Here are a few more I played around with. The synthetics hold up better than the feather and fur version.
Chadk I really like the pale pink with hot pink rib. I'd probably cut the legs back to a bit past the hook point. If you have a copy of the original "Fly Fishing for Pacific Salmon" there are good photos of the real critters along with most other salmon baits. Good Fishing, Les
PM sent. If you can get that teeny video to work that Salt Dog posted, you'll get better instructions than I sent. Just change the materials around a bit based on what you have and the look you are going for. Try a range of colors from naturals to bright oranges, reds, chartruse. Variuos ribbings can be added. Eyes can be added down at the hook bend. Les - thanks for the tips!
Here is a sample of what I use in the sound. The first column is winter/spring patters, and I will continue throughout the year and fish the third column summer/fall.
Thanks to those for humoring my questions. This is the ugly little bastich that's worked for me. I realise krill aren't this red individually, but they can appear very red when massed together. So I guess it makes sense fish would associate them with this color. For whatever reason, red works very well at times, - although I've had pretty good success with this pattern tied using copper-pearl Lite Brite which is probably closer to true euphasiid coloration.
There are times when an accurate imitation can be critical to triggering takes from feeding salmon; juvenile coho, or mature pink, chum and sockeye. At other times attractor styles work very well. An example is the genesis of the pink shrimp first tied by California angler/writer Larry Green. He tied it in pink when he was not getting strikes from striped bass feeding on the subdued colors of the real shrimp in San Francisoc Bay. Viva la Difference! His pink shrimp took stripers. The pink shrimp later became a famous bonefish fly. From what I see throughout this thread are some well done euphausiids, most of which are attractors. There is a lot of information on all of this in our forthcoming book, "Fly Fishing for Pacific Salmon II", including good patterns and closeup photos of euphausiids, amphipods, crab spawn, etc. Good Fishing, Les Johnson
