Sofa Pillow
The Salmonfly hatch on rivers like the Madison, Big Hole, and Deschutes is one of fly fishing's great spectacles — clouds of 2–3 inch orange stoneflies crash onto the water and trout gorge. The Sofa Pillow's massive size matches the natural exactly. Fish it close to overhanging banks where adults land, using a drift that lets it slap the water naturally. Size matters here — go big.
- Type
- dry fly (Stonefly)
- Hook sizes
- #4–6
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer
Materials
- hook: 3X or 4X long dry fly hook #4–6
- thread: Orange 6/0
- tail: Elk hair, short
- body: Orange or red yarn or chenille
- wing: Elk hair or moose body hair, heavy clump laid flat
- hackle: Brown rooster hackle, heavy
Tying steps
- Mount a size 4–6 3XL dry fly hook; start orange thread and wrap to bend.
- Tie in a short stiff clump of elk hair as a tail.
- Tie in a heavy brown hackle at the rear.
- Wind orange or red chenille or yarn for a thick, substantial body to the 2/3 mark.
- Palmer the hackle forward in open spirals over the body; tie off and trim.
- Stack a very heavy clump of elk hair or moose hair; tie in flat as a wide tent wing.
- Build a neat head over the wing butts; whip finish and cement.
- Trim excess elk hair butts flush behind the hook eye with sharp scissors, building a smooth tapered ramp before the final head wraps.