The squidro steelhead fly
The Latest Creation from the Tying Bench of Scott Howell
April 20, 2011 (San Francisco, CA): Scott Howell’s new steelhead fly pattern, the Squidro, is
now available for purchase
exclusively at Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters. Swinging for steelhead will never be the same.
New Thinking: Tirelessly tinkering with ways to catch more steelhead on the swing, Scott Howell has taken the proven intruder fly pattern and incorporated new materials that bring the best out of the intruder design. The result is the Squidro - a resilient fly that offers more fish-catching options to the steelhead angler, regardless of the fishing conditions.
One of the primary figures in the so-called 'Skagit Revolution', Scott Howell has been in on almost every
important innovation in the recent history of Pacific steelhead fly fishing. Whether
cutting saltwater fly lines to cast on heavy Scottish rods in the 1980s, leading American anglers into remote Kamchatka in the early 1990s, or
developing the Intruder fly with Ed Ward and Jerry French, Scott has consistently found himself on the leading edge of
innovative steelheading.
Today Scott continues this work in developing the Squidro, a fly that will
change the way you think about swinging for steelhead. As a kind of rubber-legged Intruder, the Squidro has several important attributes.
Large Profile
When Pacific Northwest steelheaders started using Spey rods, and designing heavier "Skagit-style" lines, they found they could deliver
larger and larger flies. These flies allowed them to fish deeper slots and grittier water than they could have fished with single handers and traditional hair wing patterns like the Green Butt Skunk. One of the most famous of these new patterns was the Intruder. The Squidro picks up where the Intruder left off.
Rubber Legs
By using rubber legs instead of Ostrich or Turkey feathers, as on the Intruder, Scott has made a
much more durable fly. Rubber legs also don't hold water, so this fly is
easier to cast than its predecessor. Rubber legs also have better rigidity than feathers, so
less material is needed to achieve the same large profile. By using less material, Scott can create a
faster-sinking fly. Finally, since rubber legs are available in all kinds of factory color combinations, Scott has been able to create some
striking color schemes.
Pro review - ben paull
What’s the word . . .
The Scott Howell Squidro Series of steelhead flies is the latest creation from the steelhead man himself. If you have seen Skagit Master II, you already have an idea of the passion that Scott has for swinging flies for steelhead and as well as his intense drive to pursue new and more effective techniques, presentations, and fly patterns by thinking “outside the box.” The Squidro represents a simple, yet revolutionary, variation on the standard intruder style. By utilizing silicone rubber legs, instead of ostrich or rhea, the Squidro may at first glance remind you more of a bass jig than a steelhead fly, but, once you get past that and actually fish a Squidro, the benefits are undeniable.
The Squidro is able to hold a large, tapered profile, and moves in a seductive, breathing action throughout a wide range of current speeds. But, the real beauty of the Squidro is that it does all this with a sparse amount of extremely durable material, which is neutrally buoyant and does not absorb water, thereby making it last longer, sink faster, and cast easier than flies consisting of fur and feathers. Plus, the color combinations made possible by these rubber legs are unreal.
Features . . .
The Squidro Series is broken up into three groups of flies: the Sea Food Series, the Summer Series, and the Winter Series. The Sea Food Series draws from a white, orange, and pink color palate that is ideal for fishing low in a river system for fish that are fresh from the salt. The Summer Series contains a more subdued trio of colors that have proven effective for steelhead in a wide range of summer conditions. Finally, the Winter Series offers an even larger profile, large lead eyes, and the best color combinations for enticing steelhead in heavy, off-color water. While these series were designed with their respective applications in mind, the effectiveness of the flies in each series is by no means limited to what the series names suggest.
Overall rating . . .
PROS: The Squidro Series takes all of the performance characteristics sought after in intruders, and combines them into one fly!
CONS: The fishiness of the Squidro may cause you begin leaving its feathery ancestors at home where they could feel worthless and left out.
BOTTOM LINE: The Scott Howell Squidro Series steelhead flies provide an unmatched combination of profile, movement, sink rate, castability, durability, and versatility.
Reviewer...
A relatively recent CA transplant, I grew up fly fishing in Washington and Vancouver Island, where I was lucky enough to take many sailing trips over the years. Though I've fished places as far off as Quebec and New Caledonia, more and more I find myself thinking about one fish: the steelhead. While there is no substitution for the amount of time Scott has spent on the water, and at the vise, it is his creativity and analytical approach to fishing that inspires me. If you have any interest at all in steelheading, you would do yourself a disservice not to see Skagit Master 2. It will give you the confidence to fish water no one else fishes, in ways that no one else would fish it. When it comes to steelhead, there may be no person alive fishier than Scott Howell, and no fly fishier than the Squidro. Tight lines, Ben Paull
Other Resources:
Squidro Press Release
Buy Scott Howell's Squidro
Skagit Master II: Steelheading Outside the Box
Scott Howell Video
Spey Rods
Switch Rods