Viking Lars | Saturday, 7 December 2019
I was looking over the salmon fly boxes to get an idea of which flies needed re-stocking. I have maybe 4-5 patterns I use regularly in my Danish salmon waters, and then there’s maybe 7-8 patterns apart from these that are on rotation being tested. 2-3 patterns I use all though the season, and a few are more seasonal. The flies I use during spring and early summer are mainly black, and I just vary size. They see use all through the season, though.
Late summer and autumn I use some flies that I very rarely use doing spring and summer. There’s nothing brilliant about my choices - red, orange and yellow creep into the colour palette of the patterns of choice, and one fly I really like using in low water over summer and autumn is a Finnish salmon fly.
The Finnish salmon brothers maybe not have had the biggest impact on salmon fly fishing internationally, but they have some interesting flies. Finnish salmon flies are quite unique in appearance and often seems suited to low, clear water.
The fly that is today’s topic is called The Viherpuna. That - as far as Google Translate let’s me know, is Finnish for Red-Green, which seems very plausible as the colours are mainly read and green.
The inspiration of the world’s most famous fly, the Red Tag, is obvious, and the difference is that there’s no tail on the Viherpuna, but a gold tag and a red/orange butt. The front hackle is not game red cock hackle, but a long, flowing red hackle from the breast of a golden pheasant.
The original I think is tied on single hooks, and I’ve tied mine on singles, on (golden) doubles and tubes and each has their own use. I rarely use doubles in Denmark as they seem to catch too much weed and drifting debris in the stream - these are reserved for Norway and Sweden. I often fish both singles and tubes in Denmark, and equip the tube with a single hook. I use the tubes when I need a heavier fly, since the Pro Sportfisher tube-system allows me a wide range of weighting options.
There’s very little info to be found online about this fly, and I know it from an article by Mikael Frödin in the Danish magazine “FiskeAvisen” (The Fishing Paper) from 1995 or 1996. If anyone knows more about the fly, please let me know (I know we have a least a few Finnish regulars).
I always use real peacock for the body. There are great dubbing alternatives that look good and are more durable, but I just don’t think that anything comes near the real thing. Properly ribbed that last quite well.
I like this fly - the hackle flows beautifully around the body in the stream and the colour scheme is just right for salmon and sea trout over summer and autumn. I can’t wait to swing it again - for now, I’ll enjoy tying some more and think about the coming season.
Have a great weekend
Lars
The pattern:
Hook: Ahrex HR 414 #4-8.
Tag: Gold tinsel.
Butt: Fl. orange antron yarn.
Rib: Oval gold tinsel.
Body: Peacock.
Hackle: Red breast feather from golden pheasant.
For tube versions I use Pro Sportfisher FlexiTube with either FlexiWeight or Raw Weight. On the tube I out on a Pro Conehead in red, side XS. For the double hook versions I like Ahrex HR 420 in gold (and I stick on a tail - just because). Other than those changes, the dressing is the same.