Sunray Shadow

The only fly that had much success for me on the Dee last week was the sunray shadow. I'm not sure why the fish weren't taking as they were the previous week. Many fish had moved through, leaving stubborn residents in the pool and it didn't help that the water level was up and down all week.

The sunray shadow fishes best with a riffled hitch and pulled across a lie so that it creates a wake on the surface. Often fish will wait until the fly reaches the end of its arc and "on the dangle" before striking. But on one occasion last week a salmon struck as soon as the fly hit the water.

Some people argue that this fly works best where the water surface is relatively unbroken but I find it works in a ripple too and I prefer it if there is a reasonable push of water too.

It can work well on resident fish as it can provoke them to strike where other flies will fail to do so. The fish pictured was a 10 lb resident that fell to the fly. The strike is always visible and dramatic so it's an exciting way to fish. I wouldn't fish this way all the time but neither would I be without a surface-fished wake fly in my box. It's an essential piece of salmon-fishing kit and works for sea trout too.