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On this page, we will try to highlight some details on riffling hitch fishing that goes beyond the general fact from our introduction page on this surface sport – Should you have any specific questions we could help you with – then you are more than welcome to contact us on rifflinghitch.com where we can chat with you – You’re also more than welcome to contact us directly here on fishmadman.com

It's all happening right in the surface

Riffling hitch fishing V-FLY

It’s all happening right in the surface – Which makes the riffling hitch technique one of the most fantastic sports a fly fisherman ever can venture into – Some of the best takes of the season will be on the hitch fly – and both big and small salmon is drawn to this miniature fly in such a way that your whole perception of salmon fly fishing will change once you have tried this sports of sports..

Your perception of salmon fly fishing will change once you have tried this sport.

Riffling Hitch is not a particularly demanding sport – but like when fishing dry fly, skating, dibbling or dipping, it´s a sport that demands your full attention.
It is associated with fly fishing for Atlantic salmon but is also a technique equally used by anglers fishing steelhead on top.
Fishing riffling hitch is a visual sport, and salmon will always show themself when they approach the fly – Doing so gives away vital information about their position. Still, they will also give you some idea about their intentions.

Sometimes it can be tiny aspect in the way you present the fly – or it could be small details in the way the fly move that make all the difference. Things worth  analysing – imitating and refining.

Hitching a hook-fly in the surface - Portland style

Blue Charme Riffling Hitch version

Hitching the fly the Portland way – riffle hitch knot

Riffling Hitch The Portland way is the traditional style of fishing riffling hitch in North America. It is described as;  A couple of half-hitches tied in behind the head and eye of a single or double hook fly so that the leader sits at an angle of the fly – This will make the fly pull to the surface.

Blue Charm: Probably the most versatile of all salmon flies. Here styled to be used with the Portland Hitch

Portland Creek - The cradle of the riffling hitch technique

Correspondingly with salmon fishing literature the technique Portland hitch departs from Portland Creek in Newfoundland where local anglers in the beginning of the 20th century would reuse broken gut flies by tying them on to the leader with a series of overhand knots/hitches.

Riffling hitch history

What is a gut-eye fly?

In the early years of fly fishing for Atlantic salmon – salmon hooks did not have eyes as we know them today. The hook shank was tapered toward the front, and the leader, made of strands of gut, was tied directly to the hook’s shank.

 

Later in fly fishing history, twisted strands of gut were tied onto the hook shank, forming an eye to which the angler would tie the tippet.

 

 

Hitching salmon

During summer, there will be times when the riffling hitch – or the fly moving on the surface – will be much more efficient than other flies.

Portland hitchDetails in the Portland hitch; Fishing the fly on its side or with the hook facing downwards?

It may already sound a bit laborious, and many anglers will pass on the riffling hitch technique simply because of their uncertainty if they use it correctly.

North American salmon anglers have argued for years whether the hook gape should be turned facing downwards or with the hooks fished outwards. Some will state that a hook facing toward the centre of the stream will hook the fish better when the fish intercept the fly and return to its lie.

Below we have used a thick white line to illustrate how you can tie on your flies so that they will drag on the surface with the hook facing downwards in a traditional wet-fly way. We have chosen to show a series of flies with which we and other anglers have wildly succeeded through the years. All classic patterns are dressed slim on a light hook and trimmed to give the best results when hitched. Plenty of space in front of the head ensures room for the hitches.

Portland Hitch – Simple but a bit intricate

The leader can either be tied to extend to the left or right side of the fly, depending on what river bank you are fishing from. For best performance, tie the hitches on the fly so the leader extends from the fly towards the bank – when the fly is facing upstream.

Riffling Hitch Portland Hitch

Riffling Hitch Portland Hitch

Fly ensured with a normal Grinner or Blood Knot.

Riffling Hitch Portland Style

One of two hitches was applied to the head of the fly. Note how we have tied the fly with plenty of room to make the Portland-style Riffling Hitch – or Riveling hitch as local Portland Creekers called it. Fly in the picture version of Red Sandy. Get flies in E-SHOP.
hitch fly the Portland methoid

Here a version of the Blue Charm on a # 6 lightweight hook Get flies in E-SHOP Buy salmon & steelhead flies

Riffling Hitch the European way

Riffling hitch salmon dry fly steelhead wake fly

Europeans anglers rarely tie on single hook flies to fish them with a Portland Hitch set-up; we would instead use tiny tubes to work salmon to the surface.

Riffling Hitch V-FLYEuropeans anglers rarely tie on single hook flies to fish them with a Portland Hitch set-up; we would instead use tiny tubes to work salmon to the surface.
Just as with the Portland Hitch, the leader comes at a slant of the fly – in this case, through a hole in the belly. You can fit single, double or treble hooks in the tube and position the hook how you like.
See the many perfect Riffling Hitch patterns in the Fishmadman Shop.   Buy salmon & steelhead flies

hitch tube fly

Hitch tube fly - micro tube fly

riffling hitch tube fly

Hitch tube fly seen from below

Single or two holes in the riffling hitch tube fly?

V-FLY from Fishmadman - super Riffling Hitch flySingle or two holes in the riffling hitch tube fly: There is often debate on this topic, and the answer is quite simple – but let’s take the two types of RH tube flies apart

One-hole RH tube flies usually have a hole in the belly – wing on top – The fly can be used from both banks.

Riffling Hitch tube fly from FishmadmanTwo-hole versions have a hole in each side of the fly and rely on the angler to use one hole for the left bank and another for the right bank. The leader can either be tied to extend to the left or right side of the fly, depending on what river bank you fish from. Let the leader extends from the fly towards the bank – when the fly is facing upstream.

So what is the better solution?

There is no answer to that question… That is the short story. One hitch fly with two holes could be a great pattern like the Munro Killer seen above  – so can the following pattern with one hole… It is all down to micro details in these patterns – and if you have a good design… keep it in your box and on your leader.

riffling tube flyWhat about the hole in the front of the tube – should that be blocked up?

The front of the riffling hitch tube is normally left open – which also fuels a lot of debate among fly tiers and RH anglers – and my answer to that is more or less the same. One fly tier might make a great RH pattern with a blocked hole in the front – and the next fly tier might make a great pattern with the hole open – Both might be great flies and in that way…there aren’t any rules… Fly tying, and especially riffling hitch fly tying, is all about micro details – and what creates the perfect fly is not always visible to the naked eye.

Tube flies a ace

 

A note on the hole in the front of the tube: I and many other riffling hitch anglers also use our diminutive RH flies as regular tube flies – Put your leader through the fly the traditional way and get a micro tube fly you can fish just below the surface

Fly tying, and especially riffling hitch fly tying, is all about micro details – and what creates the perfect fly is not always visible to the naked eye.

Fly Tying

Riffling Hitch is the discipline in salmon fishing where the questions about flies and fishing – expose the fact that we know very little about details in salmon flies.

See our page on riffling hitch fly tying.

Micro details in riffling hitch fly tying - Read our special page on this issue

making a riffling hitch fly

If you are interested in learning more about micro-movements and details in the art of building riffling hitch tube flies

When to use Riffling Hitch

Riffling Hitch flies will work in all kinds of circumstances. Weather and temperature can not always be held as a guideline – Saying this, I will note that there seems to be a period during summer when a Hitched fly will work exceptionally well. The Hitched fly may pull salmon to the top even during spate and muddy waters when salmon move closer to the bank and out of the fast turbulent water.

Jerry Rothman using Riffling Hitch on North EskKeep up the deception!

Riffling hitch flies should be fished at an even phase. Atlantic salmon loses interest if the fly loses momentum and stops hitching. Sometimes you may have to add speed by lifting the rod or mending downstream. At other times you might need to slow the fly down by mending upstream or letting out line. Make sure to follow the fly closely during its path across the river salmon tends to leave their lies to intercept the fly, often seen by wakes near the fly or flashes of silver below it. Riffling Hitch wake fly pattern V-FLY Silvertip seen from below Get the fly   Buy salmon & steelhead flies

 
Jerry Rothman Fishing at Allan Stream, Kinnaber beat North Esk River Hitch waters

Here UK angler Mr Jerry Rothman hitches the middle stretch of Allan’s stream at the fantastic Kinnaber beat on the North Esk. Salmon is hanging just on the edge of the current, making the V-FLY the perfect Riffling Hitch fly.

Terrible conditions...try a riffling hitch micro tube

Wind from the north and other such terrible things

Riffling Hitch flies are some of the flies that actually will work when conditions are terrible – not always… but try a tiny skinny Black & Gold Hitchman …when the wind has blown from the North for days and salmon start to get picky and anorexic

Salmon on riffling hitch tube fly

Animals blend into their environment

After a short time in freshwater, the Atlantic salmon lose its sea lice, and very soon after that, it also loses its appetite; it is now becoming the freshwater salmon, so many anglers come to know, but few learn to catch. Long spells of cold weather and dropping water levels will somehow push the development of this anorexic behaviour.. or maybe it is simply the whole perception of catching salmon on a fly under challenging periods that are polarized to a greater extent.

Here is an 85 cm salmon that took in horrific cold summer weather on a tiny Black & Gold Hitchman fly…After 1 hour of casting this specific fish, it suddenly took the fly like it was the first fly it had ever seen.

In fact, salmon are catchable and tiny hitch flies are often the right medicine for such difficult salmon.

Salmon are catchable, and tiny hitch flies are often the correct medicine for such tricky salmon. During spells of cold clear weather…dropping temperatures, and ditto water levels, the Atlantic salmon that have entered the river often stay put in the holding pools or safe pockets they may have found on their way upstream. Only showing themselves occasionally, trying to blend into the environment they have come to inhabit …some will never bite the fly. Still, others may become available during short intervals in the day and when they do…  I find tiny hitch flies to be some of the best for the job…. and, most of the time the only fly for the job.

What is it that the small hitch flies mimic? …that is hard to tell…but the caddisfly is one guess, and such caddisflies are part of the local river environment …even on icy cold summers days

A superior pool for Riffling Hitch fishing

The upper part of Morphy Dyk pool at the North Esk

Some places are just made for Riffling Hitch! Here looking at the Lower Dyke pool at the North Esk River in Aberdeenshire, Scotland – The best Riffling Hitch pool I have ever fished – The famous Bailey Middleton pool below.

 An excellent river to use Riffling Hitch More about North Esk 

STOP PRESS! – Well! The Lower Dyke Pool is no more – It has been ruined by a breach on the dike above – resulting in tons upon tons of gravel being washed downstream into this pool of pools..

White water is often a sign of hot-spots for salmon and steelhead

Fly on top of white water

Keeping the fly jumping on top

A simple trick in the book of trailing flies: Keep your fly bouncing on top of the white water. Ex. at the inlet of a pool. Below are waterfalls and fast ripples where salmon stop and rest.

Even though the water is white from bubbles and not possible to look through by humans, things work much differently for salmon who will come out of the water like a troll in a box – to grab your fly – For years, I have shown this technique to anglers who with some disbelieving have tried it… With success… And have you first had a big snapping salmon head coming out of those bubbles…. then there is no turning back – Your hooked.

 

Cover the area like your panting a entire canvas – top to bottom

Keep the rod high and the line short while you search off the entire area of white water…Keeping focused on regions with different water flow speeds: On the edge of the drop-down where the river falls into the pool – On the edges of the fast water – At the very back-end of the white water – or by a small oily spot in the middle of everything… These spots are not always prominent nor visible – But when ones are found, they will always be the place to focus on…Mr. Salmon will very likely be their next time – The best procedure is to move the fly backwards slowly – When you have covered an area – lift the fly and place it on the water and do this process again and again – only very rarely will a salmon chase the fly that is moving forward…that is the game of its cousin; the sea trout.

Only very rarely will a salmon chase the fly that is moving forward…that is the game of its cousin; the sea trout.

Riffling hitch technique

More white-water tactics

A simple technique of getting attention from salmon hiding in white water is to use tiny shimmering hitch flies like flies from the Hitchman series. Position yourself at the top, as seen here, fish straight across, and let the fly bob across the surface. Keep your rod up and lift the line out of the water – don’t worry about the tiny fly not being visible enough – or if the salmon will be able to grab it… It will; if you look carefully, you will see them snapping for the fly on the turbulent river. Often stale salmon that has witnessed 1001 presentations of sub-flies will be inclined to hit those tiny shimmering flies.

 

Just the one you were looking for… A super strong fish on the fly rod… jumped five times and made a 150-meter long run straight into the pool below – Fly a Hitchman Gold

Green Hitchman

See-through & iridescent

If you have followed our work here on Fishmadman, you would have read about the qualities of see-through tubing and the role that iridescent colures play in nature. We incorporate these elements into many of our flies that we and other anglers have succeeded with over the years.

Like a good cooking recipe, we have combined the right things and made an irresistible dish. Here the Green Hitchmann fly is tied on our 3.2 mm. tubing. The red spot on the throat of the fly indicates the entrance hole for the leader and doubles as a vision of the stomach seen on small see-through fry.

Just... below the surface!

The Glitter Bug salmon fly

The Bugs

No, advice on riffling hitch technique goes without mentioning the salmon Bugs so popular with North American anglers. Salmon Bug patterns have their methods and unique details worth spending time and effort into learning, and putting the bug´s family of flies into a short frame on riffling hitch fishing know-how is, in fact, a bit sketchy… but bugs are, to some extent the fly patterns that I find to be very well connected with the riffling hitch technique.

My observations over the years have led me to conclude that there is a fishable layer… just below the surface, where a well-presented deer hair bug can do wonders just before the riffling hitch season picks up.

There is a fishable layer… just below the surface, where a well-presented deer hair bug can do wonders just before the riffling hitch season picks up

I fish the bugs wet and close to the surface as possible. I like to add a tiny amount of flotant to the flies. As you can see from the images, these salmon were hooked close to the snout, a familiar spot to hook Atlantic salmon on a small bug fly – Why is this so? I don’t know…but make sure to get your bugs tied on solid hooks, as hooking salmon in this spot often leads to hard-fighting fish. 

Flies used:  Green & Orange Glitterbugs.

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