Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fly Fishing Cafe => Topic started by: ElectroFish on July 10, 2014, 07:07:35 PM
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I have been schlepping around in one of our local lakes and caught a couple of fish recently that had been gorging on 3 spined sticklebacks. Does anybody out there have a stickleback pattern other than a Mcloeds or a basic rolled muddler? I ask because I have tied those ones already and will try them this weekend, but I am looking for more options than just 2 patterns.
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This one's an oldie..The "Alexandra". I used it back in the '70's for cutthroat in L/M lakes. Matches a lot of the stickleback's colours.
Quin
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This may help you out just tie bead headed olive muddles but with a gold braid or mylar. When tying bait fish fly's i tie silver bodys for salmon fry and such and gold for sculpin or stickle backs
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Thanks for the tips, Quin and SteelheadAdict.
That Alexandra looks pretty slick with it's red and Peacock sword over silver.
I have yet to tie a muddler in any colour other than natural, but I guess I should be picking up some olive deer hair... or colouring some muddlers with my wife's Ad markers.
I did try a Mcleod's the other weekend, but had no luck.
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The Rolled muddler is a popular imitation. My long time favorite is a Something Else tied on a #6 to #10 wet fly hook or 2x streamer. This is not the Henry Cowan Pattern you find on the net but was a local tie from the early 80s. The body is pearl mylar tube wrapped with clear v- rib or similar. A white underwing and then a folded mallard flank dyed wood duck wing. The head is olive thread and paint an eye on it. In lakes larger patterns are often favored vs the smaller patterns favored on rivers.The Mcleod stickle back is a good one.
There is also a variation with a blue wing.:
http://www.flyfishbc.com/forums/content/133-Mcleods-Stickleback-Minnow-Pattern
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RalphH, What are you using for the tail on that Something Else minnow pattern? Just leaving the mylar tubing strands hanging out the back a bit with the tied down feather tips?
Sorry it took so long for me to get back to this forum and see you reply, but thanks for the reply in the first place.
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yes the mylar filaments form the tail but don't tie down the wing, just tie it folded wet fly style; cut a length of the stem at the tip of the fly so there is a V and the fibres to either side are about the length of the hook shank. Sweep the fibre below that back.Pinch or fold the these fibres together and tie them in at the base of the V