It all depend on what your after and when. Early season salmon when the fish are eating you will use mostly imitative flies. A selection of four would have to include a needlefish pattern, a herring pattern, a shrimp pattern and a popper. In the fall once the fish are in their waiting period the same flies may work but you will need to fill another box with small, sparse and colourful attractor patterns to be truly productive. This is where there is a huge allsortment of patterns and you can let your imagination run wild at the vise. Just have some green ones, some red ones, some yellow ones and some pink ones.
During the winter months, I fish for the small resident silvers with either a small, sparse popper or a #10 pearl crazy charlie with an added short krystal flash tail on a slimeline.
During the spring, I fish a small, sparse popper or a small shrimpy, krill-like pattern (I kinda make 'em up as I go).
During the summer (like now) I use a popper exclusively.
Later in the summer, I use a bigger popper exclusively.
In the fall, when I run into big coho that are in their waiting period, I use a #6 short-shank fly with a brass beadhead, yellow over orange hackle (sparse) on a gold tinsel body. Sometimes I use golden pheasant for the yellow. But that's after they refuse a big popper.
Also, this is in the salt. I don't fish for salmon in the rivers much.
Leland.
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