Skip Morris Searun Cutthroat Flies

(NOTE: Skip's searun cutthroat flies are not available
commercially any more, but hopefully they will be back someday soon. However, several of Skip's other patterns are available. If you'd like to try tying Skip's Raccoon (aka, the BH Raccoon), we've included the dressing at the bottom of this page, taken from Skip's book, Morris on Tying Flies*.)

If you're interested in Morris on Tying Flies,
you can read about the book here:

Read about Morris on Tying Flies here...

If you'd like to buy Skip's book, Morris on Tying Flies, you can get it at The Fly Shop (located in Redding, CA) here:

BUY NOW: Get Morris on Tying Flies from The Fly Shop...

Here's the direct link to Feather-Craft so you can buy Skip's flies
(all flies except the dry flies and searun cutthroat flies are available):

BUY NOW: Get Skip Morris flies from Feather-Craft...

The Yellow Raccoon

Skip Morris searun cutthroat flies...

...the Raccoon is Skip's standard choice for searun cutthroat, salmon and steelhead of the Pacific coast.

The following sample flies in the photographs

are Skip's original designs

and were tied by commercial fly tiers.

Searun Cutthroat, Salmon, and Steelhead Attractor Flies

Raccoons

(aka: BH Raccoon)

This is Skip's standard choice for searun cutthroat trout in both the rivers and salt water of the Pacific Coast—yellow is the standard, but the other colors are at times better.

Salmon in saltwater are also quick to grab a Raccoon. More and more Raccoons are fished for steelhead. When silver salmon gather at river mouths to stage before running up to spawn, a Raccoon (for reasons no one understands) can often turn fish when nothing else will.

Colors: Yellow, Pink, Red, Black

Sizes: 8, 6

Raccoon, Yellow

Yellow Raccoon Raccoon, Yellow

Sizes: 8, 6

Raccoon, Pink

Pink Raccoon Raccoon, Pink

Sizes: 8, 6

Raccoon, Red

Red Raccoon Raccoon, Red

Sizes: 8, 6

Raccoon, Black

Black Raccoon Raccoon, Black

Sizes: 8, 6

Here's the BH Raccoon fly pattern (from Skip's book, Morris on Tying Flies):

BEAD: Black, gold, copper, or silver in whatever size you like (I prefer gold and black, 5/8" for size-8 and -6 hooks.)
HOOK: Heavy wire, 1X long (standard nymph hook), sizes 12 to 6.
THREAD: Three-ought, 6-0, or 8-0 in the body's color (white thread for a pink body).
TAIL: Grizzly hen-neck hackle-fibers.
BODY: Black, red, pink, or yellow dubbing (chartreuse, cream, and orange are under investigation). The dubbing is rabbit blended with Lite Brite or Angel Hair (fine mylar strips) in silver, pearl, and a similar color to that of the rabbit. (Or Arizona Flyfishing's Sparkle Nymph Dubbing.)
HACKLE: Undyed grizzly (regardless of body color) hen-neck hackle-fibers (Whiting's Soft Hackle is my favorite for large hooks).

Go to Skip Morris Nymphs

Go to Skip Morris Emergers

Go to Skip Morris Dry Flies

Go to Skip Morris Streamers

Go to Skip Morris Bass Flies

Back to Skip Morris Flies from
Skip Morris Searun Cutthroat Flies

ANNOUNCEMENT: Free, Live Fly Tying Clinic with Skip

Skip Morris, author of many, many fly-tying articles and several fly-tying books (winner of the Fly Tyer magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award), will share what he's learned over decades about how to make neat, tough parachute hackles and equally neat and durable yarn and hair wings on dry flies in a live presentation. It's free and it happens on October 31, Halloween, at noon Pacific Standard Time. Here's the link so you can attend:

©Carol Ann Morris