White Death

 White Death is one of the most effective patterns created for steelhead fishing.  Jeff Blood created White Death is tied to imitate a dead Emerald Shiner.  White Death differs from a regular zonker minnow because the rabbit strip used is smaller than the standard 1/8^th inch rabbit strip. This better imitates the emerald shiners laterally compressed body. Emerald shiners are often found in large schools and have a high natural death rate. White Death is highly effective for steelhead in the fall and spring when they feed heavily on dead Erie Shiners.  White Death is also one of my favorite flies for trout and warmwater fish. It works for everything from Chautauqua Lake to the West Branch Delaware.

Hook: Daiichi 2220 or MFC 9008 size 8-10
Thread: black and orange 6/0
Body: small silver tubing - 1/8th in. diameter
Wing: white zonker strips - 3/16th in. thick (approx. half the thickness of a regular 1/8th in. strip)

Before you begin tieing white death, you should lay out all the materials you will need.  You should pre-cut all the zonker strips and tubing to tie 2 dozen flies.  You will need to wet your fingers to tie this pattern, it is a good idea to have a wet sponge near you so you don't end up with a mouth full of rabbit hair.

You might have some problem acquiring materials, the special zonker strips and silver tubing aren't commonly available in fly shops. You can find some small zonker strips at Feathercraft (Hareline Micro Rabbit Strips).  The silver tubing you can find at craft stores.  We will also have some of the material available for purchase at our fly tying classes (email me me for more information).

STEP 1: Place a Daiichi 2220 or MFC 9008 size 8-10 in your vise. Attach your orange thread at the tie in point with a jam knot.

STEP 2: Slip one of the pre-cut pieces of tubing onto your hook. (Picture 2A)

Picture 2A

Tie in the tubing with your orange thread. Make 3-4 wraps of thread and let your bobbing hang. (Picture 2B)

Picture 2B

STEP 3: Attach your black 6/0 thread behind the hook eye. Secure the silver tubing and tie it down.  Trim any tag ends that may obstruct the hook eye.

STEP 4: Tie in a pre-cut zonker strip with your black thread.  Tie the zonker strip down, make sure none of the white shows. (Picture 4A)

Picture 4A

Whip finish off your front black thread.  (Picture 4B)

Photo 4B

 STEP 5: Wet your fingers and stroke the fur forward to expose enough skin so you can tie the zonker strip down.  Make several wraps with your orange thread to secure the strip. Whip finish of your orange thread with a long whip finisher.

STEP 6: Put a drop of head cement on both the black head and orange thread.  Your fly is now complete.

Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides)   . Ohio DNR

 Fishing White Death

White Death is best fished dead drifted near the bottom on a indicator rig or sighter leader (for more information about rigging read Rigging for Steelhead). Since you should be snagging occasionally (“if you’re not hanging up, you’re not fishing deep enough”) it is a good idea to carry one to three dozen patterns with you while you’re fishing.

White Death is the #1 fly for Chautauqua Creek.

Even the educated browns of the West Branch Delaware take White Death. 

Jeff Blood ties White Death

If you have any questions or would like to order this pattern, email me at steelheadflies@me.com

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Sulfur Nymphs

Hook: Daiichi 1120 or MFC 7045 Size 14-18

Weight: lead wire (optional)
Thread: Rust 8/0
Tail: Wood duck fibers
Body: Rusty Turkey Biots
Rib: Fine Gold Wire
Thorax: Orange Ice Dub or Rust colored dubbing
Wingcase: Turkey
Legs: Wood duck

Flash Cripple

The Flash Cripple imitates a sulfur emerger. 

Hook: Daiichi 1170 or MFC 7000 Size 16-20

Thread: Yellow 8/0
Tail: Brown Z-Lon
Body: Rusty Ice Dub
Rib: Fine Copper Wire
Thorax: Yellow Ice Dub
Wing: Fine Deer hair
Hackle: Light Dun Dry Fly

STEP 1: With your Daiichi 1170 in your vice get your yellow 8/0 thread started behind the eye of the hook and wrap back to the tie in point.

STEP 2: Tie in a piece of rusty brown Z-lon.  Trim so 1/4in remains

STEP 3: At the tie in point tie in a length of fine gold wire.   Take your rusty Ice Dub and dub 2/3 the way back up the shank.

STEP 4:  Take your yellow Ice Dub and dub a ball of dubbing to imitate the sulfur adult.

STEP 5: Tie in a clump of fine deer hair with the tips facing forward. Clip the butts short.

STEP 6: Inside the “V” created by the deer hair tie in an appropriate sized light dun dry fly hackle. Wrap the hackle 3 times and tie off. Advance your thread to the hook eye. Whip finish and cut the thread.

Sometimes on heavily pressured waters such as the west branch, fish will go for something out of the ordinary. 

West Branch Cripple

West Branch Cripple (Sulfur) The West Branch Cripple imitates a sulfur dun emerging from Its nymphal shuck. Hook: Daiichi 1170 or MFC 7000 Size 16-20 Thread:  Yellow 6/0 Tail: Natural Dun CDC trimmed Body: Pheasant Tail Rib: Fine Gold Wire Thorax: Sulfur Yellow Dubbing Wing: Fine Deer Hackle: Light Dun STEP 1: With your Daiichi 1170 in your vice get your yellow 8/0 thread started behind the eye of the hook and wrap back to the tie in point. STEP 2: Tie in a natural dun colored CDC feather by the base of the stem.  Trim the feather so that only a 1/4in stub remains. STEP 3: At the tie in point tie in 6 rusty colored pheasant tail fibers by their tips and a length of fine gold wire.  Wrap your thread 2/3 the way back up the shank. STEP 4:  Wrap the pheasant tail fibers up to your thread and tie them off.  Rib the pheasant tail with your copper wire. STEP 5:  Dub a ball of yellow dry fly dubbing directly in front of the pheasant tail body.  This will imitate the sulfur struggling to get out of its nymphal shuck. STEP 6: Tie in a clump of fine deer hair with the tips facing forward.  Clip the butts short.  STEP 7: Inside the “V” created by the deer hair tie in an appropriate sized light dun dry fly hackle.  Wrap the hackle 3 times and tie off.  Advance your thread to the hook eye.  Whip finish and cut the thread.    West Branch Brown that took a Size 18 West Branch Cripple