Category Archives: Favorite Patterns

The Moose Knuckle routinely attends fly tying courses with commercial tiers. The patters we learn will be featured from time to time on this blog along with links to the original pattern creators. If the team is traveling around and notices a previously unknown to us pattern we will feature it. Here you will see updates of new patterns, hot flys and all the info you need to land a hog.

Favorite Patterns

The Mickey Finn

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As you may have gathered, the ice season ended abruptly in New Jersey with a long mid-winter thaw. Some lakes and ponds still have ice cover though not providing anywhere near what is considered a safe thickness. As a result, part of the MKFF crew headed up to Brant Lake, NY this weekend in search of thicker ice and boy did they locate it!

Cabin Fever weekend, a few of my favorite things.
Cabin Fever weekend, a few of my favorite things.

Dave and I had to hang back here in Frelinghuysen Township; part of our appointed/ elected official duties included posting the boundaries of the new Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve. Fortunately, there was plenty of time to whip up a traditional Brook Trout Streamer whilst listening to Dave strum some new MKFF theme songs on his guitar.

The Pattern

John Alden Knight first designed this fly in the 1930s, named for the infamous drugged drink of the time; it remains a popular and effective bucktail streamer. The Mickey Finn imitates baitfish commonly found in Trout producing streams, the red stripe of bucktail appears like a baitfish’s lateral line to a predator. Similar to the drugged drink, it certainly knocks your prey out; I once had a 20 fish day on stocked Brook Trout with this pattern. The fly can be effective for Salmon, Trout, Steelhead, Bass and even an occasional Pike.

Materials

  1. Mustad 9672; 2-12
  2. UNI-Thread Black 6/0
  3. UNI-Thread Red 6/0
  4. Small Silver Ultra Wire
  5. Large Mylar Tinsel Gold/Silver
  6. Yellow Bucktail
  7. Orange/ Red Bucktail
  8. 1/8” Flat Eyes

Steps

  1. Start the Red thread and build a base near the tail, directly above the barb.

    Step 1 Red Thread
    Step 1 – Start the red thread, build a base for the tail.
  2. Tie your black thread on, one eye‘s length behind the hook eye, lay thread along the shank of hook.

    Step 2 - Start the black thread and create tie in base.
    Step 2 – Start the black thread and create tie in base.
  3. Tie in both the Tinsel and the Ultra Wire at the head; use black thread to layer the length of the shank. Leave red butt end uncovered by black thread.

    Step 3 - Tie in Ultra Wire and Tinsel.
    Step 3 – Tie in Ultra Wire and Tinsel, wrap thread down the shank, locking in Ultra Wire and Tinsel.
  4. Wind the Silver side of the Tinsel flat and tight with a narrow part of each strip overlapping back to the tie in point. Tie off and cut excess.
  5. Wind the ultra wire evenly up the shank in similar fashion, it will provide additional strength to the Tinsel wraps.

    Step 4/5 - Warp Tinsel and Ultra Wire up hook shank, tie off and remove excess.
    Step 4/5 – Warp Tinsel and Ultra Wire up hook shank, tie off and remove excess.
  6. Select a pinch of yellow bucktail, tie in at the base you have created, near the tie in point. Remember to not apply too much pressure to make the butt end of the bucktail flare out. Instead, use multiple loose wraps and create a mound.

    Step 6 - Tie in yellow bucktail.
    Step 6 – Tie in yellow bucktail.
  7. Repeat the same steps completed for the yellow bucktail, this time with the orange. Trim the excess ends of the bucktail off in an upward angle. Add an additional amount of yellow on top of the red. This will create the lateral line effect.

    Step 7 - Add in orange buck tail, use staircase method to layer on thread.
    Step 7 – Add in orange buck tail, use staircase method to layer on thread.
  8. Build up a mound of black thread over the butt ends of the bucktail. Apply some head cement and then add your eyes.

    Finished Mickey Finn, a little light on the yellow thread up top. I will update this picture later in the week once I perfect the pattern.
    Finished Mickey Finn, a little light on the yellow thread up top. I will update this picture later in the week once I perfect the pattern.

How to Use

The Mickey Finn, can be retrieved upstream or down, just don’t use it at a bar, it won’t work on chicks! You can also retrieve across the current with a jerking twitch to imitate baitfish.

Completed Mickey Finn W/O Eyes
Completed Mickey Finn W/O Eyes. Take notice of the lateral line effect created by the layering of bucktail. To a hungry Trout this fly resembles a bait fish.
Favorite Patterns

Week in Review

I’ve been spending a lot of time at the vice lately.

Meat
My take on the Butt Monkey
Chubby Chub
Product Testing
No fish in there
         Traffic Jam

Awesome.

Great Book on Getting Started Tying Flies

Favorite Patterns

Mohair Leech

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Hot Fly For Opening Day

When fishing lakes, ponds, slow moving backwaters and other placid water fishing you cannot go wrong with a leech pattern. Leeches are one of the reasons that pond fish have the potential to grow larger than their cousins in the river. For a hungry trout, a single leech packs some serious protein. The pattern I am about to tie was taught to me at the Sparse Grey Matter – Fly Tying Fest. It will work great on opening day, fresh stocked Brook Trout love the color red. A few weeks later when the Rainbow are stocked, they will lust after the same fly. Fish the Mohair Leech similar to a Wooly Bugger.

Materials

  1. Mustad Size 12 STD Dry
  2. Cyclops Beads 7/64” Brown Olive
  3. Lead Wire .015
  4. Uni Thread 8/0 Red
  5. ¼ OZ. Dyed Red Marabou
  6. Krystal Flash Pearl Red
  7. Mohair Yarn Roe Red
  8. Rabbit Dubbing Red

Steps

  1. Take the hook and place the Cyclops Bead on the point, smaller opening will face the eye of the hook. Push the bead along the shank, forward to the eye. Secure the hook and bead into the vice.
  2. Using the lead wire, wrap ten turns on the shank of the hook. Cut off excess wire and push coil forward along the shank until snug inside the larger opening in the bead.
  3. Start the Red thread behind the lead coil on the shank. Create mound to hold lead coil snugly in place. Now wrap the thread over the lead coil to bead, then wrap back along the shank until you stop directly above the barb.
  4. Select a nice piece of Marabou, there should be a thick tail area, lacking stem.  Using your thumb and forefinger starting at the stem, smooth the feather back to the end. Repeat this action a few times until the feather is all aligned in the same direction. Using thumb and forefinger pinch a section 2/3 of the shank length. Tie in at the pinch with four wraps. Remember to start holding the pinch in front of the shank and use the force of the thread to align the Marabou to the top of the shank.
  5. Now hold the Marabou up and slightly out of your way. Wrap the thread forward along the shank to the beginning of the lead coil. Do not attempt to build up body, this is unnecessary and will be completed in the future with Mohair Yarn. Cut off excess feather and return thread to tail at tie in position.
  6. Select two pieces of Crystal Flash Pearl Red. Tie in at the 2/3 length on the front side with two wraps of thread.
  7. Now loop the remaining Flash material out towards the eye back along the far side of the shank. Tie in with two additional wraps. Cut the four pieces even with the tail.
  8. Cut off six inches of Mohair Yarn, tie in with four wraps on the top of the shank where you tied all other pieces in. Wrap thread forward to the bead.
  9. Now wrap the Mohair Yarn forward up the shank in the same direction as the thread. Continue to the bead head and then tie in, cut off excess.
  10. Select a pinch of Red Rabbit Dubbing, Dub onto thread, creating enough for about three turns of dubbing behind the bead.  Dub the three turns, this creates a nice presentation and hides the thread wrapping.
  11. Whip finish and it is complete.Purchase One Here