Michigan Flies

Flies / Attractor

Pink Salmon Flash Nymph

I

Pink salmon favor small bright pink or chartreuse beadhead flies with ample flash, so scale everything down: #10 to #14 nymphs and small eggs. Fish them in the St. Marys rapids, the Carp and the Chocolay from late August through early October, heaviest in odd years, in clear water; switch to bright eggs in faster water.

#10–14Hot pinkChartreusePink with pearl flash
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Pink Salmon Flash Nymph tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © the photographer, used with permission

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

General attractor.

Fish it for
Pink salmon

Setups

  • Indicator nymphing
  • Euro / tight-line nymphing
  • Swinging flies (spey / switch)
How it's tied
A
Pink Flash Nymph (representative Upper Peninsula pink salmon fly). A small, bright, flashy bead-head nymph for the odd-year (and now every-year) pink salmon runs of the St. Marys rapids and Lake Superior tributaries in September; a representative tie rather than a named pattern. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by Jason Swingen, JS-Outdoors (2020).

Materials

Hook
Heavy scud or curved nymph hook, sizes 10-14U.P. anglers fish pinks with nymphs from 12 down to 20; go small and sparse.
Thread
70 denier or 8/0, fluorescent pinkChartreuse thread for the chartreuse version.
Bead
Tungsten or brass bead, silver, pink or copper, sized to the hookSinks the fly fast in the rapids; add split shot 14-18 in above if needed.
Tail
A few strands of pearl Krystal Flash or pink Flashabou, or a short tuft of hot pink marabouKeep it short so it does not foul.
Body
Pearl or pink Flashabou, or pearl tinsel, wrapped flat over a thread underbodyThe flash body is the point of the fly; a coat of UV resin protects it.
Rib
Fine silver or red wireReinforces the flash.
Thorax
Hot pink or chartreuse Ice Dub, or a hot pink Estaz collarA hotspot collar behind the bead.
Collaroptional
Optional turn of pink or white soft hackle or a few strands of Krystal Flash

Steps

  1. 1.Slide the bead onto the hook, put the hook in the vise and start the fluorescent pink thread behind the bead. Lay a smooth thread base back to above the barb.
  2. 2.Tie in a short tail of four to six strands of pearl Krystal Flash (or a small tuft of hot pink marabou) at the bend, no longer than the hook gap.
  3. 3.Tie in the fine wire rib at the bend, then tie in two or three strands of pearl or pink Flashabou by their tips at the same point.
  4. 4.Wrap the thread forward to a hook gap behind the bead, building a slightly tapered underbody.
  5. 5.Wrap the Flashabou forward in flat, overlapping turns to cover the underbody, tie off and trim.
  6. 6.Counter-wind the wire rib forward in five or six open turns, tie off and helicopter the end away.
  7. 7.Dub a compact ball of hot pink or chartreuse Ice Dub as the thorax and hotspot right behind the bead. For the Estaz version, take two turns of Estaz instead.
  8. 8.If you want a collar, take one sparse turn of pink or white hen hackle or fold in a few strands of Krystal Flash behind the bead.
  9. 9.Whip finish behind the bead and coat the flash body with a thin layer of UV resin or head cement so the salmon's teeth do not shred it.
  10. 10.Tie the same fly in chartreuse and in pink with pearl flash; carry both because pinks change their preference with water clarity.

From the tier

  • Jason Swingen, fishing Lake Superior tributaries, finds small nymphs in 12-20 (Frenchies, Copper Johns, Prince Nymphs, scuds, zebra midges) the most productive flies in slower clear water, switching to small pink, orange or chartreuse eggs when the water is fast and dirty.
  • On the St. Marys, Bill Spicer dead-drifts nymphs and eggs under an indicator through the rapids, changing egg colour from white or yellow to chartreuse as clarity drops; the Water and Woods guide simply says the pinks prefer pink flies.
  • Pinks school in tailouts; fish weighted flies or split shot on 3X-5X fluorocarbon, and strip small pink flies with short sharp tugs if the dead drift is ignored.

How To: Catch A Lake Superior Pink Salmon - JS-Outdoors This is a representative recipe, not a named pattern: the materials and steps combine the small flashy nymph and hotspot advice from JS-Outdoors, The New Fly Fisher and Water and Woods for the St. Marys and Lake Superior rivers, tied in our own sequence. Unconfirmed: No U.P. shop or guide publishes a fly called 'Pink Salmon Flash Nymph'; the sources agree on small, pink, flashy nymphs and hotspot eggs but none gives a step-by-step, so the construction is ours. Also checked against Bill Spicer, The New Fly Fisher (2017), Fly Fishers' Cornucopia - The New Fly Fisher, Hazel Freeman, Water and Woods (2010), Fly Fishing The St. Mary's Rapids - Water And Woods and FlyGuysNLies, Pink Salmon (Humpy) Guide: Gear, Flies & Runs | FlyGuys.

Materials to buy
Everything one Pink Salmon Flash Nymph takes, each item once: 8 items, plus 3 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • Scud or curved nymph hook1

    size 10-14

    Hook

Feathers and fur

  • Hot pink marabouoptional1 plume

    hot pink

    Tail

  • Hen hackleoptional1 feather

    pink or white

    Collar

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Krystal Flasha few strands

    pearl

    TailCollar

  • Flashaboua few strands

    pearl or pink

    Body

  • Ice Duba pinch

    hot pink or chartreuse

    Thorax

  • Estazoptionalabout 4 in

    hot pink

    Thorax

    Alternative to Ice Dub thorax.

Thread and finish

  • Tying thread1 spool

    70 denier, fluorescent pink (or chartreuse)

    Thread

  • UV resin or head cement1

    Body

Other

  • Bead1

    tungsten or brass, silver or pink, sized to hook

    Bead

  • Fine wireabout 6 in

    silver or red, small

    Rib

Sources