A classic fly for Sea-run cutthroat trout - Ferguson's Green and Silver

In this video I show how to tie an easy all-round saltwater pattern from the 1970’s - the late Bruce Ferguson’s Green and Silver. This pattern was first devised to take Coho salmon feeding on zooplankton, but it will take Sea-run cutthroat trout year-round.
Here’s the recipe:
Hook: Mustad 34011 or S74sap #6
Thread: 6/0 or 140d black
Tail: white calf tail or bucktail
Body rear: flat silver diamond braid
Body front: chartreuse chenille (medium Wooly Bugger Antron chenille or medium ultra chenille)
Wing: white calf tail or bucktail topped with a few strands of pearl Krystal Flash

[@Frank-i7o5i]

This is an awesome fly for cutthroat and excellent for coho as well! 👍👍👍

[@timothybird7008]

@@Frank-i7o5i I’m glad you’ve been successful with it.

[@gregoryroyack9931]

This pattern is lights out at certain times. I find it especially good when river outflow dirties up the estuaries after big rains.

[@timothybird7008]

@@gregoryroyack9931 Interesting. Johnson and Ferguson specifically mention its effectiveness for fish holding in estuaries prior to moving upstream. I wonder what it represents to the fish? It definitely doesn’t look anything like a baitfish or a shrimp in the water!

[@gregoryroyack9931]

Suspect it is a general attractor especially with the bright chartreuse thorax that has a baitfish profile.

[@kevinforlino5839]

I'll have to try this. I usually fish small rivers, and for sea runs, my go-to is an olive pine squirrel zonker pattern, usually with a smaller sculpin helmet for the head. But I will try this and see what happens. Looks simple enough to tie.

[@timothybird7008]

@@kevinforlino5839 it’s really simple. I’ve also found a smallish pine-squirrel sculpin to be effective for SRC in saltwater, but with a simple cone-head (my ‘Squilpin’ pattern in an earlier video).

[@davidtaylor7014]

Bruce Ferguson once showed me this fly and the one he showed me had a slightly offset hook, so thats how i tied them.
do not remember the hook model . thanks again.

[@timothybird7008]

@@davidtaylor7014 he tied it with tandem hooks also. Don’t think that’s legal any more!

[@chines42]

Great tie! Although it may deviate from many original recipes, I've always thought any fly with a calfs tail wing looks much nicer when tied onto a salmon style hook

[@timothybird7008]

@@chines42 I think I agree with you; something about that nice continuous curve on salmon hooks. I took note of your comment on my previous video and I’ve been tying up a bunch of Polar Shrimp - on salmon hooks, of course!