Balanced minnows, continued

troutpocket

troutpocket

Stillwater strategist
Forum Supporter
There was a thread from last year that seems worth continuing here. In my report from Saturday @Buzzy asked about the balanced pattern I used. Balanced minnows have been a project for me the last few years. I started tying straight white bunny leeches on a balanced hook “chassis” and have tried a few combinations of colors and materials. I pulled these out of my box for a photo.
63EF3F62-E6DC-4241-A7D5-8AE7A9E9D423.jpeg

The bottom pattern is what I fished. Super simple recipe:
Hook: #8 90-degree jig made to balance with a straight pin (cut to length) and bead
Bead: 3.3 mm tungsten copper finish
Thread: orange
Tail: white marabou
Body: ice dub, UV tan, in a dubbing loop
Color spot: ice dub, fluorescent orange

In general, these patterns have their time and place. When they work, they can produce really well. Often there are better options.

The more involved patterns with fish skulls and eyes haven’t been more effective than the quick and easy versions.

I like adding a color spot or some other visual contrast. I seem to catch more vs a straight white pattern.

I am looking for a hook I really like for these. Next on my list to try are Mustad and Daiichi.
 
Rod and Billy, how do you guys fish these?
 
troutpocket said:
There was a thread from last year that seems worth continuing here. In my report from Saturday @Buzzy asked about the balanced pattern I used. Balanced minnows have been a project for me the last few years. I started tying straight white bunny leeches on a balanced hook “chassis” and have tried a few combinations of colors and materials. I pulled these out of my box for a photo.
View attachment 6204

The bottom pattern is what I fished. Super simple recipe:
Hook: #8 90-degree jig made to balance with a straight pin (cut to length) and bead
Bead: 3.3 mm tungsten copper finish
Thread: orange
Tail: white marabou
Body: ice dub, UV tan, in a dubbing loop
Color spot: ice dub, fluorescent orange

In general, these patterns have their time and place. When they work, they can produce really well. Often there are better options.

The more involved patterns with fish skulls and eyes haven’t been more effective than the quick and easy versions.

I like adding a color spot or some other visual contrast. I seem to catch more vs a straight white pattern.

I am looking for a hook I really like for these. Next on my list to try are Mustad and Daiichi.
Click to expand...
Freestone and I were hammering fish on a similar fly last fall on a neighborhood lake. But we were rudely blown off the water by a cold hard wind. I went back a few days later but struggled to get hookups. Some days you're the windshield, other days the bug.

I agree that the simple patterns seem to work. I haven't tried bead heads, just a hook with a single marabou plume for the tail and body, a couple of strips of flash and a red thread head seems to be enough. I used to use the white flies on Atlantic salmon in Hosmer Lake in the fall, stripped fast they elicited vicious strikes.
 
iveofione said:
Freestone and I were hammering fish on a similar fly last fall on a neighborhood lake. But we were rudely blown off the water by a cold hard wind. I went back a few days later but struggled to get hookups. Some days you're the windshield, other days the bug.

I agree that the simple patterns seem to work. I haven't tried bead heads, just a hook with a single marabou plume for the tail and body, a couple of strips of flash and a red thread head seems to be enough. I used to use the white flies on Atlantic salmon in Hosmer Lake in the fall, stripped fast they elicited vicious strikes.
Click to expand...
Feast or famine. I went back on Sunday to see if lightning might strike twice. It didn’t. There were still a few fish around but it was colder. I quit at noon. The few fish I hooked took a #14 black micro leech.
 
troutpocket said:
There was a thread from last year that seems worth continuing here. In my report from Saturday @Buzzy asked about the balanced pattern I used. Balanced minnows have been a project for me the last few years. I started tying straight white bunny leeches on a balanced hook “chassis” and have tried a few combinations of colors and materials. I pulled these out of my box for a photo.
View attachment 6204

The bottom pattern is what I fished. Super simple recipe:
Hook: #8 90-degree jig made to balance with a straight pin (cut to length) and bead
Bead: 3.3 mm tungsten copper finish
Thread: orange
Tail: white marabou
Body: ice dub, UV tan, in a dubbing loop
Color spot: ice dub, fluorescent orange

In general, these patterns have their time and place. When they work, they can produce really well. Often there are better options.

The more involved patterns with fish skulls and eyes haven’t been more effective than the quick and easy versions.

I like adding a color spot or some other visual contrast. I seem to catch more vs a straight white pattern.

I am looking for a hook I really like for these. Next on my list to try are Mustad and Daiichi.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Rod! I guess you were the bug Sunday, not the windshield.

Last year, after seeing your fish skull minnows, I tied up a couple. I didn't like the finished product, found them tedious to try and tie.
 
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