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

Tyler Straight
Custom Tied Steelhead Flies
steelheadheadflies@me.com
CKOF Website Design
countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com

Art's Fighting Crayfish

Here is another great multispecies fly pattern from warmwater expert and CKOF instructor Art Estus. This fly has caught bass, carp, steelhead, and trout.  Crayfish are a common forage food for smallmouth bass, catfish, carp, and trout in the western New York/NW Pennsylvania area.  This pattern is designed to sit vertically when at rest and darts when stripped, imitating the swimming position of a crayfish.  Art's Fighting Crayfish is best fished while a long, quick strips with long pauses in between strips.  Tie some up and be ready for some warmwater action.
Note: This is a more complicated fly. 

Hook: Daiichi  or MFC   size 8
Thread: rusty 3/0
Weight: gold conehead, leadwire, and medium black beadchain eyes
Antennae: moose mane
Legs: rusty brown (red) squirrel tail
Body: rusty hares ear dubbing
Rib: large gold wire
Wingcase: turkey

STEP 1: Take a a heavy wire streamer hook, slip on a gold brass conehead, and wrap 10 wraps of .030 leadwire onto the hook shank. Attach your rusty 3/0 thread. (Picture 1A)

Picture 1A

 At the tie in point attach approx. 4-6 strands of moose mane that extend approx. 1 1/2 in beyond the hook bend to form antennae. (Picture 1B)

Photo 1B
 

 Dub a small ball of rusty brown dubbing at the tie in point. (Photo 1C)

Photo 1C

STEP 2: Cut a clump of rusty brown (red) squirrel  tail approx. the size of a pencil. Hold the clump in your fingers and with approx. 1" extending from the hook shank tie in the squirrel tail so that the hair covers all 360 degrees of the hook shank. Trim off the butts and secure with many thread wraps. Be sure to wrap your thread far enough down the shank that the hair begins to flair (this is why you dubbed a small ball of dubbing earlier).

Photo 2

STEP 3: To form the pincers, wet your fingers and pull the clump of hair apart and twist to form 2 pincers.  Figure 8 wrap between the pincers to secure them.  Place a drop of head cement on the pincers.

STEP 3: Directly in front of the pincers tie in a black medium beadchain eye using figure 8 wraps on the top of the shank.  (Photo 3A)

Flip the fly upside down in your vise with the hook point pointing up. (Photo 3B)

STEP 4: Tie in a piece of turkey and a length of gold wire behind the beadchain eyes.

STEP 5: Dub a large body of rusty colored hares ear or wool dubbing.

STEP 6: Pull the turkey over the body to form the wingcase. Trim off.

STEP 7: Finally, rib the body with the copper wire, trim off.  Whip finish off your thread and apply a drop of head cement.

A finished Art's Fighting Crayfish.

 

Channel Catfish on the Art's Fighting Crayfish.

A smallmouth bass from a float on the Allegheny.

 

Tyler Straight

Custom Tied Steelhead Flies

steelheadflies@me.com

CKOF Website Design

countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com 

Mysis Shrimp

The Mysis Shrimp (mysis reltica) is a staple food source for fish in the Great Lakes.  According to biologists, Mysis shrimp can make up to 50% of a steelhead's diet when in the lake (the rest being baitfish such as Erie Shiners).  Before the steelhead run the creeks in the fall, they gorge heavily on these shrimp.  Although it is believed steelhead eat this fly out of instinct from their time spent in the lake (the same reason Northwest steelhead fisherman use flies imitateing squid and prawn), I have found Mysis shrimp will scouting Chautauqua Creek this summer, so it is possible steelhead still feed on them in the streams.  If you are familiar with western tailwaters, this is the same shrimp that grows big trout in the Frying Pan and other Colorado rivers.

Hook: MFC 7231 Size 12-10
Weight: small black beadchain
Thread: white 6/0
Shellback: white poly yarn
Body: white Estaz
Rib: 6 lb. clear mono



STEP 1: With your hook in the vice, attach your white 6/0 thread midway up the shank and then tie in a small black beadchain eye using figure 8 wraps. Wrap back to the tie in point.

STEP 2: At the tie in point tie in a ~ 1 1/2 in. piece of white poly yarn.

STEP 3: Next tie in a piece of white Estaz and a length of length of clear 6 lb. mono. Wrap your thread up to the beadchain eyes.

STEP 4: Wrap the white Estaz up to the beadchain eyes, tie off the Estaz behind the eyes.

STEP 5: Pull the white poly yarn over the Estaz body to form a wingcase.  Tie off in front of the beadchain eyes.  There should be approx. 1/4 in. over overhang on the poly yarn on both ends of the fly to imitate a tail and antennae.

 STEP 6: Finally, rib the wingcase and body with the 6 lb. mono.  Tie off the mono in front of the eyes.  Whip finish and cut your thread.  Put a drop of head cement on the knot.

Although I have not used this pattern yet for steelhead, after reading some articles about steelhead diet, I believe this could be the next big fly pattern for steelhead.  Tie up a few and fish them as you would a egg or nymph.

Tyler Straight

Custom Tied Steelhead Flies

steelheadflies@me.com

CKOF Website Design

countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com 

Steelie Caddis

 The Steelie Caddis is one of my most productive spring steelhead flies, second only to White Death.  This pattern imitates the green caddis larvae that inhabit great lake tributaries.  This fly is particularly affective for spawning bucks, even when other flies won't work.  Try this fly with a dropper (an egg or other caddis pattern) during high water and during low water sigh fishing conditions forgo the dropper (to avoid accidentally snagging fish) and fish on a long, light (4x) leader with no indicator. 

Hook: Daiichi 1120 or MFC 9045 size 10-12
Weight: gold beadhead (MFC Gold Brass 1/8" for sz. 12 and 5/32" for sz. 10)
Thread: black 6/0
Body: chartreuse Diamond Braid
Hackle: light brown hen back
Head: black angora

 STEP 1: Take a  Daiichi 1120 or MFC 9045 and put a gold beadhead on the hook.  Attach your black thread and wrap past the tie in point.

 
STEP 2: Tie in a 6" piece of chartreuse Diamond Braid and wrap the black thread up the shank stopping approx. 1/8" behind the beadhead.

STEP 3: Wrap the diamond braid up to your thread and tie off the material and trim.  Make sure you trim the material so there is a short vertical tag of diamond braid.

STEP 4:  In the notch you created tie in a tan hen back feather by its tips.

STEP 5: Wrap the hen back 2 times.  Tie off the hackle in the notch you created in the diamond braid.  Wrap your thread forward to behind the beadhead.

STEP 6: Dub a small head with black angora dub.  Make a few wraps and whip finish. Go Fishing!

Be sure to tie at least a dozen Steelie Caddis before going fishing.  You will many during a day on the water.

The steelie caddis works great as the point fly in a tandem rig with a egg as the dropper.
On Oct. 1, 2012 tandem rigs are now legal for Lake Erie steelhead tributaries.

The Steelie Caddis is the only pattern I've tried that I caught a fish on the first cast.
This fish hit on the first cast of the day.

Art with a chautauqua creek hen.



Tyler Straight
Custom Tied Steelhead Flies
countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com

Steelhead Iced Caddis

During the fall ans spring, steelhead prey heavily on the green caddis present in steelhead alley tributaries. This pattern is highly effective in the spring, especially for spawning bucks.  This pattern works when the fish refuse a white death.

Hook: MFC 7077 Size 10-12
Weight: .020 leadwire
Thread: black 6/0
Body: Chartreuse Diamond Braid
Back: Peacock Herl
Head: Peacock Herl

 STEP 1: Put 10 wraps of .20 lead wire onto a MFC 7077 0XL Wet Fly hook size 10 or 12.  Place hook into your vise and attach your 6/0 black thread.

 STEP 2: At the tie in point attach 5 peacock herls to the top o the shank and a length of chartreuse Diamond Braid.  Wrap your thread a little more than 2/3 the way up the hook shank.

STEP 3: Wrap the diamond braid forward 3/4 the way up the shank to form the body.  Tie off and trim.

STEP 4: Bring the herl forward over the body form a back.  Tie off but DO NOT TRIM!

STEP 5:  Wrap the butts of the left over peacock herl to form the head. Tie off and whip finish.

STEP 6: To protect the delicate peacock herl put a drop of head cement on the fly.