Geni Swing Guitars

Tube Head

Salmon Tube Flies

Salmon tube flies are, as the name suggests, tied up on a tube instead of a standard hook shank. Tubes are thicker than a conventional salmon fly and therefore heavier, which is a feature that many steelhead and salmon fishermen find beneficial. Hook size and style can be optimised to match the location and circumstances in which you intend to fish. Some proponents of tube flies insist that there are also more successful hook-ups with tubes compared to the more traditional long-shanked salmon fly.

Whilst new to many people, tube flies were first deployed some 65 years ago! A lady by the name of Winnie Morawski gets the credit for tying the first tube fly in 1945. A fly tier for Charles Playfair & Company of Aberdeen in Scotland, she conceived the idea while tidying up the turkey quills from her work bench. After trimming the tops and bottoms off, and scraping the insides from the quills, she then dressed the tube she had created. A company client, Dr William Michie, liked the tube fly concept and suggested cut lengths of surgical tubing would be a more durable alternative. In the fishing world, word spreads like wildfire and before long, tube flies were being tied in Norway and Sweden as well as across the United Kingdom. Saltwater tube flies first appeared in the North American Pacific Northwest and were used in Washington State's Puget Sound way back in the late 1940's!

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of salmon fly patterns, largely based on the introduction of tubes. These can come in any number of different sizes, weights and styles. The use of tubes allows the hook; single, double or treble, barbed or barbless, to be changed when required or when damaged. This provides the angler with a very versatile and durable alternative to standard patterns tied on regular double or treble hooks. Tube material options can also be varied for different water depths and velocities.

Plastic Bodied Tubes

With a neutral weight, flies tied on plastic bodied tubes will fish at the same depth as that dictated by your fly-line. Many fishermen find these useful in many low water situations.

Copper Tubes

Copper is the material most commonly associated with traditional tube flies and copper-tube Salmon flies are available in a very wide range of patterns, in all shapes and sizes.

Tungsten Tubes

With almost twice the density of copper, tungsten tubes are superb for situations where it is imperative that your fly starts fishing at the correct depth as soon as possible after hitting the water. This is as important for low water fishing, when you need to ‘drop' your fly into a small deep pocket, as it is for heavy and fast water conditions.

Hitch Tubes

Although not widely used in the United Kingdom, the practice of hitching flies is absolutely standard for much of the season in both Iceland and Russia's Kola Peninsula. Far from being a gimmick, this method of fishing for salmon is absolutely deadly.

Conehead Tubes

Increasingly popular cone-head salmon fly patterns are a must have in any salmon anglers fly box. Made from either brass or tungsten and in a wide range of colours from metallic nickel or silver to fire red they are proven killers.

There has been a relatively recent "awakening" amongst the salmon fly fishing fraternity, and the fly tying industry, to the concept of tubes, especially in North America. Tube flies have been around for some time now, but primarily popular with European salmon anglers. US salmon fishermen have begun successfully fishing various tube fly patterns on the west coast of Alaska, Washington, B.C., and Oregon states. The main problem for salmon and steelhead fishermen wanting to test tube flies in their region has been limited availability in fly shops and limited choices in online fly stores.

This situation is steadily changing, and new patterns are available that are battle-proven in many international destinations European and North American destinations.

About the Author

Justin Maxwell Stuart at has a decade of experience of fishing Atlantic salmon flies in the most inaccessible places on earth, and provides a huge range of premium grade salmon flies for sale at Salar Flies. Ph: +44 (0) 203 239 2022- E: info@salarflies.com

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