Skunk
The Skunk is a classic Pacific Northwest steelhead hairwing dating to the 1930s and closely associated with the rivers of Oregon and Northern California, particularly the North Umpqua. Published accounts often credit Mildred Krogel of Roseburg, Oregon, with developing the pattern for her husband Lawrence, although its early history has not been documented with complete certainty. The stark black body and hackle, bright tail, and contrasting light wing make it an attractor rather than an imitation of a specific food organism. It is traditionally swung across and downstream through steelhead holding water, with the sparse wing and hackle providing a clean silhouette and subtle movement. The source demonstrates a modern variation using a dubbed body, purple-flash underwing, white calf-tail wing, and narrow orange overwing; the key tying considerations are maintaining a slim body, spacing the tinsel rib evenly, and keeping the layered wing sparse.
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Recipe
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Hook · standard salmon streamer sizes 2 - 8
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Thread · black 8/0
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Tail · red hackle fibers
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Body · black Polar Dubbing
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Rib · fine silver tinsel
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Hackle · black hackle
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Underwing · sparse purple Flashabou or similar flash
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Wing · white calf tail
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Overwing · sparse orange calf tail
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Head · black tying thread
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Finish · head cement or clear varnish
Tying Instructions
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1
Secure the hook in the vise, start the black thread behind the eye, and lay a smooth thread foundation rearward to the tail tie-in point.
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2
Select a small bunch of red hackle fibers and tie them on top of the shank as a short, centered tail.
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3
Tie in the oval silver tinsel at the rear of the body and leave it extending behind the hook for later ribbing.
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4
Apply black Polar Dubbing to the thread and wrap a slim, slightly tapered body forward.
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5
Wind the oval silver tinsel forward in evenly spaced open turns over the dubbed body, then secure and trim the excess.
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6
Tie in a black hackle immediately in front of the body and wrap it as a sparse collar while sweeping the fibers rearward.
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7
Tie a small amount of purple Flashabou on top of the hook as a sparse underwing.
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8
Clean and align a bunch of white calf tail and tie it on top of the hook as the main wing, extending approximately to the end of the tail.
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9
Tie a smaller bunch of orange calf tail over the white wing as a narrow overwing.
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10
Trim the hair butts at an angle, cover them with thread, and form a neat tapered black head.
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11
Whip finish and apply head cement or clear varnish.