Winn’s Baitfish Minnow
In most of our fishing environs we will eventually encounter a wide bodied minnow or baitfish that is a prized menu item for the gamesters we seek. In fresh water juvenile shad come to mind and in the salt there are menhaden, pilchards, threadfins or greenies among others. With that in mind the below greenie imitation has worked for me for years.
I’ve been a proponent and user of synthetics for a long time. What synthetics may lack in natural movement is more than made up for in its durability, neutral buoyancies, brilliant colors, and light weight. As a late teen I worked on a commercial king fish boat and one of the desired characteristic for an artificial was durability and that was difficult to come by with the dental work of a king mackerel. One of the items used to accomplish this was a piece of polypropylene ski rope. When lashed to a large 8/0-10/0 hook with wire and unbraided one had a very durable lure or skirt that would hold up to many kingfish. The diameter of the individual fibers of the ski rope were too large for making flies but soon smaller diameter possibilities were available. The first I used was macramé cord which was also polypropylene and it was a popular craft and readily available in the seventies and eighties. Later craft fur, polar fibre and others became popular. Today I am most fond of the H2O/Fishient products of Slinky Fibre, SF Flash Fibres with flash built in, and most recently their UV variations. Ease of use, durable, lasting colors, and light weight are all characteristics I look for and they are all available in those products.
For the fly above I have utilized the UV Fibres for the body and a small bit of Flouro Fibres for the throat.
I like to taper my materials prior to attaching them to the hook and rarely do any trimming once it is attached. I attach my mono thread about 1/3 back from the hook eye. For a fly about four inches in length start with a small clump of UV Fibers about 6″ in total length and tapered or feathered on each end. Attach it with about 2/3 of the length (3.5 – 4″) extending rearward as shown on the photo.
Then as we are looking for a wide bodied imitation, fold the amount extending forward down and rearward giving a wide bodied appearance. This process can be repeated using the same colors giving an even more appearance of being wide bodied. Note also by first tying in the fibers and then folding them back and tying down you have created a very durable silhouette, very difficult to pull out.
Finally attach a tapered piece of chartreuse or olive along the back and finish with a small patch of flouro fibre in the throat area in orange, red or pink. All that remains is to attach an eye and you’re ready to go. I use superglue gel to do that but often finish it off with a small amount of epoxy around the edges of the eyes for more durability.
When Ron Winn isn’t at his bench tying some new work of art or walking the beach looking for the next bait run is at work as a CPA in Melbourne Florida. He donates his spare time as national treasurer of the FFF and his local Fly Club the Backcountry.
