It happens every spring. Millions of fertilized Chinook Salmon eggs hatch deep within their gravel beds giving birth to as many wriggling Chinook fry still attached to their egg yolks. We call these alevin.

Alevin should remain in their gravel nests, a foot or more below the substrate, until they consume the egg yolk and are forced to leave the gravel in search of nourishment. As we all know, rivers in the Northeast during spring have highly variable flows. Often, spring high water events, as well as other stream bottom disturbances, dislodge these critters making them available to predators.

At this point, the tiny fry may be about an inch long, perhaps a bit less and are all eyes and egg sac. They'll have the faintest of parr markings on the flanks of their underdeveloped bodies. The fish really cannot swim and certainly cannot combat the current.

What self-serving hungry steelhead could resist such an easy morsel of protein? I created this pattern with that in mind. It is to be fished as a nymph where it should tumble freely along.

MATERIALS

Hook: Mustad C068 or C49S (#12)

Thread: Orange

Rib: Clear Monofilament Thread

Body: Medium Gold Holographic Tinsel

Wing: Single Grizzly Marabou feather (can use hen feather)

Egg Sac: Orange Micro Egg Yarn

Eyes: Prismatic Stick-on (1/8")

Place barbless hook in your vise.

Lay a base of thread. Next, secure the monofilament ribbing to the far side of the hook from front to rear.

Return the thread forward.

Select some medium gold holo. tinsel.

Snip-off a section and secure in front.

Wrap the tinsel to the rear.

Reverse the direction and wrap it back forward. Secure it just behind the eye and clip the excess.

Obtain a natural grizzly marabou feather.

Remove the barbs from one side.

Measure so that the tail extends about one hook length beyond the bend.

Secure at the front with a few tight thread wraps.

Lift the stem up and take a wrap in front.

Now you can clip the excess without cutting your thread!

Counter-rib through the feather with the clear mono, securing it to the shank. Tie it off at the front and clip the excess.

Counter-ribbing through a feather is a bit easier said than done. Do not be discouraged at first, keep at it until you get the feel.

Select a short piece of orange micro egg yarn.

Invert the hook and tie the yarn as a throat.

Lift the yarn, advance the thread, and cut as with the feather.

Turn the hook back upright and build a taper to the front. Trim the sac a bit closer if need be.

Select two pieces of pearl Krystal Flash and double them over the thread.

Make a wrap securing the tinsel to the hook.

Fold two strands down each side of the hook and bind them to the rear edge of the head.

Clip the flash to be a bit shorter than the wing. Whip finish the head and add a drop of cement.

With a fine needle, pluck-off a 1/8" prismatic eye and place it on the head area, with the front edge just about touching the hook eye.

Repeat for the other side.

Select your favorite bulky adhesive (Hard Head, epoxy, Flexament, UV KNot Sense will also work).

Apply a drop on either eye and then fill in the gap from above and below to form a head and to add durability to the eyes.

A Completed LW's Salmon River Alevin.