Simply efficient
Its hard to imagine that simple flies like ‘the Sunray’ had not been in common use before its ‘invention.’ Flies using collie dog and horsehair were surely the most simple creations to tie and may well have been used prior to the rise of the Sunray.
In a world where salmon flies, especially those orginating from Scandinavia are becoming increasingly complex and overstuffed with expensive materials, this fly is the antithesis and proves the old adage that the very best fishing flies are often also very simple.
Hooking better upside down
And they don’t come much more simple than the Sunray Shadow. This one has the popular white underwing but the key feature is a long, flowing black wing lashed onto a plain plastic tube.
A strand or two of flash and a couple of strands of peacock here over complete the picture (though these are probably unnecessary adornments).
I designed it for the run off just in the change from slightly peat stained water to clear. It is unusual salmon fly because it contains quite a bit of claret and chestnut brown. It is a fly that only seems to work as the last of the colour tricked out but when conditions are right it’s a great fly
Hooking better upside down
The fly is shown with the double hook points facing down but I always fish it points up with the wing sitting in the gap between. This is because fish seem to ‘come over the top’ with this fly and hooks facing down often result in missed takes.
It can be fished square across the current and or stripped hard in slack flows (long pulls work best). This is a salmon fly that either scares the life out of the fish or produces action on the dourest of days. A fly to tie on when nothing else seems to be working for the last run down the pool. For some people, its the only fly they tie on!
It can be fished square across the current and or stripped hard in slack flows (long pulls work best). This is a salmon fly that either scares the life out of the fish or produces action on the dourest of days. A fly to tie on when nothing else seems to be working for the last run down the pool. For some people, its the only fly they tie on!
