Tying Instructions for the Top 10 King Flies for Alaska
There are just certain king salmon flies that make the top 10 list for their effectiveness. In no particular order the author’s favorite king salmon flies for Alaska are Intruder, Prom Dress, Bjorn Super Prawn, Articulated Leech, Moal Leech, Jumbo Critter, Squidro, Popsicle, Boss/Comet and Seapup. He also includes a couple honorable mentions. Here’s how to tie them.
Story & Photos By Mike Lunde
- INTRUDER

Today, many modifications can be applied to Intruders to accommodate tackle-busting kings. A recent trend in Intruder development is to utilize both synthetics and natural materials to result in more high-performance movement compared to the traditional materials tied in the baseline model. Examples of materials to use that will agitate frustrated Chinook include Krystal Emulator Flash, Flashabou, sparse marabou, etc. The appropriate stinger hook size for Intruders is a #1/0 to #2/0. Hooks larger than this specific recommendation will inhibit the Intruder’s movement, thus causing it to over-rotate itself to one side. Smaller hooks won’t disrupt the movement during the swing but will fail to penetrate into the fish’s mouth or will bend out during a prolonged fight. Click here for videos.
Original Intruder Tying Recipe (Ed Ward)
- Select Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook. Tie in dumbbell eyes in front region.
- Apply fine amounts of dubbing to make an established dubbing ball in back section. Dubbing ball location should be where hook curvature starts. Tie in a feather of choice to make the rear hackle. Original recipe called for pheasant rump whereas Ed and Scott also experimented with spun deer hair collars. We will use pheasant rump for this example.
- Tie in 7-9 ostrich fibers on top and bottom of shank. A dubbing loop can also be used to establish a full volume, but the initial tying method is being introduced here.
- Attach chenille and a narrow saddle hackle feather. Palmer forward the chenille in proximity to the dumbbell eyes followed by the hackle feather. Trim excess material.
- Make a deer hair spun collar. Select either a ringneck pheasant feather or several pheasant rump and palmer in same direction to form hackle. After this, a bonus option is to tie in a few dyed grizzly saddle hackles (e.g. Whiting Eurohackle, Metz, etc.). Original recipe called for two saddle hackles. No more than 4 should be used.
Tying Recipe:
- Attach stinger hook of choice to Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook. A small diameter (5/32”) tube can also suffice for tying the original Intruder prototype first designed by Ed Ward and Scott Howell.
Synthetic Version Recipe:
- Attach stinger hook of choice to Waddington shank with 50- or 65-pound low-stretch braid.
- Select Baitfish Emulator flash and trim off a 3-inch piece. This will be used specifically for making the back section of the Intruder. Tie in and palmer 2-3 times around the shank and tie off. Spin 10-15 ostrich fibers in a dubbing loop around the Baitfish Emulator Flash.
- Tie in Flat Diamond Braid and palmer forward until just behind the dumbbell eyes. Repeat all the steps outlined in Step 2. Whip finish, trim thread, and fly is complete.
- PROM DRESS

On the swing, the Prom Dress is absolutely deadly because its true behavior is unleashed as it recreates movement characteristics similar to a Kwikfish, the king’s favorite plug. Whether tied shank-style or on a tube, the Prom Dress drives Chinook bananas. Preferences for stinger hooks vary considerably, but the wide-gap models are personal favorites, particularly the Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap. Another hook style that works surprisingly well are octopus hooks. Hook size is a matter of personal preference as well, but hooks in the #1/0 to #3/0 range will penetrate deeper through the tissue in the fish’s mouth region compared to a larger hook.
Tying recipe (Scott Howell’s version)
- Attach stinger hook to Waddington shank or select a tube. Start baseline thread near beginning section and tie in dumbbell eyes.
- Select clump of Flashabou and cut an approximate section of 4 to 5 inches in length. Tie-in location should be just behind the dumbbell eyes. Tie in Flashabou and continuously repeat until tied around 360 degrees. No center-tying and folding over is accomplished with the original prom dress.
- Once a full volume of flash is achieved, select a New Guinea feather in matching color of the Flashabou. Tie in Guinea feather and palmer in same location just behind the dumbbell eyes. An Ice Dub head or similar head finish is optional. Some tiers leave the just the dumbbell eyes on – its personal preference.
Author’s Prom Dress
- Attach stinger hook to Waddington shank or select small-diameter tube. Tie in dumbbell eyes. Initial thread location should be just in rear region of shank or tube. Select dubbing and make a small-sized dubbing ball.
- Center-tie in multiple bundles of flashabou about 5 to 6 inches in length. Each bundle should contain approximately 15-25 strands of flahabou. Continuously repeat this step so a spinnerbait-like skirt is formed. Build up thread head and apply cement or UV-based adhesive to secure thread wraps.
- Advanced thread just slightly head of thread head. Tie in sparse marabou plume and palmer forward. Tie in second marabou plume of another contrasting color and palmer forward just behind dumbbell eyes. If using conehead for weight, leave enough space on the tube to add it on at the very end.
- BJORN SUPER PRAWN

- Attach stinger hook to Waddington shank with 50- or 65-pound low-stretch braid (e.g. Power Pro, Spiderwire, PLine, etc.). Secure main tying thread and attach .030” lead wire to the middle region of the shank.
- Tie in sparse clump bucktail about twice the length of the Waddington shank. Next, tie in a clump of silver Flashabou or other color combination of choice. Approximately 15-20 strands of flash will suffice.
- Tie in chenille or cactus chenille. Palmer it forward to it covers all the lead wire.
- Tie in two sparse marabou plumes and palmer forward until they are near the very front of the Waddington shank. If not near front, palmer in an additional sparse plume.
- Select two hen saddle feathers in same color and tie flat over top of marabou. Whip-finish, trim excess thread, and fly is complete.
- ARTICULATED LEECH

- Select octopus or streamer hook of choice and start thread at back region of hook. Cover middle region of hook shank with .030” lead wire. Select bright colored marabou plume and palmer forward until at middle of hook. Repeat again with a darker colored marabou plume. Bonus option if preferred is to tie in a hackle collar such as Schlappen for example.
- Formulate articulation to Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook with 50- or 65-pound Braid. Use gel-spun thread or Kevlar to secure Waddington shank secure, particularly if using OPST model.
- Use .030” lead wire to provide weight to front section. Repeat step 1 again. A total of 2-3 sparse plumes should be ideal to cover the entire Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook. Attach Schlappen or New Guinea feather for collar and palmer in same direction. A final option here is to add sparse Flashabou or Monoflash tied 360 around the shank.
- Whip-finish and trim thread.
- MOAL LEECH

- Two rotary vices are necessary to tie this fly. Select octopus hook of choice and insert both tag ends of 50-pound braid through the eyelet of the hook from the top end going through bottom section. Reinsert a looped portion of the braid so it double-backs over itself. Approximately 8-10 inches of tag end of the braid should remain.
- Secure braid to the front Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook. Length of section should range from 4 to 6-inchs.
- Position both vices relatively close from each other to the point where the braid connection is semi-taught.
- Select crosscut rabbit strip about 10-inches long and insert it ½” to ¾” through the back section of taught braid. A fine application of Super Glue is laid down on the taught section of braid.
- Palmer the entire crosscut rabbit strip forward until in proximity to the front section of the Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook. Leave small portion up front open to tie in dumbbell eyes and apply multiple sections of dubbing to form the dubbing head. Tie in 6-8 strands of Flashabou equivalent in length to the fly over top of the crosscut rabbit body.
- JUMBO CRITTER

- Attach stinger hook of choice to Waddington shank or sacrificial front hook with 50- to 65-pound braid. Tie in dumbbell eyes in front section of fly leaving partial room for the dubbing head.
- Start thread location in back and make a spun deer hair collar! Spun calftail or bucktail will also work. Tie in sparse Flashabou 360 degrees around the back collar.
- Tie in silver wire or tinsel. Continuously apply dubbing to build up body until in proximity to the dumbbell eyes. Advance tinsel or wire forward until behind dumbbell eyes.
- Repeat step 2. Spin 8-14 Lady Amherst fibers in dubbing loop and palmer back. Make an Ice Dubbing head. Whip finish and trim thread.
- SQUIDRO

- Attach stinger hook of choice to Waddington shank with 50- to 65-pound low-stretch braid. Tie in dumbbell eyes near the front of the hook leaving partial space available for the dubbing head.
- Make small dubbing ball at back of Waddington shank prior to tying in Sili Legs. Either use dubbing loop or tie in sili legs individually around the Waddington shank 360.
- Tie in silver mylar or Flat Diamond Braid to form the tag and body. Advance forward until in proximity to the dumbbell eyes.
- Repeat Step 2 making another dubbing ball and using a dubbing loop or individually tie in Sili Legs to make front section of fly. A very sparse marabou plume can be added for a bonus option.
- Use Ice Dubbing or Senyo’s for the dubbing head. Whip finish, trim thread, and fly is complete.
- POPSICLE

- Select stinger hook of choice and begin thread location at back section of the hook. Wrap .030” lead wire for weight. Remove excess fluff from marabou plume and palmer forward. New thread location should be in middle region of hook. Select a second marabou plume. Remove excess fluff again and palmer forward. A few strands of flash can be tied anywhere 360 degrees around the back section.
- Select Waddington shank of choice or long-shanked streamer hook. Attach rear section of Popsicle to sacrificial front hook or Waddington to form the articulation. Add more .030” wire for weight on front section.
- Repeat Step 1 with marabou in same color combinations as on the rear section. Select New Guinea or Schlappen as a collar, tie in, and palmer in same direction.
- BOSS/COMET

- Select sturdy streamer hook or small diameter tube. Start at front section of fly and tie in dumbbell eyes. Tie in sparse clump of bucktail or calftail hair for the tail. Tie in fixed length of Flat Diamond Braid.
- Advance forward the Flat Diamond Braid until its in proximity to the dumbbell eyes. Tie in a single Schlappen feather.
- Palmer schlappen feather in same direction, trim away excess material, whip finish, and fly is complete.
- SEAPUP

- Select sturdy saltwater hook or small diameter tube for fly. Select 20-pound mono and secure to hook shank or tube with several layers of thread. This loop assists in additional movement to the zonker strip so it doesn’t foul on the hook.
- Cut 3-inch rabbit zonker strip and tie in back section of hook or tube. About 2-inches will serve as the tail while the remaining inch or so will be palmered forward until its near the middle of the hook. Several strands of flash can be tied here as well.
- Select deer hair in same color combination as rabbit. Spin 2-3 bundles of deer hair, slightly advancing forward after each spun clump. Tie in dumbbell eyes and fly is complete.
Honorable Mentions
Although these 10 flies are specifically designed to cover a wide range of environmental conditions and angling situations, the patterns that follow should not be neglected. Some of these patterns are modifications to the originals. Others are traditional patterns that have stood the test of time.

- Use small diameter tube or 75 mm Waddington shank. Apply dubbing ball to back section of tube or Waddington.
- Center-tie multiple bundles of Flashabou (approx. 15-20 strands) and fold remaining strands over in 45 degree angle. Keep repeating until the spinnerbait-like skirt is formed.
- Continue to build up a well-formed thread head. Use an application of quick-drying adhesive to cement the thread wraps.
- Select ostrich or Rhea plume, cut section with desired amount of fibers, spin in dubbing loop, and palmer. Bonus step here is to spin lady Amherst or tying in Guinea feather or Schlappen for spey hackle.
- Tie in Flat Diamond Braid. Palmer forward until thread is slightly behind front section of Waddington or tube.
- Repeat step 1 with another application of a dubbing ball.
- Repeat step 2 with same color combination of Flashabou to make the front spinnerbait-like skirt. Build up another well-tapered thread head. Cement the thread wraps and spin additional ostrich or Rhea in a dubbing loop as previously attempted in Step 4. Throw in optional Spey hackle collar (New Guinea, Schlappen, or Lady Amherst fibers)

- Cut 4 to 5-inch small diameter plastic tube. Insert 2 or 3 medium to large coneheads onto hook and slide them forward to front section of tube. Insert tube onto mandrel and secure in place. Start baseline thread location near back region of tube leaving space for the junction tubing to be inserted at end of tying process.
- Tie in 5-6 strands of Lady Amherst feather fibers on top and bottom of tube. Rotate vise to each side and tie in several strands of monoflash. Use fingers to manipulate and spread out Lady Amherst. Tie in a light colored Schlappen feather by the thicker area of quill just in front of the Lady Amherst and palmer forward. Repeat again with a darker Schlappen feather.
- Whip finish thread in front of palmered Schlappen feathers. Slide first conehead against them. Build a small miniature thread dam against the conehead to prevent it form moving anywhere along the tube.
- Reattach thread in front of thread damn and repeat Step 2 with tying in sparse clumps of Lady Amherst feather fibers followed with the two Schlappen feathers in different colors (bright & dark). Slide up the second conehead so it is wedged against the palmered feathers.
- If enough space left on tube, repeat the specifics outlined in Step 2 with the Lady Amherst Fibers, Monoflash, and Schlappen feathers. All cones have been added so tie in several strands of Flashabou in similar color combination. Tie in New Guinea feather and palmer forward. Add Jungle Cock eyes, whip finish, apply head cement, and remove fly from mandrel.

- Tie in individual set of dumbbell eyes in front section of tube or hook so there is room for the dubbing-based head. Advance thread to back of hook or tube.
- Select marabou plume and tie in the back section of hook or tube for the tail. Add several strand of flash in contrasting or similar colors of marabou tail. Tie in chenille followed by large saddle hackle feather or Schlappen feather.
- Palmer chenille forward just to behind the dumbbell eyes. Select hackle pliers and palmer feather of choice forward, advancing it to the same location. Tie off and trim excess.
- Apply multiple sessions of dubbing (Ice Dubbing or Senyo’s) until the egg-sucking head is formed to your desired preference and shape.

- Select small diameter plastic tube or weighted tube of choice. The size of the tube should be an inch to 1.5-inches at most. Select sparse marabou plume and remove excess fluff.
- Palmer forward, tie off, and select a second marabou plume in different color. Remove excess fluff and palmer forward. If there is still substantial room, tie in a third plume. Remember to only palmer around tube several times to keep its sparseness. Select New Guinea feather for collar, tie in, and palmer in same direction.
- Rotate vise at various angles and tie in several strands of Flashabou. Tie off and trim thread. Remove tube from mandrel or tube-fly vise and insert conehead onto tube. Tube should be touching the materials somewhat. Secure conehead with application of Super Glue or UV-based adhesive such as Tuffleye or Clear Cure Goo.
Tying Tips
Standard materials for all these killer fly patterns are a combination of natural furs, synthetics, marabou and feathers (e.g. ostrich or rhea) for Spey hackle. Common length ranges for tying should be between the 3- to 6-inch category. During unsatisfactory conditions or periods of heavy fishing pressure, experiment with lengths shorter than 3 inches if larger flies don’t produce strikes. A physical feature to pay close attention to is the amount of flash incorporated into the fly’s design. Minimal flash is often the key for flies to exhibit the best behavior in the water.
As mentioned in the May 2015 issue of Fish Alaska, color combinations for these patterns can be either stream-specific of based on the general rules previously discussed. Chartreuse dominates for freshly conditioned fish and the early run. Dark colors are preferred in glacial systems, overcast conditions and during the late run. Other times, color rules can be periodically broken, so rotate through color selection to increase confidence.
Frequently experiment with dubbing loops to place on a full volume of feather fibers. A slight rotation of the vise is often required to tie in missed gaps from spinning. In case of tying experience, reference the April 2015 issue on instructions for making the basic composite loop. The last tying tip is to use stinger hooks in the #1 to #2/0 range as this hook size range doesn’t disrupt the fly’s movement. Again, small hooks are insufficient at penetrating the mouth of a king salmon, whereas large hooks inhibit the fly’s movement.
Mike Lunde is originally from Pewaukee, WI, and received his B.S. in Fisheries from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Mike works as a fisheries technician for the Alaska Cooperative Fisheries and Wildlife Research Unit and has guided in both Alaska and Patagonia.
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