Wet FlyintermediatePacific Northwest
Purple Peril
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Regional source directory
Pacific Fly Fishers
Matched on Pacific Northwest, wet flies, steelhead. Pacific Northwest shop with a large online catalog and steelhead/trout regional relevance.
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, baitfish. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
Schultz Outfitters
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, steelhead. Michigan and Great Lakes shop lead for steelhead, trout, and smallmouth patterns.
Orvis Fly Catalog
Matched on wet flies, steelhead, broad catalog. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.
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Ken McLeod created the Purple Peril on Washington's rivers in the 1940s, and it has been a Pacific Northwest standard ever since. Purple is not a color that occurs naturally in any insect or baitfish a steelhead might eat, which makes the Purple Peril's success either a mystery or proof that steelhead operate on different logic than other fish. The brown hackle and silver tinsel add a touch of tradition to what is otherwise an exercise in chromatic rebellion. Generations of Northwest anglers have sworn by this fly, and the steelhead have never lodged a formal complaint.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
Skagit River
WA · Spey River
Cowlitz River
WA · Tailwater
Klickitat River
WA · Freestone River
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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.
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