In order to tie a salmon fly you most now how a salmon fly is constructed. You must become thoroughly familiar with the basic anatomical parts and normal proportions, which in the case of salmon flies is more rigid than for any other tyre of artificial fly. This is partly because the classic patterns are a product of a long tradition in fly tying. When you have learn how it is constructed and where the different materials is used, you will know how a salmon fly will look like before you even have tied it. When you tie a salmon fly, you always start with the tag and then you carry on with tail, butt, body, ribbing, hackle and so on. To participate in the deep traditions of salmon fly dressing, one must begin at the beginning: the anatomical parts of a salmon fly.

Tag
The first part that is dressed on the hook. Tinsel is used in the tag, in gold, silver and sometime in copper.
A typical tag consists of three or four turns of fine oval tinsel applied directly above the hook barb, then followed by floss, starting close against the tinsel and extending forward to a point above the hook point.

Tail
The most common material fore the tail on salmonflies is the golden pheasant crest feather, it can be tied in alone or in combination with black barred wood duck, teal, tippet strands, Indian crow, blue chatterer, dyed swan, etc. When a second material is used in the tail, it should be 1/3 of the tail unless otherwise called for in the dressing

Butt
Located directly in front of the tag, the butt is wound after the tail is tied in. The butt is made of ostrich herl, peacock herl, wool.

Body
Bodies can be dressed with many different types of material, either alone or in combination with one another. The most commonly materials used are flat, embossed, or oval tinsel in silver and gold, floss, seal's fur and wool. Even fathers are used, as in the salmon fly Blue Chatterer. Fly dressers that created the classic patterns, put a lot of effort in creating a nice salmon fly body.

Veilings
Indian crow or toucan breast feathers put on bodies that are divided in one or more sections. The veilings are tied in flat above and below on certain body portions, that are called for in the dressing.

Joint (butt)
Often used on bodies that are divided into two or more sections. It is most often made of ostrich herl, but peacock herl or wool.

Ribbing
The ribbing on most salmon flies is either oval or flat silver or gold tinsel. On continuous bodies not divided by butts, the ribbing is spiraled on the entire length, with the traditional five turns. On bodies that are divided by butts, the tinsel is wound separately on each section, taking from two to five turns depending on the length of the body portion.

Hackle
The hackle on salmon flies means a hackle palmered over the body and applied closely behind the tinsel ribbing to protect the hackle when the fly is in the water. Bodies with a palmered hackle should always be ribbed with oval or round tinsel. If flat tinsel is used, then it must be together with either oval or round tinsel ap¬plied so it follows tight against and behind the flat, which is wound on first Soft neck or saddle hackles, either natural or dyed in any colour, can be used for body hackle. Choose a hackle that is tapered, the fibers on the first turn in the rear, should be 1/2 hook gap in length. All hackle must be double before it is used.

Throat
Often referred to as the beard. It sits in front under the shank. The feathers you should use here must be rather soft and webby hackle. Body hackles from guinea fowl, teal, and others are also used, either natural or dyed. The throat hackle is wound as a collar. The throat should be slightly longer than the front of the body hackle. All hackle must be double before it is used.

Wing
The wing can be divided in under wing, main wing, outer wing and upper wing edge. It can be difficult for a beginner to understand how a salmon wing should be constructed just looking at a pattern. Besides the under wing, you most understand that the feathers that are used most be abele to support one another, so the wing don’t collapse. Soft feathers as black-barred wood duck, teal and pintail cannot be married together with coarse feathers such as swan, turkey and golden pheasant. The soft feathers will not be visible in the wing.

Under wing. Used as support for the main wing, which is attached over it. They can be a variety of different materials: strips of white-tipped turkey, jungle cock feathers, whole tippets, tippet in strands, golden pheasant tail and hackles, each used alone or in combination with One another. These feathers are always set back-to-back on top of the hook shank.
Main wing. Can be a broad strip of many sorts of tail, wing, or body feather, or strands of natural or dyed feathers married together to form a wing, in which case it is assembled in the order written in the pattern list for a salmon pattern, starting from the lower edge. The width of the strip should be about half a hook gap and reach to just inside the.
Outer wing. Sitting on the outside of the main wing, usually in the middle, and reaching to above the butt. Broad strips of teal or black-barred wood duck are used, either alone or by marrying several strands of each. The width of the strips alone or combined is about half the width of the main wing.
Tak (Upper wing edge). Of ten called the "roof," the upper wing edge enve¬lopes the upper perimeter of the wing and is tied in last. It is normally half the width of the outer wing unless otherwise specified and reaches to the end of the main wing. Most commonly used are strips of bronze mallard.

The wing can be the most difficult part to tie on a salmon fly. Most important is that the wing don’t lean on the hook, and it is firmly tied so it don’t fall of. The width of the entire wing should be as the hook gap and reach to just inside the tail.

Checks
Either Indian crow or blue chatterers are used. Cheeks sit on the outside of the sides and should be about a half to one hook gap in length.

Sides
Located on the outside of the outer wing. Jungle cock is most widely used, but broad strips of teal, black-barred wood duck, and plain hackles natural or dyed may be used. Jungle cock feathers should usually be one-third to half a wing length and other feathers.

Topping
A golden pheasant crest feather tied in over the finished wing, following the upper perimeter, with the tip reaching to join exactly with the tip of the tail.

Horn
Two single strands of macaw tail, either red or blue and yellow. They are tied in above or in the middle of the cheek and extend slightly upward to the end of the wing where the tips meet, a little above the wing

Head
The head is tied with silk an then it is varnish. The most common salmon head is black. Some patterns like the doctor flies, have red wool instead.