Yellow Sally

Imitates Little Yellow Sally stoneflies; great summer hatch-matcher.

Printed on the Queen of clubs

Little Yellow Sallies are small, bright yellow stoneflies that come off through summer on freestone rivers, usually in the afternoon and evening. They are far less dramatic than the salmonfly hatch and get correspondingly less attention, which is part of why they are so useful: the fish see plenty of them and the anglers often do not.

The distinguishing feature is color. A Yellow Sally is a clean, slightly luminous pale yellow, sometimes with a small orange or red egg sac at the rear of the female. That egg sac is a real trigger, and imitations that include it tend to outfish ones that do not.

They are also poor fliers and frequently end up on the water, which means a Yellow Sally imitation works as a searching dry through summer even when no hatch is obvious. If you see small yellow insects fluttering near the bank, tie one on.

What does a Yellow Sally imitate?

Adult little yellow stoneflies.

How do you fish a Yellow Sally?

Dead drift along banks, seams and riffle edges. An occasional twitch imitates the adult's clumsy fluttering and draws attention.

When should you fish a Yellow Sally?

Summer afternoons and evenings on freestone rivers, roughly June through August.

What are the quick tips for fishing it?

• Include the small orange or red egg sac — it matters.
• Watch the willows and the bank grass; if there are small yellow insects there, fish it.
• A good searching dry even with no visible hatch.

How is a Yellow Sally tied?

• Hook: standard dry fly, #12-#16
• Body: pale yellow dubbing with an orange butt
• Wing: light elk or deer hair
• Hackle: ginger or cream

Dressings vary by tier and region. Treat this as the common recipe, not the only one.