Tom Larimer Flies

Brazilian The Brazilian is a first choice in low, clear water. I’ve always admired Randy Stetzer’s claret fly named "Patricia". However, I wanted a fly that looked a little more "buggy" with a darker color scheme. After some experimentation, I found the color combination of claret and copper to be very attractive to summer steelhead. The Brazilian also does well as a come "back fly". If a steelhead refuses my first offering, I’ll switch to it and often get the fish to commit. If I’m fishing a two fly rig, I’ll fish a flashier fly like my Purple Green Butt as a point fly with the Brazilian tied on a dropper three feet up the leader. That way if the fish see’s my searching pattern and refuses it, they get a subtle fly on my next cast as I step down river. I find my best success with this pattern when light is on the water with the sun positioned straight behind the fish. As a side note, this has been one of my most consistent flies on Idaho’s Clearwater.


Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
ST01505	Brazilian	5	3 for $7.49

December Day
This was a fly I originally tied for Great Lakes steelhead. I’ll never forget the first day I fished it. It was early December and I was fishing a Lake Michigan tributary not far from where I grew up. The first fish of the morning crushed the fly so hard my reel backlashed instantly. Somehow, I managed to land that fish. As I finished the pool, my last cast was rewarded with my fourth fish of the morning. I knew I had something special. When I moved out west I had forgotten about the fly. After all, it was tied

for the Great Lakes. I still had a few buried in an old Wheatley with my Great Lakes’ patterns. For nostalgic reasons, I fished it on the Deschutes one early December day a few years ago. Turns out, West Coast fish liked the fly too. It’s a great producer on soft flats in the late fall.

Fierce Allegiance This is a primary searching fly for low water summer conditions. Blue is the most underutilized color in steelhead angling. I feel it’s the most visible color under a variety of water conditions. A couple of years ago, I spent a winter in the Bering Sea crab fishing. The Fierce Allegiance was a boat out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I hated crab fishing. All I could think about the whole time was steelhead fishing. However, I loved that name. I loved what it meant. To have fierce allegience towards something or someone... I think you need that in steelhead fishing. While guiding in the mid summer, I almost always have one of my clients fishing it.


Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
ST12905	Fierce Allegiance	5	3 for $7.49
ST12907	Fierce Allegiance	7	3 for $7.49

Green Butt Purple This is my version of what I feel is the most productive floating line summer steelhead pattern. I have landed steelhead from the West Coast to the Great lakes on this searching pattern. Obviously, I didn’t reinvent the wheel with this one. I simply gave a pattern I’ve been using for fifteen years a face lift. I love the Purple Green Butt because it offers everything summer steelhead desire... Purple and chartreuse with a little flash. I believe this fly is so effective because steelhead can see it coming from a long ways off. Basically, it just catches their attention.When I tied this version, I wanted a fly that was had a slim profile for greased line fishing in warm water, yet wasn’t dressed so low water it wouldn’t be effective in colder water temperatures. As it comes dressed from Solitude, it’s a perfect silhouette for average water temperatures in the 46 to 65 degree range. Like all of my patterns, I will remove both wing and hackle material with my nippers if I need a slimmer profile in warmer water temps. If the water drops below 46 degrees, I’ll switch to a sink-tip and a larger fly like my Loop Leech.


Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
ST20905	Green Butt Purple	5	3 for $7.49

Unconditional I first tied the Unconditional for Oregon’s lower Deschutes River. The White River, a small glacial tributary, meets the Deschutes about fifty miles upstream from the confluence with the Columbia. When warm rains hit Mt. Hood in the late summer and early fall, the White can put a glacial tinge in the lower 50 miles of the Deschutes. The high contrast color scheme of the Unconditional was designed to stand out in this stained water and draw steelhead from a long distance. I’ve always believed blue is highly visible in turbid water. Obviously, there comes a point when floating lines presentations are not effective in dirty water. A good rule of thumb is to walk out into the river until you’re waist deep. If you can’t see your wading boots, put on a sink-tip and a big fly like my Loop Leech or Scott Howell’s Signature Intruder. However, if the water is stained but you can still see your boots, rig your floating line with a 12' to 14' leader and a size 3 Unconditional. I haven’t found a better bug for dirty water.While the fly fishes extremely well in these tough conditions, it has also proved to be very effective under a wide range of other conditions. (Thus, the name). In clear water, I’ll jump down to a size 5. If the fish seam spooky or over pressured they will respond better to a slimmer, less intrusive profile. In these conditions, I’ll trim some of the hackle and wing of the fly with my nippers or a scissors.


Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
ST317	Unconditional	5	3 for $7.49
ST31705	Unconditional	7	3 for $7.49

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Brazilian	Fierce Alligence	Larimer Loop Leeches
December Day	Green Butt Purple	Unconditional