Conehead Marabou Muddler

The marabou muddler is one of my favorite general purpose fly pattern. Last spring Art and myself did well using the yellow version for smallmouth, carp, and northern pike on the Allegheny Reservoir, trout on the Kinzua Tailwater, and Chadakoin River carp all summer long. Tied with a light cone, the buoyant deer hair gives this fly a slow sink that is perfect for cruising carp.  I split this pattern into two steps, the body and the head since you must change from the 6/0 you use for the body to the heavier stuff you use to spin the deer hair.

Hook: MFC no. 7008 size 8 or a Daiichi 2220 size 6-10
Weight: gold colored brass conehead
Body
Thread: 6/0
Tail: red schlappen fibers
Body: silver braid
Wing: yellow marabou
Flash: pearl krystal
Head
Spun Deer Hair or Cow Elk

The Body

STEP 1:  Take a MFC no. 7008 size 8 or a Daiichi 2220, flatten the barb, and slip on a appropriately sized gold colored brass conehead.  Attach your 6/0 black thread behind the conehead and wrap back to the tie in point.

 

Take a large clump of red schlappen feather fibers and tie them in so they extend 1/2 the length of the hook shank past the tie in point.



 

STEP 2: At the tie in point tie in a length of silver braid.  Advance your thread 2/3 the way up the shank.

 

Wind the silver braid up 2/3 the way up the hook shank.  Secure with the thread and trim off the excess.

 

STEP 3:  Take a plum of yellow marabou, remove the center stem, and tie in so the marabou extends the same length as the red schlappen does.  Tim off the excess and secure several wraps of thread.

STEP 4:  Tie in 3 strands of pearl krystal flash onto either side of the marabou.  Trim so they are the same length as the marabou.  Whip finish and trim off the 6/0 thread.

Tie up several bodies before tieing the deer hair heads.

The Deer Hair

STEP 5: Take your 3/0, "G", "GX2", or other heavy thread between the marabou and the conehead.  Color choice is up to you.

STEP 6: Cut a piece of deer hair from the hide approx. the size of a pencil.  Stack the hair in a hair stacker so the tips are all the same length.  Spin the deer hair so the tips form a collar around the marabou.  Do not the tips or butts of the hair.

STEP 7: Push the deer butts back and build a thread dam in front of the deer hair so the butts stick straight up at 90 degree angles from the shank. 

STEP 8:  Cut a second clump of deer hair, cut off the tips, and remove the underfur. Take the clump and spin in front of the deer hair collar.  Whip finish and tie off.

Tie several deer hair heads before trimming.

STEP 9:  Take your hair scissors and trim the deer hair butts so they form a head the same diameter as the cone.  DO NOT TRIM THE TIPS!!!

The Finished Fly

Hexagaina Nymph

 The Hexagaina nymph is present in huge numbers along the shore of Lake Erie and tributaries (if you have ever experienced the spectacular "Michigan Caddis" hatch in June this is the nymph). Steelhead prey heavily on these nymphs both in the lake and in the streams during their spawning run.  I find Hexagaina nymphs to be most effective early in the run (late-September to early-October) although steelhead will take it in winter and spring.  Since Hexagainas are burrowing nymphs, they are most effective when fished over the muddy/silty bottoms found near the mouths of creeks.  This is also a highly effective fly for spring Smallmouth Bass.

Hooks: Daiichi 1260 or MFC 7231 size 8-10
Weight: black beadchain eyes
Thread: tan 6/0
Tail: orange Glo-Bug yarn
Body: gray ostrich herl
Rib: medium copper wire
Back: pearl flashabou
Hackle: tan hen back
Wingcase: turkey
Thorax: gray ostrich herl

STEP 1: Take a MFC no. 7231 size 8-10 in your vise. Attach the 6/0 tan thread behind the eye, tie in a pair of black beadchain eyes useing a figure 8 knot, and wrap back to the tie in point.

STEP 2: Take a strand of orange Glo Bug yarn and tie it in for the tail.  Secure down and trim off the excess.  The tail should extend approx. 3/4 in past the tie in point.

STEP 3: Clip three long tan or gray ostrich herls and tie them in by their tips at the tie in point.  Tie in 3-4 strands of flashabou onto the top of the shank, and a length of copper wire.  Advance your thread 2/3rd the way up the shank.  Palmer the ostrich herl up to the thread in even tight spaces.  Tie down the herls but do not trim them off.

STEP 4: Pull the flashabou over the body and rib with the copper wire.  Trim off the excess of both materials, leaving the ostrich herl remnants intact.



Top View

STEP 5: Tie in a tan henback feather and a clump of turkey fibers (15-25) on top of the shank.  Advance your thread to behind the beadchain eyes.

STEP 6:  Form the abdomen by palmering the ostrich herl in tight even wraps.  Palmer the hen back over the herl to give the fly legs.  Tie off both materials behind the beadchain eyes.

STEP 7:  Move your thread to in front of the eyes.  Pull the turkey fibers over the abdomen to form a wingcase.  Tie off and trim the excess.  Whip finish and add a drop of head cement.




Blood Dot

The Blood Dot is arguably the most popular egg pattern for Great Lakes steelhead.  Invented by PA steelhead fisherman Jeff Blood, the Blood Dot is a highly realistic imitation of a single steelhead egg.  The fly is not named because its characteristic dot is supposed to imitate blood, but because it "Blood's" dot.  This is the original Blood Dot pattern just as Jeff ties them.  This fly has become so popular that almost every fly pattern tied out of Glo-Bug yarn with a dot is called a blood dot.  Most are not blood dots, however  they are tied out of heavily compacted yarn tied in a round ball.  The tightly packed yarn is not a good imitation of the translucent steelhead egg.

Hook: MFC no. 7045 size 10-18
Thread: UTC 6/0, color to match dot or body color.
Body: Glo-Bug Yarn, tied in sucker spawn style. Usually a egg color.
Dot: Glo-Bug Yarn, usually a bright color

STEP 1: With a Montana Fly Company no. 7045 size 10, 12, 14, or 16 in your vise, attach the thread behind the eye with a jam knot and wrap back to just in front of the barb.  Don't go back too far or you will distort the proportions of the entire fly.



STEP 2:  Separate a strand of Glo-Bug yarn into strands the diameter of the hook gap.  For a size 12 hook, you usually get 4-5 strands from the main piece.  Sparseness is the key to this pattern.  Less material means more translucency and more fish.  Tie the strand of Glo-Bug yarn in at the tie in point, and make enough thread wraps so the hook shank is all the color of the thread. 



STEP 3: Advance your thread 3 wraps and form the first egg loop by bringing the yarn forward and tieing down with a pinch wrap.  This loop should be small, about half the size of the hook gap.

STEP 4: Advance your thread another 3 wraps, your thread should be 2/3 the way up the shank from the tie in point now.  Form a second loop that is slightly larger than the first.  Make sure to make this loop messy, push it back over the first loop.

STEP 5: Take another piece of glo bug yarn (a bright color such as orange or chartreuse) and split it into strips that are 1/2 the size of the ones you used earlier.  Less is more with this fly, you need to experiment  to see how much material you need.  Take the yolk/dot material and tie it in in front of the second loop.  Pull both ends up and make a couple of more wraps in front of the yarn.

STEP 6:  Make the last loop directly in front of the dot.  This loop should be the same size to slightly smaller in size than the second loop.  Push the loop back over the dot.  Cut off the excess material tag.

STEP 7: Pull both the ends of the dot material up at the same time and cut the material off at a angle. Whip finish and cut off the thread.



The Finished Fly

I prefer to tie Blood Dots in sizes 12-16 for low water steelhead.  I do sometimes use a size 10 orange/red Blood Dot for dirty water, I prefer to use Estaz Spawn, Crystal Spawn, or Otter's Egg 3x6mm Cluster's steelhead in off-color water.  Steelhead egg are usually a tannish color with a orange or pink tint (I call this egg color).  The embryo inside the egg is usually orange.  The most effective colors for steelhead are egg/orange, egg/pink, egg/chartreuse, egg/cerise, and egg/blue.  For water that's a bit off-color (or a green tint) I like to use a blood dot with a pink, orange, chartreuse, or blue body with a red dot. Another option for tieing is to use Glo-Bug Bling yarn which has pieces of flash embedded in it. 

Egg/Orange

Egg/Pink

Egg/Chartreuse

Egg/Cerise

Jeff Blood ties the Blood Dot

Ice Dub Bugger




The Ice Dub Bugger is a simple woolly bugger pattern for steelhead.  Slightly different to fool our educated steelhead, fish this fly just as you would a regular woolly bugger. Dead drift or swing.

Hook: MFC no. 7099 size 8-10
Thread: 3/0
Weight: beadhead (optional)
Tail: marabou
Body: Ice Dub
Hackle: schlappen
Colors: black, olive, white, purple

STEP 1: Take a MFC no. 7099 size 8 and place it in your vise.  Take your thread and use a jam knot to attach your thread to the hook shank.  Wrap back to the tie in point.




STEP 2: Select a large marabou plum and remove the stiff center stem. Measure the feather against the hook shank, the marabou should extend past the tie in point the same length as the shank. Tie in the marabou using a pinch wrap and bind down the stem. Trim off the excess.



STEP 3: Select a large schlappen feather, remove the fluffly fibeers from the base of the hackle, and tie the feather in at the tie in point.

STEP 4: With your thread hanging down at the tie in point, dub a 2-3in. long section of Ice Dub onto your thread. 

STEP 5: Dub a evenly tapered body with the Ice Dub up to behind the hook eye. (Photo 5A)




Photo 5A

Take a piece of the velcro and use the rough side to roughen up the Ice Dub body. (Photo 5B)

Photo 5B

STEP 6: Palmer the schlappen feather up the hook eye.  Right before you tie off, wind 3 wraps of hackle directly on top of each other to form a collar.  Whip finish and cut the thread.



The Finished Fly

Easy Finn Raccoon Leach

Easy Finn Raccoon Leech is a real easy, fast and simple egg sucking leech fly for steelhead, trout, and smallmouth.  This fly is tied with Finn Raccoon hair which has great movement in the water. The key to the effectiveness is sparseness, don't use a lot of material.  The egg on this fly is a 8mm Otter's Milking Egg but you can use a Trout Bead if you wish. Orange is the most effective color but you can experiment with pink or chartreuse. You can tie this fly can be tied in an endless number of color combinations.  Tie some up for your next steelhead trip

Hook: MFC no. 7008 size 8-10
Thread: black or olive 6/0
Tail: Ice Dub
Wing: Finn-Raccoon Hair
Egg: size 8 hook - Otter's Soft Milking Egg 8mm or Trout Bead
         size 10 hook - Otter's Soft Milking Egg 6mm or Trout Bead
Color Combinations: (Ice Dub/Finn Raccoon) Chartreuse/Black, Pink/Black, All Black, blue/olive, olive/black.

STEP 1: Take a Montana Fly Company no. 7008 size 8 streamer hook and place it in your vise.  Take your 6/0 black thread, attach mid-shank and wrap back to the tie in point.  While tieing this fly, try not to get any of the black thread where the egg will go, it will show through the translucent Otter Egg.

STEP 2: Select a clump of Ice Dub and tie in a sparse clump mid shank. Tie the clump in so there is an equal amount of material on either side of the wraps.  

STEP 3:  Wet your fingers and comb the Ice Dub back to the rear of the hook.  Make a couple of wraps over the spot where the dub was tied in to keep the Ice Dub in position.  Advance your thread half way between the dub and the hook eye.

STEP 4:  Tie in a sparse clump of black or olive Finn Raccoon hair. Push the hair around the shank with your fingers so all 360 degrees of the fly are covered.  DO NOT trim the butts, they will be used to form a collar.

STEP 5:  Push the butts of the Finn Raccoon back and secure with several thread wraps to form a collar. Be sure to leave enough room for the egg.  Whip Finish and cut the thread.

STEP 6: Place a drop of Loctite Super Glue Gel on the hook shank.

STEP 7: Push your Otter Egg of choice over the drop of super glue.  Hold the egg in place for several seconds until the glue dries.

The Finished Fly