There are some pretty complicated flies in your local fly shop aimed at catching steelhead anglers.  For $4.00 you can have a flashy pink or purple articulated “swimming” fly that looks like it took two hours to tie.

If you’ve got the money go for it, as for me I’d rather spend .15 cents for a fly that I know will work and then make a whole bunch of them.

Here’s how you can take that $4.00 you were going to spend on one fly and  make two dozen instead.

Step One: Get a stout hook that’s shaped the way you like – and make a few wraps on it’s shank.

Step Two: Clip off an inch or two of glow bug yarn that’s the color you like – orange, pink, chartreuse, purple are favorites with steelhead.

Step three: pull it part in two halves.  Here you can mix and match colors to make a nice effect.  Tie the center of the clump to the hook with six or eight good tight wraps followed by six or eight more wraps at the eye of the hook and tie it off using some old fashioned half hitches.

Step Four: pull up on the yarn and cut it. The effect will be a round puffball    I realize that the photos show me pulling the yarn in one shot and cutting it in another shot.  I only have two hands and I needed one for the camera.  Pull and cut simultaneously. Next, pull the yarn around until it’s the perfect shape and trim off the wild fibers. This fly is ready to fish.