Marabou Multiplicity: The Most Versatile Steelhead Fly You Can Own

Patrick Kilby, RIO Flies Designer March 18, 2026

In this piece, Patrick Kilby explores why marabou remains one of the most trusted materials in steelhead flies and how a single pattern—the RIO Marabou Tube—can become one of the most versatile flies in an angler’s box. From fishing it as a standalone pattern to stacking tubes, building squid-style profiles, pairing it with rabbit-strip flies, or reversing the tube to increase bulk, Patrick shows how a simple marabou fly can be adapted to match a wide range of steelhead conditions. The result is a modular approach to fly design that maximizes movement, profile, and on-the-water flexibility.

Look through any steelhead fly bin—or a wall of jigs at a tackle shop—and one material shows up repeatedly: marabou. There’s a good reason for that: steelhead often respond to movement and profile more than perfect imitation, and marabou excels at both.

Simply put, marabou moves better than almost anything else in the water. Its fibers are incredibly soft; even in slow current or on a dead swing, they pulse, breathe and collapse with the slightest movement. That constant motion gives the fly life without the angler having to do much at all.

Marabou also collapses during the cast, then opens back up in the water, maintaining an enticing profile throughout the presentation.

RIO Products sells a fly pattern called the Marabou Tube and it may be the most versatile steelhead fly you can own. Here’s why...

You can fish it as a standalone fly. The fibers on this fly are long, so when fished it measures around 2.5-3" in length. It’s offered in four proven colors, and is tied on a plastic tube, making it incredibly easy to cast. Simply rig with junction tubing, a suitably sized hook and swing away.

You can stack two together. When you add a second Marabou Tube and slide down to your first fly, you essentially end up with a two-station Marabou Intruder. This takes your first fly and adds about 1” in length and some bulk. With four colors to choose from, you can create up to 16 combinations. (See video here)

You can create new flies (Pt.1). We all know that steelhead and salmon love to eat squid and if you look at a real squid you can see it as two parts; the eyes and tentacles at one end and the mantle and fins at the other end.

To build your own, use a Non-Slip Mono Loop Knot to tie on RIO’s CCFCCP to act as the eyes/tentacles. Then, slide onto your leader the versatile Marabou Tube to serve as the mantle/fins. With seven colors of RIO’s CCFCCP and four of the Marabou Tube, this gives you 28 squid combinations. (See video here)

You can create new flies (Pt. 2). Behind marabou, the rabbit strip is probably the next most commonly used material on flies and jigs. A rabbit strip fly can be deadly fished alone, but like other great combos—chocolate/peanut butter, coffee/donuts, or fries/milkshakes—a rabbit strip combined with marabou is irresistible.

Among our steelhead flies, RIO sells the popular Bunny Tube (3” long), the Tandem Tube (3.5” long) and the String Leech (4.5” long). Adding the Marabou Tube to the front any of these not only adds more life/movement but also increases length and intensifies the color and contrast. This is great when the water is dirtier than you’d hoped. (See video here)

Lastly, you can add bulk. At any point if you want to create a bulkier fly and “push” water, as some say, then you can simply reverse the orientation of the tube. Instead of putting it on your leader the regular way, turn it around and slide it on your leader backwards. The materials are now forced back against themselves in the water and don’t flow as easily as before. This keeps them more open and gives off a bigger profile. (See video here)

Marabou Mash Ups

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