The Boss
The Boss is a classic winter steelhead pattern known for its bold black and orange colors and spinner-style bead-chain eyes that create water disturbance and a jigging action on the swing. Developed on Northern California rivers, it excels in cold, high, or off-color flows when steelhead need maximum provocation to strike. Fish it on a sinking or sink-tip line with a slow, deliberate downstream swing.
- Type
- wet fly (Steelhead)
- Hook sizes
- #2–6
- Target species
- steelhead
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best seasons
- fall, winter
Materials
- hook: Steelhead wet fly hook #2–6
- thread: Black 6/0
- eyes: Silver bead-chain eyes
- tail: Black marabou or hackle, full and flowing
- body: Black chenille or yarn
- ribbing: Fine copper or silver tinsel
Tying steps
- Mount a size 2–6 steelhead hook; tie in silver bead-chain eyes on top of the shank at the 1/3 mark.
- Start black thread; tie in black marabou or hackle as a full, flowing tail at the bend.
- Wind fine copper or silver tinsel rib.
- Wind black chenille or yarn body from bend to just behind the eyes.
- Counter-wrap the tinsel rib in 5 spirals over the body.
- Tie in an orange hackle just behind the eyes; make 3–4 turns.
- Build a neat head between the eyes; whip finish and cement.
- Apply head cement to the thread wraps behind the bead-chain eyes to lock them in place.