the cold and snow.
Chimo! That's an obg pattern. I didn't realize that was considered an egg pattern. Then the Framus must be too. I guess they're all suggestive attractor patterns. I second Cody on the blue. I have a box of SR flies, all fleas, Framus, and Rusher's type Estaz nymphs, many are blue. Those nymph patterns had single biot tails though. Anyway I think yours is the first flea video I've seen. Very cool, cheers 👍🎓 Professor!
An Oldie yes, but I find it strange that such a well-known pattern has very little written about it on the web. I didn't find any other Fleas on youtube or elsewhere. I might have to add the Frammus and the Rusher's to the list of flies to film. I'll be sure to add some blue into the next SR fly.
Piscator Flies I know right! Where did you look? I googled Salmon River NY fly patterns and found a few. GFF had some posts. Gary Borger wrote some things about it and the Framus (that's what I was looking for). I didn't read everything, just the snippets under the sites. Even Whittikers shop didn't have any thing on it. Guess it's just not sexy enough. Uncle Dickie T. had an article in Fly Tyer on an Estaz stone fly and I think he mentioned the SR. Of all places I remember seeing it,(a flea) and a blue one to boot, was on pinterest!. Tied by Fran Verdoliva, the former guide. Rick Kustisch (?) had it in his Salmon River Journal too. Along with other flies, some simple some fancy.
As of Feb 2 they were hitting nymphs and egg sacks. Lots of chrome in the Douglesson, some guy hooked in the double digits, as in #'s of fish not pounds. I wasn't aware of the triple play or what ever you said it caught. Simple fly too. Then again they hit pieces of yarn too. We use to go for a hat trick in the fall, ducks, Kings, and browns I think, that was in the 70's.
Well I have to finish Jay N's intruder ramble, I love that guy, very "free form" but always reaches his destination. Cheers Piscator! Flea fly fo fum, I smell the start of a Steelhead run! 👍😁
Btw, yours is tied beautifully, just like the ones in my box. 👍
I caught Jay's Intruder talk and enjoyed it. After that, I went and watched Charlie Piette tie a Ward's intruder from 10 years ago. I don't remember the video quality being so low years ago, but it only had 240p as it's highest.
I did see GB's post on the flea and a couple others, but it was pretty sparse from what I was expecting. You might be right that it just isn't sexy enough for the A-list attention.
Piscator Flies Chimo, So you tied them for clients. I found the ones I have in the 80's, maybe, as I slid a down on a snow bank to fish a road side stretch on the SR. It was like an archaeological find compared to what you see today promoted by the "industry". I just found them in my "cave". I think one flea is a #14. The other flies maybe average 10 or 12. Just realized now looking at them the tyer incorporated hot spots with the fluorescent orange wing cases on the nymphs. Even the all black Framus type have fluor red thread tags and heads, micro krystal flash wings. Some look like shrimp or scud patterns with contrasting bodies and backs. I think I found them when I started tying, so I didn't have a clue as what the micro materials were or that they were available at that time. Except for the biots and a couple of palmered hackle ones they're all synthetic. Actually they're all awesome flies, a real eye opener as to what I've tyed for stream trout, more traditional "old school" stuff that still catch fish. Hey, there's even some caddis type with silver tinsel underbody and translucent light olive lace wound over, micro chenille thorax. Some have a single biot tail. A lot of what I've read from guides stress natural patterns and eggs. These flies pose as a natural in profile and size, simple ties, but use limited flash and hot colors to attract. Glad you tied the Flea!
Yeah I didn't finish Jay's video. I will later. I saw Martyn White tie his big 90 bone fly. Beautiful, I really like the wing. And wooly bugged latest I watched. Cool effects with the rumble and whistle of the train as he fought his biggest fish, just like the movies!
Cheers Darren 👍😎
Just great!
What is the tool that he is using to wrap the orange thread?
Do you use floating line and any weight?
Hi Ted, yes, I'll use a floating line and split shot on these to get them down. i carry a range of shot sizes to get the fly into the sweet spot. Cheers
what does this fly imitate
I’d slot this into either egg spawn or decaying salmon flesh.