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The Famous Green Machine

by Jacques Héroux

If you would ask most of the Atlantic salmon fly fisherman on the Mighty Miramichi Rivers: If you would have only one fly on your fly box, what would it be? Most of them would probably answer the Green Machine!

The Green Machine also called Buck Bug or Green Body, is for the last thirty years, probably the most popular salmon fly on the Miramichi, Restigouche and Gaspe Peninsula Rivers.

Forty years ago on the Miramichi Rivers, I don't remember seeing the Green Machine salmon fly fished so heavily. At this time, if we had to use a green colour salmon fly, the Cosseboom was the fly of choice at the end of our line. Since the popularity of the Green Machine, the Cosseboom left most of the fly boxes.

According to Stewart and Allen, the Buck bug was introduced by Father Elmer Smith in the 1960s. Jerry Doak of Doaktown New Brunswick helped popularize this fly and the Green Machine on the Miramichi. 

Since its creation, lots of variations of the Green machine were created. There is the original version, the Buck Bug/ Green Body, the body tied with green deer hair, a green or red butt tied with wool and a brown hackle in the body. The Green Machine will oftentimes fish right under the surface or even in the film. There are many variants with colour and type of tail (or no tail) being the determining change.

Subsequently, several other variations appeared: with two butt, green and fluo red tied either with silk or wool; with a fluo red butt, with silver tinsel, adding a pinch of Krystal flash or white calf tail hair or white marabou as tail. The hackle is mostly brown but on the Northwest Miramichi River, many salmon anglers use black saddle hackle as a variation.

In order to get a quality green dye to tie a Green Machine, I mix green insect dye with green highlander with natural deer hair, which gives a slightly darker green. That's my preference!

On the famous Restigouche River, one of the most recognized salmon fly tyer, Ralph Billinsgley, has significantly changed the look of the Green Machine. In order to allow the fly to sink a little more, he uses green chenille to tie the body. In addition, for the butt, he uses a fluorescent red plastic material with a good layer of lacquer to protect it. According to him, this version sinks much faster to allow a better vision of the fly by our friend salar.

Before his death, the world-renowned fly tier Warren Duncan introduced a new variation of the Green Machine, the body tied with Uni yarn, green highlander colour. This version is becoming more and more popular among the anglers, mostly because it is easier to tie and sink faster in the river.

My friend Warren used to tie it this way: After tying your tail and butt, you need to tie your hackle at the back before tying the body. The barbules in your hackle must also have been folded using the technique with the scissors to fold the barbules backwards. You tie in two strands of Uni Yarn green highlander colour by using approximately 6-8 inches. Wrap the Uni Yarn around the hook to the back and go back to the front. Four to five turns of hackle are enough and finish the head. Easy and fast isn't it?

To tie the hackle in a green machine, there are different techniques. The professional tiers from the WW Doak fly shop located on the Miramichi, the hackle barbules are folded to the front of the fly while Warren Duncan folded his hackle barbs backwards before placing them in the fly's body. Also, some attach the hackle from the back and others from the front of the hook. Attaching it from the front to the back is a little more difficult, but much more solid because this way you have to wrap the thread from the back to the front, over the hackle, which solidifies it and prevents it from breaking. However, this technique tends to jam hackle barbules under the thread and the deer hair. With his quick technique as a commercial tier, Warren Duncan tied his hackle by the tip under the body at the back of the fly, brought his thread to the head, turned 3-4 rounds of hackle well tucked into the body towards the head to finish his fly... just as solid as the other techniques, according to him!

On the rivers of the Miramichi, the majority of Green machines are tied on single hooks.  On the Restigouche river and Gaspé Peninsula rivers, double hooks are still present especially in sizes 2 to 6. In these areas, for simple hooks, black salmon hooks style "up eye" are mostly used. Personally, I'm most successful with Green Machine and Bugs mounted on double hooks 8 and 10 and singles 6 and 8.

The Green Machine can be fished dry or wet. If you want to fish it wet, you must cut the deer hair shorter near the hook to allow the fly to sink quickly or use the micro-chenille or Uni yarn wool to build the body of your Green Machine.

To date, no one can give a clear and satisfactory explanation of the reason for the efficiency of the Green Machine. As mentioned earlier, forty years ago, the use of this fly was rather rare. Since then, the Green Machine has succeeded in triumphing over the tricks of salar, despite its lack of aesthetics compared to other patterns of salmon flies.

If you have any questions about these versions of the Green Machine or comments, please email me at jacques@salmosalar.info


Green Machine, Red-Butt, Buck Bug Style

Hook: Ahrex HR410

Butt: Fluorescent Red Wool or Floss

Body: UNI Yarn, Green Highlander or Dyed Green Deer Body, spun and clipped into a cigar shape 

Hackle: Brown Saddle Feather, palmered forward through the body

Head: Black


Green Machine, White Tail

Hook: Ahrex HR410

Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash and White Calf or White Marabou

Body: UNI Yarn, Green Highlander or Dyed Green Deer Body, spun and clipped into a cigar shape 

Hackle: Brown Saddle Feather, palmered forward through the body

Head: Black


Green Machine, Green-Red Butt

Hook: Ahrex HR410

Tag: Fine Silver Oval Tinsel

Butt: Fluorescent Green Floss followed by Fluorescent Red

Body: Dyed Green Deer Body, spun and clipped into a cigar shape 

Hackle: Brown Saddle Feather, palmered forward through the body

Head: Black

Green Machine, Red Tail

Hook: Ahrex HR410

Tag: Fine Silver Oval Tinsel

Tail: Red Rooster Feather Beards

Butt: Fluorescent Green Wool or Floss

Body: Dyed Green Deer Body, spun and clipped into a cigar shape 

Hackle: Brown Saddle Feather, palmered forward through the body

Head: Black

Green Machine, Green-Red Butt, Krystal Flash

Hook: Ahrex HR410

Tag: Fine Silver Oval Tinsel

Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash

Butt: Fluorescent Green Floss followed by Fluorescent Red

Body: Dyed Green Deer Body, spun and clipped into a cigar shape 

Hackle: Brown Saddle Feather, palmered forward through the body

Head: Black

Green Machine, Restigouche Style

Hook: Ahrex HR410

Butt: Fluorescent Red Plastic covered with Lacquer

Body: Dark Green Micro-Chenille

Hackle: Brown Saddle Feather, palmered forward through the body

Head: Black

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