The Popsicle is a three-color palmered-marabou fly for fall salmon and steelhead, tied rear to front in fluorescent orange, red, and purple with a few strands of flash on a size 2 heavy hook. George Cook developed it in Bristol Bay in the mid-1980s as a reaction fly, not an imitation. It is fast to tie, hard to tie badly, and one of the best first swung flies a new steelheader can learn. It gives a fish that has mostly stopped feeding a broad, bright, moving target and asks it to react.
The Popsicle recipe
The most-referenced modern dressing is Tim Flagler’s, tied for Tightline Productions and published through Orvis:
- Hook – Tiemco 7999, size 2 (the pattern runs from about 3/0 to 6)
- Thread – red UTC 70 denier
- Body – medium silver Mylar tinsel
- Marabou, rear to front – fluorescent orange, then red, then purple, each palmered like a hackle
- Flash – about three strands of Flashabou, added after the orange
- Head – head cement
The color order is the part to get right: orange at the tail, red in the middle, purple at the front. Cook’s own name for it came from the colors, “cherry, orange, and grape, it must be a popsicle.”
Choosing and winding the marabou
Use strung blood-quill marabou, the original tier grade, with a thin stem and plumes about four to five inches long. Thin stems are what let the feather wind without kinking; thick-stemmed marabou collapses when you wrap it. The short, full marabou sold for Woolly Buggers is too stubby for this fly, so when shopping online, search “spey marabou” to filter it out. A quarter-ounce pack runs about four to five dollars, and dye that holds its color when wet is worth paying for.
Wind each feather tip-first like a hackle, using the top third of the plume for the mobile tips and saving the butts for other flies. The most common mistake is using too much marabou: overdress the fly and it collapses against the current and stops moving. For most sizes, a few thin-stemmed feathers palmered close together, fibers kept square to the shank, will hold a full profile when the fly is wet.
Fishing the Popsicle
Swing the Popsicle on a sink-tip through runs and tailouts and let it track broadside with no added motion; the marabou moves on its own. Fish it slower and deeper in cold water, faster to provoke aggressive fish. On smaller rivers, a five- to seven-foot leader and a moderate sink-tip is usually enough; on bigger, deeper water, go longer and heavier, with tippet in the 12- to 20-pound range. Brighter, higher-contrast versions tend to do more in cold or stained water, which is why the standard Popsicle leans on fluorescent orange and red.
The fall run is its season: Chinook, coho, and steelhead in the Great Lakes tributaries from late August into December, steelhead and coho on British Columbia’s Skeena system through autumn, and coho in Cook’s home water of Bristol Bay.
Tie a handful in the standard colors, add a brighter combination for off-color water, and the palmering skill you build here will carry straight into Woolly Buggers, leeches, and larger Intruder-style flies.
FAQ
What is the color order on a Popsicle fly?
Rear to front, the Popsicle is fluorescent orange, then red, then purple, each color palmered like a hackle over a silver body. That sequence is what defines the pattern; the name comes from the three colors. Brighter, higher-contrast versions work well in cold or stained water.
What hook do you tie a Popsicle on?
A Tiemco 7999 in size 2 is the classic choice, a heavy, strong salmon-steelhead iron. The pattern is tied across a wide range, from about 3/0 down to size 6, with 2, 4, and 6 the most common. Tube versions let the hook ride free and swap out, which is common for the reverse-tied and production dressings.
What kind of marabou is best for the Popsicle?
Strung blood-quill marabou, the original tier grade, with a thin stem and plumes around four to five inches. Thin stems wind smoothly, while thick-stemmed feathers kink and collapse when wound. Avoid the short, full marabou sold for Woolly Buggers; searching “spey marabou” online helps filter it out.
Do salmon and steelhead eat the Popsicle because they are hungry?
Mostly no. Pacific salmon on the spawning run have largely stopped feeding, so they take a swung Popsicle out of aggression or reflex rather than hunger. Steelhead and migratory browns still feed in the river, on eggs and nymphs, so they will take both a swung Popsicle and a dead-drifted egg.
When is the best time to fish a Popsicle?
The fall run, when salmon and steelhead move into their rivers. In the Great Lakes tributaries that runs from late August into December depending on species and water temperature; on British Columbia’s Skeena system, autumn is the classic swung-fly steelhead season. Cool water temperatures and a rain-driven rise in flow are the main triggers for fish to move.
