For the past few weeks Brandon Bailes of Panther Branch Bugs has been posting some creeking photos with warmwater species of all kinds gobbling up a small mouse pattern. I had to have some for my own fly box, so slipped Brandon some PayPal funds, and asked if he'd do a quick step by step on The Minnie Mouse for the T.F.M. readership.
Tie a few up if you want but I wouldn't blame you if you just paid Brandon to spin you up a dozen like I did. The box arrived yesterday and the flies look so great. I can't wait to get them wet now.
The Minnie Mouse is a simple fur and foam creation I started tying after watching a field mouse get devoured by a bass in a small stream awhile back. This pattern is easy to cast on 3-5 weight fly rods, which is perfect for small water fishing.
But, be warned…skating mice is addictive!
THE MINNIE MOUSE - FLY RECIPE:
UTC 140 Thread
Gama B10s #6-10
2mm Foam
25# Monofilament
Pine Squirrel Zonker
SLF or Laser Dubbing
Loon UV Flow
Superglue Gel
THE MINNIE MOUSE - STEP BY STEP:
Start by cutting a zonker strip the length of the hook shank and cut/strip the hair off the leather. Leave a small tuft of hair at the end as this will be the tail tip.
Now take a bodkin and poke a small hole near the hair tuft.
Next cut a piece of mono and using a lighter melt one end which creates a small bump.
Thread the mono thru the hole created in the zonker strip. The mono bump should remain on top of the tail and can be secured with a little Loon Flow. This creates a foul-free tail but still has movement near the tail end.
Place a hook in the vise and start the thread near the bend then attach the mono/leather tail.
Now take two pieces of 2mm foam ( the width should be equal or slightly less than the hook gap) and superglue them together. Once the glue sets, tie the foam in at the rear of the hook.
Tie on a zonker at the rear as well and palmer forward. Stop and tie off around an 1/8” from the hook eye.
To get the most out of the zonker hair, wet the hair and part it down the middle.
Add a drop of superglue gel near the zonker strip tie off point and then pull the foam forward and tie off at the same location as the zonker tie off point. Now clip the foam even with or slightly longer than the front of the hook eye.
Finally take some dubbing and twist straight on the thread to create a rope of dubbing. You can use this rope to cover the tie off point and then lift the “head” and wrap the dubbing all the way to the hook eye. This will help prop the head up and create a big wake in the water.
Finish off with some Loon Flow on the thread wraps and then hit the water with your new skater.
Follow Panther Branch Bugs on Instagram and if you're interested in placing an order, send an email to bailebr3@gmail.com.
Tie a few up if you want but I wouldn't blame you if you just paid Brandon to spin you up a dozen like I did. The box arrived yesterday and the flies look so great. I can't wait to get them wet now.
The Minnie Mouse is a simple fur and foam creation I started tying after watching a field mouse get devoured by a bass in a small stream awhile back. This pattern is easy to cast on 3-5 weight fly rods, which is perfect for small water fishing.
But, be warned…skating mice is addictive!
THE MINNIE MOUSE - FLY RECIPE:
UTC 140 Thread
Gama B10s #6-10
2mm Foam
25# Monofilament
Pine Squirrel Zonker
SLF or Laser Dubbing
Loon UV Flow
Superglue Gel
THE MINNIE MOUSE - STEP BY STEP:
Start by cutting a zonker strip the length of the hook shank and cut/strip the hair off the leather. Leave a small tuft of hair at the end as this will be the tail tip.
Now take a bodkin and poke a small hole near the hair tuft.
Next cut a piece of mono and using a lighter melt one end which creates a small bump.
Place a hook in the vise and start the thread near the bend then attach the mono/leather tail.
Now take two pieces of 2mm foam ( the width should be equal or slightly less than the hook gap) and superglue them together. Once the glue sets, tie the foam in at the rear of the hook.
Tie on a zonker at the rear as well and palmer forward. Stop and tie off around an 1/8” from the hook eye.
To get the most out of the zonker hair, wet the hair and part it down the middle.
Add a drop of superglue gel near the zonker strip tie off point and then pull the foam forward and tie off at the same location as the zonker tie off point. Now clip the foam even with or slightly longer than the front of the hook eye.
Finally take some dubbing and twist straight on the thread to create a rope of dubbing. You can use this rope to cover the tie off point and then lift the “head” and wrap the dubbing all the way to the hook eye. This will help prop the head up and create a big wake in the water.
Finish off with some Loon Flow on the thread wraps and then hit the water with your new skater.
Follow Panther Branch Bugs on Instagram and if you're interested in placing an order, send an email to bailebr3@gmail.com.
3 comments:
That mouse will hunt! I'm going to build a few larger ones as well. Thanks for the cool and simple tie.
Terrific tie! Can't wait to try that on some greedy summer smallmouth!
Excellent pattern!
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