Fly Fishing Forum banner

Steelhead Fly

5K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  Charlie 
#1 ·
This fly is called a Mirrored Minnow and is very effective on Steelhead,Smallmouths, and Brown Trout
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#7 ·
Spock,

Not everyone who visits the fly tying sections of the forum are fly tyers, not have all the fly tyers who visit the fly tying sections experienced tyers who can glean a pattern from a picture of a fly. That is why it is respectfully requested of you or anyone else who posts a fly to please provide the pattern recipe or dressing of the fly as well. This way those who don't tie or those who have not been tying for years can have the fly tied by someone else or work on it themselves.
 
#8 ·
FLY

Mirrored minnow
Hook daiichi alec Jackson size 5 – 7
Body – silver flashabou or white wool head dubbing spun in with a dubbing loop
Over wing – grey zonker or olive zonker strip tied in at hook point then over body and tie in at front
Beard – white marabou tied under and to hook point whip finish
Thread – red 8/0
Eyes – 3/16 holographic then coat eyes and head with loon’s hard head

SORRY ABOUT MY POSTS IAM SUCH A NOOB AT THIS, I HOPE THIS HELPS OUT
 
#13 ·
Chromer,

You should be able to find Flashabou Dubbing, just look around a few shops in a 60 miles radius of where you live. The Flashabou Dubbing is a very fine Flashabou cut to dubbed fiber length to make it easy to use in a dubbing loop. If you can't find it locally, you can make your own by cutting Flashabou into 1/2" lengths and putting it into a zip-lock bag so it doesn't end up fly all over your tying area. However, it is much easier to simply find some of the Flashabou Dubbing.
 
#15 · (Edited)
"Cattaraugus" means "foul-smelling river bank." This name is a result of the natural gas that oozes from the river mud.

I googled that info. Nice looking pattern, but I'll bet it would kick butt in the salt too. Anyone know what saltwater will do to Zonker and other fur. Just seems like it would have more action than artificial materials.
 
#16 ·
Hi Matt -

I guess they all can't be named as nicely as "Sol Duc" (bright waters) but I can say first hand that the definition defies the river's beauty. I had the pleasure of seeing it first hand during the recent Speyclave I organized out there - what a gorgeous piece of water, and as Brian Slavinski says "I only saw a tiny bit of it". Can't wait to see more.

It's about the size of the SolDuc and more steelhead per mile than most - I counted 11 caught or hooked within eye shot of the clave grounds; during the clave times.

The unique thing I gathered from what people were fishing is the closeness to the forage fish in many of the successful patterns. For instance, this pattern is much closer to the primoridal roots of the steelhead's actual diet than a Jock Scott and is very effective.

As an avid saltchuck angler and now a striper hound, I see this as being a great SW pattern too - however the Catt anglers have figured out that their steelhead really go for the baitfish flies in the river. All the years I spent in steelhead country I never fished baitfish flies for steelhead. I watched them doing very well on them on the Catt.

I think there is something that warrants investigation in the rivers of the PNW...
 
#18 ·
juro said:
Hi Matt -

I guess they all can't be named as nicely as "Sol Duc" (bright waters) but I can say first hand that the definition defies the river's beauty. I had the pleasure of seeing it first hand during the recent Speyclave I organized out there - what a gorgeous piece of water, and as Brian Slavinski says "I only saw a tiny bit of it". Can't wait to see more.

It's about the size of the SolDuc and more steelhead per mile than most - I counted 11 caught or hooked within eye shot of the clave grounds; during the clave times.

The unique thing I gathered from what people were fishing is the closeness to the forage fish in many of the successful patterns. For instance, this pattern is much closer to the primoridal roots of the steelhead's actual diet than a Jock Scott and is very effective.

As an avid saltchuck angler and now a striper hound, I see this as being a great SW pattern too - however the Catt anglers have figured out that their steelhead really go for the baitfish flies in the river. All the years I spent in steelhead country I never fished baitfish flies for steelhead. I watched them doing very well on them on the Catt.

I think there is something that warrants investigation in the rivers of the PNW...

Thanks for the kind words about our home waters (I live 45 mins. away....south and was born with'in a couple miles). I hope/wish others who come treat her with the same respect and class which spreads in a good way.
Conservation & respect rather than whoreing are the keys. We need more like you along it's banks.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Juro,

It is so funny how each system is unique unto itself, much like the fly fisherman that ply it's banks. Baitfish patterns on a river would be cool.

The reason why I asked about using fur on saltwater is because of this fly I'm trying. I'll be using this for Salmon in the salt this summer, but I'm thinking it may work off rock structure, stripped deep with whole heads of T-14 for rockfish, Lingcod, etc. Not to mention that I'd like to find out what it will do for striper and others that you're fishing for out there on the east coast. But, is there a problem with fur in the salt?
 

Attachments

#20 ·
Since it looks like baitfishy type patterns are starting to emerge as the norm for Great Lakes swingers, has anyone ever had much success Catt fishin, or anywhere in the GL basin for that matter, with classic feather wing streamers (i.e. Carrie Stevens Rangeley style flies). Furthermore, how do these flies ride on the swing? Are they stable or are they better suited for just stripping or trolling? Forgive my naivety but I’ve never actually seen them fished in this neck of the woods and it seems very few people outside of New England use the things. Sure are beautiful flies though.
 
#21 ·
SWINIGING FLIES

We use airflo's sinking polyleaders in 5' and 10' and they work fantastic, you just loop to loop then on the end of your fly line and add about 3 - 5' of tippet and hang on.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top