I'm passing this one on - it's actually a bass bug that we changed a few items on to make some flies for kokanee - we leave tomorrow! Found this in the Spring 2008
Fly Tyer. Article was by Ward Bean - he did nice step-by-step instructions on this one.
This is a cool streamer because the way it works in the water is that it 'wobbles' as you strip it in like a spin fisherman's crank bait. The whole construction is pretty easy - think of it like a big woolly bugger without the body hackle and a trimmed body.
Hook: 4x long streamer hook like a Tiemco 9395 or Mustad 9674, size 6. These are fairly big.
Thread: 6/0 Red (apply this to hook before adding lead wire)
Underweight: 18 turns of .025 lead or substitute (apply about 3 eye diameters back from eye of hook) 'ramp up and down with thread' on both sides - I use superglue to keep from spinning
Tail: Marabou - hook length plus a few strands of Pearl Green Lite Brite (I used Angel Hair, couldn't find L.B.!) You could probably use fine flash or krystal or midge flash, but the Lite Brite is so subtle (so is Angel hair, but can be curly - pull several strands together out of the package, wet them down so they stick together - spit works! - and it's a lot easier to place them on either side of the tail). Try to use LB/AH
Body: Estaz (or med-large pearl chenille - in the picture, the chartreuse is pearl chenille)- tie in from tail and work forward in closely spaced turns and brush back as you turn
(I found that if you hold your finger down over it as you rotate the hook on a rotary vise, it lays right down) - wrap the body and tie off about an eye length behind the eye. Brush up like a gun cleaning brush with your fingers and use a good pair of sharp scissors to taper the body to the back - makes it like a teardrop with the skinny part at the tail - I used serrated arrow scissors - I'd heard that curved serrated scissors are the best. This is *VERY MESSY* and you will have little flecks of sparkly estaz *everywhere*. If tying on a rotary, find an angle that you like and clip once, keep your scissors at the same angle, and rotate the hook as you go. You may need to brush - I apologize, my bench is a disaster area right now!
Hackle/Head: Short length of red neck hackle. Strip off the fluff and tie in by the tip - 2 or 3 turns (or more if you strip off one side like I do) Tie off, and wrap a neat thread head. Whip finish & cement.
These are designed to be chewed up by bass - we'll see if the kokanee like them too.
Great colors - white, rootbeer, chartreuse, black, rust, just about any baitfish color. Or steelhead colors like pink, red, etc!!!
We'll note back how they worked. If you do choose to add a bead head, the Cyclops Beads in a 5/64" Brass have a hole big enough to accommodate the barb and bend of the hook.
Tie some up and go get some smallmouth! Enjoy!
The Red Headed Wobbler - a smallmouth bass fly
