For three decades I have been perfecting my salmon /trout fry and parr patterns, which big browns absolutely crush and gorge on in the springtime during the “protein hatch”. Our Great Lakes rivers are absolutely loaded with wild Chinook and Coho salmon fry in May/June, where natural reproduction of Pacific salmon can border on 15 million plus fry being produced in the trout streams that run into the Great Lakes.
Sparseness, translucency and movement of materials is the key- experiment with your ties until you like what you see and the trout approve. Add orange Frosty Fiber wraps above pearl lower body for brown trout, with browns grizzly hackle for parr marks; and silver blue predator wrap, with very thin layer of pink Ripple Crush for rainbows and brook trout- experiment! Swing these wet fly style/trout spey etc.- they are deadly!
“Chinook Fries with That “Pattern:
Thread : Veevus Gray Brown 140
Hook: Daiichi x 452-#8
1st Lower Body Layer : DNA Frosty Fish Fiber ( a helical fiber that has incredible translucency and glow when wet ) or Hareline UV Minnow Belly Strands ( about a pencil thick worth or less)
2nd Layer Up- Hareline /Senyo’s Barred Predator Wrap ( sparse again) UV Black Barred Green Back ( see various above for trout)
3rd Layer Up- Parr marks on each side lateral- Olive Grizzly saddle hackle tips
Topping- sparse layer of Sprit River UV2 Diamond Brite -Lt. Olive, followed by 3 thin strands of Purple Flashabou topping
Eyes : Fish Skull Living Eyes ” Ice”