Streamside Imitations by J Deshefy Jr

Streamside Imitations by J Deshefy Jr A page created to document my adventures in fly fishing and fly tying.

What’s in a name?I know I’m not the only angler or fly tier out there who gives their flies a name, or at least a nickna...
09/09/2026

What’s in a name?

I know I’m not the only angler or fly tier out there who gives their flies a name, or at least a nickname.

The group of guys and gals I fish with regularly has names and code words for just about everything I tie. We’ve got the DB Nymph, LFA, JPI, Big Red, Little Red, and plenty of others.

Some have a story behind them. Some are acronyms. Some are just names we came up with over the years. And, of course, some of those names are conveniently used as code words so we don’t give away all the secrets. 😂

So what do we call this one?

I was thinking BTA — Brown Trout Assassin… but maybe that’s a little rough. 😬

Then there’s BTT — Brown Trout Treat.

And honestly, I kind of like that one.

Whatever we end up calling it, there’s no question about what this fly does. It flat-out produces brown trout. For whatever reason, I really believe that orange bead has something to do with it. There’s just something about orange and brown trout, especially on the Salmon River, that seems to work.🎣

You can’t go wrong with a Jumbo John, but I think this particular combination takes it a step further. The segmented abdomen, the contrast of the peacock Ice Dub thorax, and all that leg movement create a combination that gives the fly plenty of flash, contrast and movement.

It’s simply a producer.

So I’m putting it to you guys,

BTA — Brown Trout Assassin
or
BTT — Brown Trout Treat

Or maybe you’ve got a better name?

Drop it in the comments. Let’s see what you come up with!

PRODUCTION MODE Tonight we tied up a super productive pattern that I rely on during the Winter steelhead months, which i...
09/09/2026

PRODUCTION MODE

Tonight we tied up a super productive pattern that I rely on during the Winter steelhead months, which is exactly what the tying bench is geared toward for the next couple of months.

When it comes to the Salmon River, I try to work about three months ahead of the season. Fall flies should already be tied and ready to go. Winter is coming, and that means it’s time to start building the boxes for Winter steelhead.

This little pattern has produced multi-fish days and plenty of double-digit fish days for me. It just flat-out produces.

Once the eggs are out of the system, stoneflies are a must, and I always want plenty of black patterns in the box. I tie a wide variety of them, some look very much like a stonefly, while others will have you looking at me asking, “What is that supposed to be?” 😂

The funny thing is, those flies that mimic absolutely nothing you can identify in the water become some of my most reliable go-to patterns.

This one can represent an early stonefly, and I’ll also have a more semi-realistic Early Black Stonefly available at the Symposium.

Tonight’s recipe:
• Daiichi 1120 — Size 10
• Firehole Stone — 3.5mm Black
• Black Ultra Wire — Medium
• Black Goose Biots
• Black Fine Rubber Legs
• Peacock
•FullingMill Scud Skin — 3mm

I’ve been using the Fulling Mill Scud Skin as the wing-case backing, and I have to say, this might be my new favorite material for black stoneflies. I love Thin Skin, but this stuff has really impressed me!

The International Fly Tying Symposium, Here We Come!Now that the first trip up North is officially out of my system, it’...
09/07/2026

The International Fly Tying Symposium, Here We Come!

Now that the first trip up North is officially out of my system, it’s time to turn my attention to one of my favorite shows of the year, The International Fly Tying Symposium!

I’ve been tying at the Symposium since 2021, with the exception of last year when I was recovering from shoulder surgery. I still made it to the show, represented the njflytyersguild and caught up with those folks that I only get to see once a year. Needless to say, I am excited for this year to be back behind the vise and ready to tie!

I’ll be bringing a wide variety of steelhead patterns geared toward late Fall, Winter, and early Spring fishing, all that have produced well for me and others over the years! If you are a steelheader or just started targeting this species and in the Lancaster area, make sure you stop by my table November 21st or 22nd. I’ll have plenty of flies and inventory available.

But there’s another part I’m really looking forward to this year…

Want to learn how to tie a particular pattern? I’m bringing a second vise, along with the materials needed, so if you see something on my table that catches your eye, pull up a chair. I’ll be more than happy to demonstrate the pattern and have you tie right alongside me.

Whether you’re looking to stock the box for the upcoming steelhead season, pick up some new materials, or simply sit down and learn something new, come say hello.

November 21–22, 2026
Marriott Lancaster County Convention Center
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Hope to see you there! 🎣

LABOR DAY WEEKEND — KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE. 🎣Another trip up North to chase the early kings, and once again, it did...
09/06/2026

LABOR DAY WEEKEND — KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE. 🎣

Another trip up North to chase the early kings, and once again, it didn’t disappoint.

The trip was a success from start to finish. Brought plenty of kings to hand, spent time with old friends, made some new ones, and took a little time to simply slow down and appreciate everything Mother Nature had to offer.

There’s just something about this time of year. The cool mornings, big fish, and the anticipation of what’s still to come.

But as much as I love chasing these early kings, it’s the camaraderie that makes these trips so special. The stories, the laughs, the friendships, and the people you cross paths with along the way.

Labor Day weekend has become a tradition for me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The season is just getting started!

Black & Copper Woolly Bu**ers. Same style as last night’s tie, a little extra flash along the side, wrapped with wire to...
09/03/2026

Black & Copper Woolly Bu**ers.

Same style as last night’s tie, a little extra flash along the side, wrapped with wire to create the segmentation, and finished off with a soft-tackle hackle head. Nothing complicated, but it’s a combination I really like this time of year.

I also went ahead and tied these with one thing on my mind, bringing an Atlantic salmon to hand this year!

For years, I’ve spent time on the Salmon River chasing these fish and over the last three years, the opportunity for anglers to encounter Atlantic salmon has obviously increased. Now that the program has had a couple of years to establish itself, I’m incredibly interested to see what this season brings.

More than anything though, I’m just excited to finally get back to that water.

Last year was a tough one for me. I was laid up after two surgeries and a long stretch of rehab, including a total reconstruction of my right shoulder. Being away from the river for that long was harder than I can really put into words so I can’t wait to get back up there, get lost for a little while, hear those familiar sounds, stand in that water, and even just sit back and watch other anglers doing what we all love to do.

I feel like I split my time now between upstate New York and home here in New Jersey, and that river has become a home away from home for me.

So getting back up there is going to be a little bittersweet.

But mostly…

I’m just ready to go home. 🎣

Tonight’s Tie: Olive Woolly Bu**er Tonight’s tie is an Olive Woolly Bu**er, not your traditional Woolly Bu**er, but the ...
09/02/2026

Tonight’s Tie: Olive Woolly Bu**er

Tonight’s tie is an Olive Woolly Bu**er, not your traditional Woolly Bu**er, but the way I like to tie mine, especially for this time of year. I like to add a little more pomp, flash, and movement to the pattern.

For this one, I went with a Mustad Signature Series R74-9672, a 2X-heavy, 4XL streamer hook in size 6, paired with a 5/32” gold bead.

I chose not to go with tungsten, and I kept the lead wire light, just a few wraps of .020 lead. With the current water conditions and no Whitewater release this weekend, I want to keep the fly relatively light and have the ability to adjust with split shot if I need to.

The rest of the recipe is pretty straightforward:

• Sculpin Olive marabou
• Pearl Krystal Flash
• Olive chenille
• Uni-Mylar Peacock #10 / 1⁄16” for the flash along both sides of the body
• UTC Ultra Wire, Olive, Medium for the segmentation
• Finished with an Olive/Brown soft hackle

And I know some people are going to ask about the soft hackle instead of traditional Woolly Bu**er hackle.

Honestly, I just prefer it.

From a production standpoint, it’s a little easier to tie, but more importantly, I think I get the same effect, if not a little better movement and undulation in the water. That soft hackle breathes really well and gives the fly a ton of life.

This one is always a must-have in my box this time of year. Those early Kings can’t seem to resist an Olive Bu**er, and it’s one of those patterns that just continues to produce year after year. 🎣

TONIGHT’S TIE — CHASING THE FORAGE 🎣As we get closer to spending some time on the Lake Ontario tributaries, I’ve been th...
09/01/2026

TONIGHT’S TIE — CHASING THE FORAGE 🎣

As we get closer to spending some time on the Lake Ontario tributaries, I’ve been thinking about one thing, FORAGE.

Chinook, Coho, Steelhead and Browns spend much of their time in the lake feeding on alewife, rainbow smelt, emerald shiner and golden shiner being important pieces of the forage picture.

And when you look at these baitfish, there’s a common theme, olive, gray, silver, pearl and white.

So tonight’s pattern is a Rainbow Smelt — Iron Mike style.

It’s a spin-off of a pattern I’ve used successfully before, with a few changes: Pearl Ice Dub, olive marabou, mallard flank for natural barring and red tinsel, all tied on a vintage Mustad 9672.

The 9672 gives me that heavier streamer hook I want when tying for the larger Chinook and Coho. When you’re dealing with Lake Ontario fish, I want a little more beef underneath the pattern when that fish decides to make a run.

And now we’re getting into one of my favorite times of the year, the fish that come into the Salmon River early!

These aren’t the big push of fish we see later in September and October. They’re those early Browns, Coho and big Kings that start showing themselves ahead of the main movement.

Normally, Labor Day weekend also brings the whitewater release, and that change in flow can be a trigger that brings more fish into the river. That release is being canceled this year, but with the rain forecasted for the Salmon River watershed this week, hopefully we get enough water to give the river that little bump and bring some fish in naturally.

And after a LONG hiatus from fishing, my last time on the Salmon River was November 30, 2024, I can tell you one thing…

I am itching to get back up there this weekend!

Tonight’s Tie | Olive & Copper Nymph Simple olive and copper nymph tied on a Daiichi 1120, size 8, paired with a 3/16” (...
08/28/2026

Tonight’s Tie | Olive & Copper Nymph

Simple olive and copper nymph tied on a Daiichi 1120, size 8, paired with a 3/16” (4.5mm) Firehole Outdoors Stone in Olive Drab.

The rest is simple:

* UTC 70 — Black
* UTC Vinyl Rib — Olive, Nymph size
* Olive goose biot tail
* Fly Tyer’s Dungeon Private Stash NK Dubbing — Copper Olive

Simple ingredients. Simple fly. One that just produces.

That’s the approach I like for the early run on the Salmon River. As the run progresses and I really start targeting steelhead, that’s when I get a little more particular with my flies. But early on, something like this has definitely earned a place in my box.

I’ve been playing around with three or four new color variations over the last few posts, and changing the bead really changes the game. Firehole Stones offer some great egg-inspired colors like Pumpkin Pie, Autumn, Pink Floyd, and others. Even purple and Royal Blue can be surprisingly effective.

With a 3/16” bead, you can also get a pretty convincing single-egg profile, and when that dubbing gets moving, it really comes alive and undulates in the current.

Simple enough. Quick enough. Effective enough.

That’s exactly what I want in a Salmon River early-run nymph. 🎣

After spending the last week in Georgia with 90-plus-degree temperatures and high humidity, arriving home in the early m...
08/27/2026

After spending the last week in Georgia with 90-plus-degree temperatures and high humidity, arriving home in the early morning hours to those cool Northeast temperatures really got my mind thinking about steelhead.

I decided today was the day I needed to get organized and get back into production mode.

While cleaning up the tying desk, I came across a few random materials, some hot-pink beads, Pink Lady dubbing, and fluorescent pink goose biots and figured I might as well put them to good use. The result was this little steelhead pattern.

The run is fast approaching and with recent reports of a few kings and cohos brought to hand, the time is now to get completely prepared for trips up North.

The boxes need filling, the materials need organizing, and the vise needs to start turning, not to mention show season is also just around the corner!

Production mode: activated. 🎣

This time of year, the tying desk shifts into production mode. Salmon and steelhead season is right around the corner, s...
08/11/2026

This time of year, the tying desk shifts into production mode. Salmon and steelhead season is right around the corner, so the flies going into my boxes need to be durable, tied with purpose, and proven to produce.

I’ve always had a lot of confidence in nymph patterns that incorporate a Firehole Stone in Pumpkin Pie or Autumn. There are days on the Salmon River when the fish absolutely hammer these colors.

Tonight I tied a simple variation, keeping things clean and effective.

The biggest change is the thorax dubbing. Instead of the brighter Ice Dub Pheasant Tail, I went with Fly Tyers Dungeon Private Stash NK Dubbing in Vanilla Copper. It has a really cool blend of copper, bronze, orange, red, and darker fibers. Just enough flash and contrast without being over the top.

The thing I really like about it is the movement. It makes the fly breathe.

I kept this one simple, no rubber legs, just a small Thin Skin wing case—and tied it on a Daiichi 1120 #8 with a 3/16” Firehole Pumpkin Pie tungsten bead. UTC 140 dark brown, UTC 70 brown, brown goose biot, and amber UTC Vinyl Rib complete the foundation.

These are built specifically for the Salmon River, so a little bigger and heavier for those heavier flows. 🎣

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