Wet FlyintermediatePacific Northwest
Purple Peril
Flybox sourcing profile
No TWG price or checkout is active. Use this page to validate the fly, then source it through the mapped tier or trusted fly shops.
Available Sizes#4 - #8
Color Variations
Purple/Brown
Pattern Ledger
Source Purple Peril
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Sourcing Ledger
Where to source this pattern
TWG checkout is closed. These are current sourcing leads, scored by mapped tier, region, species, fly type, and named-pattern evidence. Confirm availability directly with the tier or shop.
Regional shopStrong match
Pacific Fly Fishers
Matched on Pacific Northwest, wet flies, steelhead. Pacific Northwest shop with a large online catalog and steelhead/trout regional relevance.
Pacific Northwestwet fliessteelhead
Visit sourceBroad sourceStrong match
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, baitfish. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
wet fliessteelheadbaitfish
Visit sourceRegional shopStrong match
Schultz Outfitters
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, steelhead. Michigan and Great Lakes shop lead for steelhead, trout, and smallmouth patterns.
wet fliessteelhead
Visit sourceBroad sourceBroad match
Orvis Fly Catalog
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, broad catalog. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.
wet fliessteelheadbroad catalog
Visit sourceBroad sourceBroad match
Big Y Fly Co.
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, broad catalog. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.
wet fliessteelheadbroad catalog
Visit sourceKen McLeod created the Purple Peril on Washington's rivers in the 1940s, and it has been a Pacific Northwest standard ever since. Purple is not a color that occurs naturally in any insect or baitfish a steelhead might eat, which makes the Purple Peril's success either a mystery or proof that steelhead operate on different logic than other fish. The brown hackle and silver tinsel add a touch of tradition to what is otherwise an exercise in chromatic rebellion. Generations of Northwest anglers have sworn by this fly, and the steelhead have never lodged a formal complaint.
Quick Facts
TypeWet Fly
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsSummer, Fall, Winter
Target SpeciesSteelhead
Sizes#4 - #8
Best LocationsSkagit River, WA; Cowlitz River, WA; Klickitat River, WA
Where to Fish It
Skagit River
WA · Spey River
Cowlitz River
WA · Tailwater
Klickitat River
WA · Freestone River
Map unavailable. Locations for Purple Peril: Skagit River, WA; Cowlitz River, WA; Klickitat River, WA
Related Reading
region guide
Pacific Northwest Steelhead: The Complete Guide
Steelhead are the fish of a thousand casts. In the Pacific Northwest's rainforest rivers, anglers swing intricately tied flies through emerald runs for the chance at one explosive take from a chrome-bright sea-run rainbow. This is the complete guide to the pursuit.
species science
Chrome and Current: The Science of Steelhead
Steelhead are rainbow trout that went to sea and came back transformed — chrome-bright, ocean-strong, and wired with a grab reflex that makes them eat flies they have no biological reason to eat. Understanding the science behind the chrome changes how you fish for them.
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