Dry fly
Salmonfly
Giant orange stonefly event
Trout · GraylingSurface
The giant orange-bodied western Salmonfly adult; the year's biggest dry-fly event on rivers like the Madison.
Fish this when
During the Salmonfly hatch on big western rivers like the Madison in early summer, when the season's largest bugs clatter off streamside brush onto fast, boulder-strewn water.
Why it works
Its sheer bulk and bright orange body trigger the same opportunistic, out-of-cover takes that draw large trout to the natural's clumsy, heavy-bodied crash-landings on fast water.
Naturals it imitates
adult Salmonfly (Pteronarcys)
Typical zone & fishable range
usually
Surface
Film
Subsurface
Deep
Setup sensitivity: medium
Quick facts
Tying difficulty
Intermediate