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[RalphH]

Hook: #6 to #10 Black TUE Salmon Hook or 2x Streamer/Nymph such as a Tiemco 5262
Thread: Florescent Orange 6/0
Tail: Polar Flash #2009 Silver/ Pearl flashabou
Body: Light Florescent orange Danville yarn
Hackle: florescent small orange palmer chenille
Wing: reversed White Arctic Fox topped with same material as tail

So here is my remake of a mostly forgotten fly The Johnson Beach Fly originated by Les Johnson of Washington State. I got the pattern from his book How to Fish for Cutthroat Trout. The basics of the pattern are the same. The tail of the original was orange hackle, the hackle was brown wet hackle. The Wing was white calf tail.

As it was this pattern caught me a lot of trout when I first started fly fishing, some pink salmon my first August trip to the Island and quite a few coho jacks. I also started to modify it adding silver flash to the wing and even bead chain eyes. Over the years it moved to hidden parts of my fly boxes and even disappeared.

But a few months ago I was watching videos on Peter Charles' Hooked For Life You Tube channel and he talked about how fish see color noting among other things orange stands out well in tea or brown water. A few of my favorite streams fit the bill and I revised the Johnson Beach Fly.

Today I visited one of those local little creeks for the first time since last fall and had a remarkable day in what was intended to be an hour or 2 of practice Scandi casting with a switch rod. I landed 4 wild cutthroat from 11 to 16 inches. The fly mostly worked best stripped  reasonably fast and the fish chased and swirled before taking hold.

Sorry no photos as I almost never take pictures of fish I have to release.

So there you have it hot off the presses.

Tying Notes

Tie the wing pointing forward  before the other components. Once the hackle is wound fold it back and wrap thread in front of the tie spot to hold it back. It should point up at a 45 degree angle. Use lots of under fur in the wing, don't remove it. Add 4 to six pieces of polar flash.

Peter Charles YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/hooked4lifeca

[bigsnag]

Tie the wing pointing forward  before the other components. Once the hackle is wound fold it back and wrap thread in front of the tie spot to hold it back. It should point up at a 45 degree angle.

Is that what you meant by "reversed"?

Thanks for sharing.

[RalphH]

Tie the wing pointing forward  before the other components. Once the hackle is wound fold it back and wrap thread in front of the tie spot to hold it back. It should point up at a 45 degree angle.

Is that what you meant by "reversed"?

Thanks for sharing.

Yeah. Is there another name for it? While I'd seen it occasionally used on hair wing wet flies over the years it has become very common on tube flies.