Wet FlyintermediatePacific Northwest
Green Butt Skunk
$6.95
Available Sizes#4 - #1/0
Color Variations
Standard (green/black/white)
If the Intruder is the sports car, the Green Butt Skunk is the vintage pickup that still starts every morning. This classic steelhead pattern has been swung through Northwest rivers since before technical fleece was invented. The fluorescent green butt is visible in the tannic water, and the white wing pulses in the current like a promise. Old-timers still fish nothing else, and their catch rates suggest they know something the rest of us are too busy innovating to notice.
Meet the Tier
Michael Bennett
Pacific Fly Fishers
Mill Creek, WA
Twenty-plus years designing guide-tested patterns for the Pacific Northwest's most demanding waters. Every PFF Custom Fly starts with a conversation about where you fish.
20+ years in business, guide-designed patterns
Meet All Our TiersQuick Facts
TypeWet Fly
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsFall, Winter
Target SpeciesSteelhead, Coho Salmon
Sizes#4 - #1/0
Best LocationsNorth Umpqua River, OR; Deschutes River, OR; Klickitat River, WA
Where to Fish It
North Umpqua River
OR · Freestone River
Deschutes River
OR · Freestone River
Klickitat River
WA · Freestone River
Map unavailable. Locations for Green Butt Skunk: North Umpqua River, OR; Deschutes River, OR; Klickitat River, WA
Related Reading
region guide
Pacific Northwest Steelhead: The Complete Guide
Steelhead are the fish of a thousand casts. In the Pacific Northwest's rainforest rivers, anglers swing intricately tied flies through emerald runs for the chance at one explosive take from a chrome-bright sea-run rainbow. This is the complete guide to the pursuit.
species science
Chrome and Current: The Science of Steelhead
Steelhead are rainbow trout that went to sea and came back transformed — chrome-bright, ocean-strong, and wired with a grab reflex that makes them eat flies they have no biological reason to eat. Understanding the science behind the chrome changes how you fish for them.
technique
Reading Stream Gauges: Flow Data for Better Fishing
Every major trout and steelhead river in America has a USGS gauge station publishing real-time flow and temperature data for free. Learning to read it is like having a scout on the river around the clock. Here's how to turn CFS numbers and trend lines into fish-catching intelligence.
seasonal playbook
The Fall Guide: Changing Seasons, Changing Tactics
Fall is when the fishing world rearranges itself. Brown trout become aggressive and territorial as spawning urges override caution. Steelhead push into Pacific Northwest rivers on autumn rain. Striped bass blitz baitfish along the Northeast coast. And trout streams that were too warm in August cool into prime condition. Here's how to fish every opportunity the changing season offers.
technique
Catch and Release: The Science of Fish Survival
We release fish and feel good about it. But does the fish survive? The science is both encouraging and sobering. Catch-and-release mortality varies from nearly zero to over forty percent depending on species, water temperature, fight duration, handling, and a handful of other factors entirely within the angler's control. Here's what the research says and how to maximize survival.
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