The Woolly Gentleman

Broad sourceStrong match

Big Y Fly Co.

Matched on wet flies, salmon, wet. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.

wet fliessalmonwet

Regional shopStrong match

Pacific Fly Fishers

Matched on wet flies, salmon, steelhead. Pacific Northwest shop with a large online catalog and steelhead/trout regional relevance.

wet fliessalmonsteelhead

wet fliessalmonbroad catalog

Broad sourceBroad match

Fulling Mill Flies

Matched on wet flies, salmon, broad catalog. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.

wet fliessalmonbroad catalog

Broad sourceBroad match

Orvis Fly Catalog

Matched on wet flies, salmon, broad catalog. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.

The Boss has been catching Pacific salmon since Eisenhower was president, and it has not needed a single update. Chenille body, silver rib, orange hackle, and a dark wing -- it is as traditional as a fly gets without involving a vise from the Victorian era. Kings eat it. Silvers eat it. The occasional ambitious Dolly eats it. It is called the Boss because it runs the show.

Quick Facts

TypeWet Fly

Difficultyintermediate

SeasonsSummer, Fall

Target SpeciesKing Salmon, Silver Salmon

Sizes#2 - #6

Best LocationsKenai River, AK; Alagnak River, AK; Copper River, AK

Where to Fish It

Kenai River

AK · Salmon River

Alagnak River

AK · Salmon River

Copper River

AK · Salmon River

Map unavailable. Locations for Boss: Kenai River, AK; Alagnak River, AK; Copper River, AK

Related Reading

region guide

Alaska: The Last Frontier of Fly Fishing

Alaska is fly fishing distilled to its most primal form. Five species of Pacific salmon, trophy rainbow trout fattened on salmon eggs and flesh, Arctic grayling in waters that have never seen a hatchery truck — this is the complete guide to planning and fishing the Last Frontier.

Wet Flyintermediate

Polar Shrimp

Find a tier or trusted source

Alaska

#2 - #6

Classic steelhead and salmon wet fly with an orange body, white calf tail wing, and hackle collar. One of the oldest and most effective Pacific salmon flies, proven on Alaskan rivers for decades.

Standard (orange/white)Hot Orange/White

King Salmon · Silver Salmon · Chum Salmon

SprSumFallWin

Wet Flyintermediate

Comet

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Alaska

#4 - #8

Bright attractor wet fly with a gold tinsel body and fluorescent tail. A proven producer on Alaskan salmon rivers, particularly effective on sockeye and silver salmon in clear water.

Orange/GoldFlame/GoldChartreuse/Gold

Sockeye Salmon · Silver Salmon · Pink Salmon

SprSumFallWin

Streamerbeginner

Bunny Leech

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Alaska

#2 - #6

Rabbit strip leech pattern in a range of colors. The undulating strip creates lifelike movement that triggers strikes from salmon and char. Simple to tie, devastating to fish.

PurpleBlackWhitePinkOlive

King Salmon · Silver Salmon · Dolly Varden · Arctic Char

SprSumFallWin

Streamerintermediate

Flash Fly

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Alaska

#2 - #2/0

All-flash streamer pattern for king and silver salmon. Layers of flashabou and crystal flash over a weighted shank create a pulsing, light-catching profile that triggers aggressive strikes from staging salmon.

CerisePink/WhiteChartreuseBlue/Silver

King Salmon · Silver Salmon

SprSumFallWin

Streamerintermediate

Alaskabou

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Alaska

#2 - #2/0

Marabou-based salmon fly with a bulky, pulsing profile. Named for its Alaskan origins and marabou construction. Deadly on king salmon in deep holding water.

Purple/BlackCerise/PinkBlue/BlackChartreuse/White

King Salmon · Chum Salmon · Silver Salmon

SprSumFallWin

Wet Flybeginner

Brandywine Creek Woolly

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Northeast & Mid-Atlantic

#12 - #16

Soft-hackle wet fly adapted for Delaware's Brandywine and White Clay creek systems. Sparse hen hackle pulses in the current, imitating emerging caddis and mayflies in these productive piedmont streams.

Partridge/OlivePartridge/OrangeHare's EarPheasant Tail

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin