Norm’s Crystal Schminnow

Part 1: Sanibel Island Diaries

Mark Beardmore introduced us (MKFF) to Sanibel Island in 2012 for his thirtieth birthday celebrations. These days, the twenties are merely an extension of your teen years with money and more alcohol. As opposed to the twenty-first birthday, the thirtieth is the true adult milestone. That being said, we are gearing up to fish and party island style at the end of April.

Norm Zeigler has popularized Fly Fishing for Snook with his ground breaking book, “Snook on a Fly: Tackle, Tactics, and Tips for Catching the Great Saltwater Gamefish.” The Schminnow is his own creation, developed to mimic the small silvery white baitfish, that live off of the beautiful subtropical beaches of Sanibel Island.

Snook can be sight fished off of the beach while in season; this requires an “ocean style” delicate presentation. Using a heavier fly like the Clouser will splash and risk spooking your prey. The Schminnow will catch the sunlight and float high in the water, enticing predator fish to attack!

Materials

  1. Mustad Signature S71SZ-34007
  2. White Danville Flat Wax Nylon
  3. Black Mono Eyes – Medium
  4. Estaz Opalescent White
  5. White Marabou

The fly is relatively simple to tie and finishes strong out on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is a general attractor pattern, not mimicking any specific baitfish and necessary in any Fly Fisherman’s arsenal. Norm designated it the Schminnow to indicate the pattern is part shrimp and part minnow. Another variation of this fly is with dumbbell eyes, the weight allows it to pursue species that live deeper in the water column.

Step 1:

Place the Mustad size 2 in the vice.
Place the Mustad size 2 in the vice.

Place the hook in your vice. Attach the thread behind the hook eye; try not to crowd the eye. Build a smooth base as you wrap down the hook shank. I stop just at the barn in order to tie in the White Marabou tail.

Start the thread and evenly wrap back to the barb.
Start the thread and evenly wrap back to the barb.

Step 2:

Tie in the Marabou tail, use four or five wraps of thread, and leave about ¼ inch more than a hook shank’s length of tail. In a later step we will clip the tail. The clipping of the tail to length allows the life like breathing and flexing, during strip retrieve, which truly appears as a wounded baitfish to Snook.

Tie in the White Marabou tail.
Tie in the White Marabou tail.

Step 3:

Clip off the excess Marabou stem forward on the hook shank, at an angle, allowing you to evenly wrap it down with thread. Now wrap back to the barb, tie in the tag end of a five-inch length of Estaz. Wrap your thread forward to the tie in point behind the hook eye.

Clip of excess Marabou stem, tie in Estaz, wrap thread forward.
Clip of excess Marabou stem, tie in Estaz, wrap thread forward.

Step 4:

Create a small thread bump about an eye’s length behind your tie in point. Attach the mono eyes with a series of cross wraps, circle wrap under the eyes in order to stabilize the structure. Add a few turns in front and back for good measure; check that the eyes are stable before moving onto the next step.

Cross wrap in the eyes.
Cross wrap in the eyes.

Step 5:

Evenly wrap the Estaz around the shank, creating body, until you stop just behind the eyes. Tie off the Estaz and cut off excess. Whip finish in front of the eyes.

Wrap Estaz evenly forward, tie down running end.
Wrap Estaz evenly forward, tie down running end.

Step 6:

Using a good pair of scissors, grasp the excess Marabou (over a shank length) in your hand and trim off the excess.

Before Clipping
Before Clipping
Norm's Crystal Schminnow
Norm’s Crystal Schminnow

Look for more of our Sanibel Island Diaries series.

Part 2 – Double Haul

Part 3 – Dock Lighting for Snook

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