The riffling hitch is a pair of half hitches tied behind the head of a wet fly that makes it skate and wake across the surface. It’s fished for Atlantic salmon in water warmer than 50°F, on a floating line and a nylon (not fluorocarbon) leader, with the cast quartered downstream and an upstream mend. Most takes are lost to two specific mistakes — striking too early and letting the leader sag at the head of the swing. The technique came out of Portland Creek, Newfoundland in the early 20th century and is now standard practice from Iceland to the Gaspé.
How to Tie the Riffling Hitch
Tie the fly to your tippet with the primary knot first — a double Turle on up-eye salmon hooks, an improved clinch on down-eye or straight-eye hooks. Form a small loop in the leader ahead of the fly, pass it back over the fly, and tighten it on the shank just behind the head. That’s the first half hitch. Form a second loop and pass it over, tightening ahead of the first. The second hitch keeps the first one from sliding forward over the head when the fly is pulled hard.
The half hitches don’t carry the load when a fish is hooked — your primary tippet knot does. The hitches just redirect the leader angle so it exits perpendicular to the shank, which planes the fly to the surface and tilts it broadside. The result is a small V-wake the salmon sees as a small object pushing across the current.
Tie the hitches on the side of the fly nearest your bank as it swings, and switch sides when you change banks. Modern Gaspé and Scotland practice has converged on this rule. The exact orientation has been argued for seventy years — Wulff, Art Lee, and Topher Browne all had different preferences — but for most water and most anglers, fly speed and patience matter more than which side the loop comes off.
How to Fish the Riffling Hitch
Cast quartering downstream — 30° to 60° below straight across, not square across. A cross-stream cast develops an immediate downstream belly that drags the fly faster than the current and drowns the wake. The downstream-quartered cast allows an immediate upstream mend to remove that belly and set tension.
Watch the V-wake as the fly swings. If it disappears, the fly has gone under — re-mend, or lift the rod tip to add speed. If the wake breaks into spray, the fly is moving too fast — mend downstream or let line slip. Step down 2–3 feet between casts. The hitch hunts a narrower lane than a sunk swing because salmon have to see it broadside on the surface.
Use a floating line, full stop. Intermediates and sinking tips pull the head under and kill the wake. Use a 9–12 foot Maxima Chameleon leader in 8–12 pound test; fluorocarbon sinks and works against the technique. A 9- to 10-foot single-hand rod in 7-, 8-, or 9-weight handles most North American hitch fishing; 12’6″–13’6″ Spey rods in 6/7 or 7/8 work for bigger water with floating Scandi heads.
The best window is water above 50°F (10°C) with overcast or flat light. On the Miramichi, that’s roughly late June through mid-July and again in early September. Spring-fed Gaspé rivers like the Petite Cascapedia stay cool enough to fish hitched flies through most of the summer.
The Two Mistakes That Lose Salmon
Striking too early. When a salmon takes a hitched fly, you see the head and back come out of the water. The instinct is to lift the rod. Don’t. The fish hasn’t turned with the fly yet, and a premature strike pulls the hook out of an open mouth. Iceland guide Stjani Ben writes that nine out of ten fish are lost this way. Wait until the line draws against the rod, then lift — don’t strike.
Slack at the head. Even if you hold your nerve, a sag in the leader near the fly will absorb whatever pressure the rod tries to apply. The fly is small, the hitches absorb some load, and the perpendicular hook angle requires direct tension to drive the point home. Keep the leader under steady tension through the swing. If the V disappears, the geometry that would let a take stick has probably disappeared with it.
Get these two out of your game and the technique starts producing the way the literature says it should. Past that, fly selection, hook size, and leader length matter — but less than your timing on the strike and your tension on the leader.
FAQ
What is a riffling hitch?
The riffling hitch is two half hitches tied behind the head of a wet fly so the leader exits perpendicular to the hook shank. It makes the fly plane to the surface and wake during the swing, producing a small V that draws Atlantic salmon from below. It’s also called the Portland Creek hitch after its Newfoundland origin.
When should you fish a riffling hitch?
Water temperatures above 50°F (10°C) are the threshold, with the technique peaking in mid-summer through about 68°F. Below 50°F salmon stay deep and conventional wet flies do better; above 73°F they enter cold-water refuge and shouldn’t be fished at all. Flat or overcast light produces best, though rising water after a rain also works.
Does the riffling hitch work for steelhead?
Yes, particularly for summer steelhead on the Clearwater in Idaho, the Thompson and Skeena tributaries in BC, and Vancouver Island streams. Hookup percentages tend to be lower than for Atlantic salmon because steelhead takes are more violent, but the technique moves fish that won’t come to a sunk swing.
What flies work best for the riffling hitch?
Sparsely dressed North American hairwings — Blue Charm, Green Machine, Cosseboom, Undertaker, Black Bear Green Butt, Carter’s Bug, Picasse — in sizes #4–#10 on light-wire low-water hooks like the Tiemco 7989 or 7999. Smaller patterns fish better in low, clear water. Newfoundland and Nova Scotia regulations require single barbless hooks on scheduled salmon waters.
Which side of the fly should the hitches be on?
The current consensus among Gaspé, Newfoundland, and Scottish guides is to tie the hitches on the bank-side of the fly when the head is pointing upstream — meaning the leader exits toward the angler’s bank as the fly swings. Switch sides when you change banks. Tube flies with side-holes on both sides of the body allow quick changes without retying.
