Hairy Butt must be one of the most successful flies for the Umba salmon. Its inventor Frank Michael Larsen tells the story of its beginnings.
“Hairy Butt is my own favorite and it was born during my first year as a camp manager on the Umba. The fly is a conglomeration of proven attractors found in some of the most famous salmon flies. The Hairy Mary and Red Butt are the main role-models, and an extra layer of yellow is thrown into the wing for god measure. Hairy Butt is very often my first choice and I expect it to work under all but the most extreme conditions. It has the ability to trigger of the fresh fish and at the same time the power to make some of the ‘graybacks’ do foolish things. If it makes any sense to talk about “bigfish – flies”, Hairy Butt is definitely one of them. It works both in fast and slow water and I fish it dead still with a big swing and no twitching of the rod, only retrieving steadily in the slowest pools.”
Hairy Butt
Hook: Double size 2 – 12.
But: Silver tinsel and after Red Floss
Body: Black Floss or wool.
Ribbing: Silver tinsel.
Under wing: Yellow Polar Fox
Over wing: Dark Brown Polar fox a little bit longer than the under wing
Hackle: Kingfisher blue