Salt Water Fly Box

This is an inside look at my fly box that I use for most of my Puget Sound salt water fishing when I am targeting Sea-Run Cutthroat and Resident Coho. The first fly that I usually try is a marabou clouser, if that fails than I look for and signs of what the fish are feeding on. During March, April and May, I often first try a salmon fry pattern. If I see surface activity but am unable to draw any strikes on subsurface patterns, I will try a gurgler trailed by a table scrape flash fly.

Left Side: This side consists mostly of clouser minnows, except for the top row with is made up of Larger Bait Fish patterns and a couple big size 2 Gurgglers (who knows if I will ever use these). Basically all of my clousers are tied on size hooks, although I do tie a few on size 6 hooks. The main reason for my preference of smaller hook sizes is that they are less likely to injure the fish, especially resident coho that hit flies very savagely. My favorite hook for these patterns is a Gamakatsu SL45 Bonefish hook. Most of my clousers are tied with marabou, which give the flies a little more action, but I do tie a few using calf tail or buck tail as well. My favorite colors for resident coho and cutthroat are brown and white, tan and white, and green and white, but I have found some other color combos to be very effective as well. When adult salmon enter the picture, I also use clousers in pink and chartreuse, with pink being my favorite, although chartruse is better for chum salmon. These flies for adult salmon should be tied very short and very sparse for best results. Resident Coho and Sea-Run Cutthroat also will take these flies make these two colors a favorite for me in late summer and fall.

Right Side: This side holds are wide variety of patterns, and is made up of the flies that I go to when clousers fail me.

Starting at the bottom:
Row 1 and Row 2: this side made up of Chenille Worms, which work good fished along docks and pillings for cutthroat and other species like pile perch. The rest of the bottom to rows is made up of attractor patterns such as Mickey Finns, Laser Eggs (this is a good fall pattern), and Spiders. The T

Row 3: Salmon Fry Patterns size 6 and 8, my favorite pattern is the Little Stone's Chum Baby;, this fly will work year round, and is also productive in lakes and streams, but it works the best in the salt during the spring.
Row 4: Size 8 Snot Darts
Row 5: Gurgler size 8 and 12, I like to tie these in blue, chartreuse and white, and I prefer them on shorter hooks such as the Gamakatsu SL45 Bonefish hook.
Row 6: This row is made up of Shrimp Patterns tied on Gamakatsu May Fly Nymph hooks size 12, I like to either use a prismatic back material or edge brite for the backs on these patterns.
Row 7: White and Orange Ghost size 12, this is a good winter fly pattern, and Table Scrap Flash Fly size 14 - 18, which is meant to be fished behind a gurgler.