Hardy Demon Spey Reel, Steelhead Camp, Tail Gunner Flies, Summer Tube Flies

Tail Gunner Steelhead Flies
Black Beauty     Green Butt     Purple Angel
We have proven to ourselves that two flies on a cast will hook more Deschutes steelhead than fishing with only one fly.  The reasons are obvious.  There are twice as many flies to see and twice the chance that one of them will come to the fish in exactly the right place.  If two different patterns or two different sizes are used, there is twice the chance of having the right one.  The two most common ways of attaching the second fly to a leader is with a dropper, or simply tying a leader to the second fly onto the bend of the hook of the first fly. Our favorite dropper is made

from the tag end of #12 Maxima Clear which is the section that is blood-knotted to the #10 Maxima tippet.  We have also used the "in-line" method  where the tippet section is tied to the hook bend of a fly and then a second fly is attached to the other end. Both ways have been proven with steelhead on the beach, but both methods have their flaws.  Droppers tend to tangle on bad casting days.  Certain kinds of casts such as the single spey will tangle the dropper around the leader with regularity.  The in-line method will often make the upper fly roll on its side or make it ride upside down.  This appears to be caused when the knot attached to the bend works its way down low on the hook bend.  The tippet to the point fly provides lift from the currents and flips the fly over. We have gotten more strikes and solid hooks up with the dropper method and we always figured it was because the upper fly on the in-line method wasn't riding right.  However, the flies tangle less when casting while using the "in-line" method. Three years ago I found a solution. A loop of braided monofilament was attached to the hook and a fly was tied over the top of it.  This produced an in-line fly with an attachment that allowed the fly to remain hydrodynamically stable.  Tests and refinements have lead to the three fly series shown here.  The flies won't appear to be very innovative at first glance.  They shouldn't be.  Night Dancers, Green Butt Skunk and Purple Angels have landed hundreds of steelhead. These three new "dropper-fly" patterns are called tail gunners. Each has a loop where the tail should be so you can attach your tippet.  You can attach your skinny, artsy flies to the end of your tippet and rest assured that you already have one proven winner in the water with it.  To our knowledge this is the first series of flies that have been produced specifically to be used as "second" flies.  They will of course fish as well as a "point" fly.  They can also be use as second and "third" flies where three flies are presented with each cast. 
Each extra fly might increase your chances by 30%.

Tail Gunner, Black Beauty
This fly is pattered after the idea of Frank Amato's famous Night Dancer.  It provides a very dark silhouette that shows up against the water surface as the light fades in the evening.  The Black Beauty is dressed with long flowing webby hackle to add movement.  A mixture of silver Flashabou and pearl Krystal Flash provides contrast.

In his blockbuster book, Trout and Salmon of North America, Robert Behnke writes that Columbia River Basin steelhead native to tributaries east of the Cascade Mountain Range are "Redband Steelhead".  These sea run fish are members of the same genetic family as the resident "Redside" trout found in these same rivers.  Both strains are great fly 

Tube Fly Dropper
Angling with (2) flies on the same cast is common on all of the rivers east of the Cascades.  Tube flies offer a unique variation on this theme.  A traditional way to add a second fly in a hand tied leader made from hard Maxima, is to join the 10-pound section to the 12-pound section with a blood knot and leave the tag end of the 12-pound section about 6" long for a dropper.  The final length of the dropper will be 4" when the fly is tied on to it.   The fly swings free on the end of the dropper and rarely tangles.  A Tube Fly can be tied on in same way.  It can also be attached by running both the tippet and the dropper through the head end of the tube.  The Tube Fly now runs in perfect alignment with the point fly, which can be another tube fly or conventional fly.