Marabou

HOOK: 7999, sizes 2-8 THREAD: Red or match wing RIB: Silver BODY: Floss to match wing WING: Marabou, tied at head. Common color choices: purple, chartreuse, pink, orange, and combinations of these.

Uses

Marabou flies are commonly used for migrating salmon and sometimes for steelhead. The flexible marabou ripples and waves in the current, thus creating a tantalizing presence in front of a salmon or steelhead's nose. It's a simple-to-tie but effective pattern.

 
Marabous are especially effective when river flows are turbid and you need a brighter, larger fly with more "presence."

Variations

Vary the color to suit your fancy or the conditions. Chartreuse is a good choice for fish that are fresh from the ocean because those fish are most sensitive to green light. For fish that have been in fresh water for a while, orange is a good color because the fish's eyes have changed and are now more sensitive to orange. Or so we believe.

How to Fish

Traditional wet-fly swing. If the water temperature is below 52 degrees, consider using a sink-tip line with a 4-6 foot leader.