Monday, May 25, 2015
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Featherwing Fathead streamer
I came up with this one last Summer after realizing that, at least in
the Northeast, the Fathead minnow is sold in the majority of bait
shops, and countless numbers of them are released as leftovers into
waterways everywhere, on a regular basis. These fish survive and breed,
and when you account for the many shiners and minnows which bear some
resemblance to them, I figured coming up with a reasonable facsimile
would be a proper waste of time.
Now I do realize that Art Flick beat me to this idea all the way back in the 50s, but with no insult intended toward a very effective streamer, I wanted to go beyond his bucktail creation; to put my own stamp on the water like any good fly tyer. So, posessing a great deal of Badger pattern hackle and seeign its resemblance to a dozen or more minnows, I came up with my Featherwing Fathead, which imitates/suggests far more that just the ubiquitous Fathead minnow, and from the very first day I tried it outperformed even my most hopeful expectations,
It can be tied with black or white thread, and though black looks most dramatic I have learned over the years that the black nose of a Fathead minnow indicates a male ready to spawn, and for whatever reason fish don't like them very much. Truly, if I got a pound of bait at the bait store and 3/4 was males ready to spawn, I would fight to return the 3/4 instead of even trying to use them.
Because my streamer suggests so many different species the black nose seems not to cause a problem, but for fishing I think it best to go with the white nose just to maximize your odds.
All photos are property of the Virtual Aquarium of Virginia Tech, except for the actual photo of the streamer itself, which I produced and placed within the set of photos to show the versatility of this fly. Visit their site; it's a tremendous body of work for which they deserve applause!
Hook; #10 streamer or larger
Thread; White or black 6/0
Wing; Badger rooster neck
Body; White floss
Rib; Silver holographic tinsel
Belly; White calftail/kiptail
Throat; Orange calftail/kiptail
Now I do realize that Art Flick beat me to this idea all the way back in the 50s, but with no insult intended toward a very effective streamer, I wanted to go beyond his bucktail creation; to put my own stamp on the water like any good fly tyer. So, posessing a great deal of Badger pattern hackle and seeign its resemblance to a dozen or more minnows, I came up with my Featherwing Fathead, which imitates/suggests far more that just the ubiquitous Fathead minnow, and from the very first day I tried it outperformed even my most hopeful expectations,
It can be tied with black or white thread, and though black looks most dramatic I have learned over the years that the black nose of a Fathead minnow indicates a male ready to spawn, and for whatever reason fish don't like them very much. Truly, if I got a pound of bait at the bait store and 3/4 was males ready to spawn, I would fight to return the 3/4 instead of even trying to use them.
Because my streamer suggests so many different species the black nose seems not to cause a problem, but for fishing I think it best to go with the white nose just to maximize your odds.
All photos are property of the Virtual Aquarium of Virginia Tech, except for the actual photo of the streamer itself, which I produced and placed within the set of photos to show the versatility of this fly. Visit their site; it's a tremendous body of work for which they deserve applause!
Mountain
Redbelly Dace
Southern
Redbelly Dace
Rosyside Dace
Longnose Dace
Blacknose Dace
Pearl Dace
River Chub
Fatlips Minnow
Stargazing
Minnow
Tennessee
Shiner
Saffron
Shiner
Featherwing Fathead
Bridle Shiner
Swallowtail
Shiner
Fathead
Minnow
Hook; #10 streamer or larger
Thread; White or black 6/0
Wing; Badger rooster neck
Body; White floss
Rib; Silver holographic tinsel
Belly; White calftail/kiptail
Throat; Orange calftail/kiptail
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