By David Lilly
Winter is settling in. The water temperature has dropped. The egg bite has tapered off and the hatches have long since been a thing of the past. The trout and the steelhead however, are still in the river and very available!
Baitfish patterns, sculpins, and gobies are all on the menu. Swinging flies with a two handed rod or stripping steamers is a great way to target these fish. This pattern can be stripped, swung or dead drifted to fit that bill. Now layer up, wader up, get to the river and put a bend in the rod!
Place the 20mm shank in the vice and start your thread. Wrap back on the shank to close the gap in the rear portion. Cut a section of intruder wire approx 2.5 inches long and tie to the shank with the loop off of the rear portion of the shank. Tie in the cactus chenille and wrap forward on the shank until just short of the eye. Tie in the Fish Finz on each side of the shank. Tie in the rabbit strip then the flash material on top. Apply gel super glue to the shank then push the sculpin helmet over the eye of the shank and allow the glue to dry. Restart your thread and build a thread dam to secure the helmet, then whip finish. Add the trout bead of your choice, loop the intruder wire through the eye of the hook and your ready to fish!
Materials
THREAD: Veevus 100 GSP (Olive)
HOOK: #2 Gamakatsu Octopus
INTRUDER WIRE: Senyo’s Black
ABDOMEN: Cactus Chenille Large
(Rootbeer) & Kiley’s Fish Finz
(mottled brown)…bead optional
WING: Magnum Rabbit Strip (olive)
OVER WING: Ice Wing Fiber
(minnow back)
HEAD: Sculpin Helmet small (brown)