Do you love big bluegill?

Muddler Minnow SBS

Ok, I've been fishing one of these for a couple weeks now, and I've caught all sorts of fish on it. Bluegill, Green Sunfish, BG x RE Hybrids, and a LMB. Because of the spun hair head, this fly floats just at the surface. When retrieved, it "wakes", leaving a tell-tale trail on the surface, just like a real minnow. Toss one of these out near cover, and slowly retrieve it back. I use Caribou for the head, as it floats a little better then deer hair. It also compresses a LOT more than deer hair, so I have to really pack it on.

Hook: 3xl curved-shank hook, size 12

Thread: 6/0 black

Tail: mottled turkey quill slip

Body: holographic gold tinsel

Underwing: Coyote fur

Overwing: paired mottled turkey quill slips

Head: Spun caribou

Start the thread about 1/3 of the way down the shank from the eye. Dress the hook to a point above the barb. You want to leave the front part of the shank bare, to easily spin the hair.

Tie in the quill slip for the tail:

Then, tie in the mylar tinsel in the same spot:

Advance the thread to the tie-in point, with touching wraps, to fully secure the butt end of the feather barbs, and the tinsel. You want this to be fairly smooth, to create a smooth wrap with the tinsel.

Wrap the tinsel tightly until you reach the tie-in. Secure the tinsel with the thread:

At this point, I usually pull the tinsel straight back, and wrap the thread around the tinsel, about the same diameter as the shank. This provides a good surface for the hair underwing. Select a nice tuft of coyote, cut it from the hide, and comb out the underfur. Tie it to the hook, so that the tips of the hair are even with the end of the tail.

Trim the butts, and apply some head cement to secure the hair. Return the thread to the back of this tie-in point (not pictured).

Take the matched pair of turkey quill slips, and tie those to the hook:

Trim the butts even with the butts of the coyote, and tie it down.

Cut a bunch of caribou, and clean out the underfur. Give the hair two soft wraps around the shank, then steadily apply pressure to spin it. I find it best to keep winding thread slowly while the hair spins; this keeps it firmed tied to the hook as the hair spins.

Repeat x2:

And x3:

Pack the hair back, make a nice thread head, and give 3 nice half-hitch finishes (I'm not nimble enough, yet, with my fingers to hold all the hair back and whip-finish at the same time). Coat the head with head cement, and cut the thread.

Now comes the really messy part. Trim the hair to shape. I use a razor for this, but a cordless beard trimmer would be better, especially if you have a rotary vise.

And, the finished fly: