Wet FlyintermediatePacific Northwest
Purple Peril
$6.95
Available Sizes#4 - #8
Color Variations
Purple/Brown
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
TypeWet Fly
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsSummer, Fall, Winter
Target SpeciesSteelhead
Sizes#4 - #8
Best LocationsSkagit River, WA; Cowlitz River, WA; Klickitat River, WA
Where to Fish It
Skagit River
WA · Spey River
Cowlitz River
WA · Tailwater
Klickitat River
WA · Freestone River
Map unavailable. Locations for Purple Peril: Skagit River, WA; Cowlitz River, WA; 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.
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