Top 10 Winter Steelhead Flies

Winter is certainly upon us and white mountains, holiday cheer, Christmas trees, and eggnog can only mean one thing... Winter steelhead.  This game is for those who look forward to plying ice cold waters of a giant, glacial-green river with the hope of finding a sign of life before your toes freeze off.  If you've ever decided on what section of river to fish based on which direction the sleet does or does not hit your face, you know what we're talking about.  Big water, big patience, big clothing, and big steelhead.  It's all worth it when the line pulls tight.

The following flies are ones that have risen to the top over many years on the water, talking with friends, customers, fly designers and guides.  When you talk about flies for a living, it's easy to spot trends and begin to see when "something is different about that fly".  It simply gets fish to eat it.  Those are the A-listers!  Those are the confidence flies.  Those are the ones we've added to this list.

	Hoh Bo Spey - Black & Blue The slim, sleek Hoh Bo Spey is as proven as it gets.  In the water, the Hoh Bo Spey (or at least the commercially available version) tends to get quite slender under the current's flow.  Perhaps it is the Hoh Bo Spey's slender profile that leads to its effectiveness because we've watched this one perform on both winter and summer fish for years.  As a wintertime fly, we like it when the water gets low and clear and/or for pressured fish.  More...
	Exasperator - Black & Blue I am very biased on this one no doubt, but it doesn't change the fact that this dang fly stands out as a fish producer.  I knew it the first time I fished it. On a wide tailout on the famous Kispiox River, the Exasperator hit the water for the first time.  Within ten casts I had a fish on.  The rest of that trip, the Exasperator produced a standout experience.  Anytime I need a weighted fly and a little bulk, I'll probably have the Exasperator on.  It is a bit heavy to cast but it swims like no other and just gets fish to latch on more than other flies.  More...
	Dirty Hoh - Pink & Orange The Dirty Hoh is a fly from former guide and PFF employee, Joe Ewing.  Joe started swinging flies for steelhead at a very young age under the watchful eye of his father, Bill, who has also spent a lifetime on steelhead rivers.  Joe made the Dirty Hoh to encompass the old school effectiveness of marabou but wanted some bulk in the water.  Particularly for one of his favorite rivers, the Hoh, Joe wanted a fly for days when the river ran a bit dirty.  The Dirty Hoh is a great choice for fish fresh in the river and/or low visibility conditions.  More...
	Hartwick's Flashtail Tube - Black & Blue A fairly new fly for us, the Hartwick's Flashtail Tube in Black and Blue has been a hit with customers and us alike.  It has the perfect name.  That flashy tail goes to work in the water and it is hard not to want to keep fishing it.  Employees and customers instantly started having success with this fly on steelhead and Chinook salmon as well.  Being a tube fly, it is nice to fish your choice of hook sizes.  It has just a touch of weight but is still easy to cast all day long.  More...
	Popsicle Winter steelhead flies weren't always defined by shanks and trailing hooks.  Nope, not that long ago, marabou flies like the Popsicle were the standard in the winter/spring.  The Popsicle was originally developed by George Cook for silvers in Alaska, but the Popsicle quickly became a go-to winter steelhead fly.  Get it in the water and watch that marabou swim and you'll see why.  The right amount of flash and that mixture of orange, red and purple creates something special.  Tied on a traditional hook, size 1/0.  Old school.  More...
	Hartwick's Cone Wiggler - Black & Blue Hartwick's Cone Wiggler is another fairly new fly for us but one that is creating quite a stir.  It features four "wiggly" hackle tips that protrude out of the back of the fly.  Movement is such a critical factor in larger flies and this fly has it coming from the hackle tips and the marabou body.  We also like the conehead on this fly.  Coneheads on tubes make them sink fast on a slack line so this guy can get deep quick yet isn't too heavy to hamper your casting. More...
	GP Spey - Orange A very successful take on the classic GP, or General Practitioner, the GP Spey uses marabou to add more flowing movement in the water.  The GP Spey is offered in the three great colors of orange, black and purple.  In winter, we like this orange version the most, especially during days when the sun actually comes out but the river has low visibility.  Whether you like orange, black, purple or bright days or dark days, the GP Spey is a consistent producer.  More...
	Foxee Dog - Orange & Black We've had the Foxee Dog series flies in our store for many years.  This Orange and Black version, however, is a standout in our book because we've had lots of customers comment on their success with it over the years.  We like to trim the flash down so it is just a tad longer than the wing.  It has a subtle flash in the water with lots of animation due to the very thin flash material.  It only has the weight of the shank so it is easy to cast a mile.  More...
	Silvey's Silveynator - Black & Orange You can't argue with the effectiveness of egg sucking leech style flies.  The bright orange egg-looking bead on the front of the Silveynator is quite heavy so this fly sinks very quickly and gets into the zone fast.  This would be a great fly to fish a deep trough on the far side of the river since the Silveynator will drop to depth quickly for the critical first portion of the swing.  A great tool for the toolbox.  More...
	Senyo's OCD - Black With a perfect amount of undulating ostrich, Senyo's OCD pulses and swims with loads of fish enticing movement.  It is a light fly so it casts easily and will dodge around boulder-strewn runs better than a weighted fly.  There isn't a lot on the fly to get in the way of the hook point which hopefully adds to better hookups.  An all-around great fly.  More...

There you have it.  Ten great flies to get you confidently waiting for the pull.  Some weighted flies, some unweighted, some big and some small, any winter steelhead angler should be well armed with these ten winners.