Skykomish Sunrise

skykomishsunrise

This is a classic steelhead fly created by a father and son. Here is an excerpt from the famous book by Trey Combs, Steelhead: Fly Fishing to tell the story.

“Ken and his son, George, were driving east to the Skykomish River one January morning in 1936. The sun was coming up over the snowcapped Cascades, a splendor of red, yellow, and white. “Tie me a fly with those colors in it,” Ken told his son. That evening, George used red tying thread to secure a mix of red and yellow hackle, a red wool body, and a white polar bear wing. The completed fly was named the Skykomish Sunrise. George christened the pattern with three winter steelhead from a single pool near Monroe. The day included a seventeen-pounder. The new fly became a sensation.”

Recipe:

HOOK: 7999, sizes 2-8

THREAD: Red

TAG: Flat silver tinsel

TAIL: Red and yellow hackle fibers, mixed

RIB: Oval silver tinsel

BODY: Red chenille. Angora goat dubbing may be substituted.

HACKLE: One red hackle and one yellow hackle, wound together

WING: White calftail

CHEEKS (OPTIONAL): Jungle cock

4 Comments

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4 Responses to Skykomish Sunrise

  1. Howard Levett

    Paul I love the short history behind a great fly. I hope you do more like this.

  2. Sam Sherrill

    Likewise. These history bites are invaluable for creating good campfire or coffee talk. They also heighten one’s credibility among other fishers. Nice work!

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