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Visit our West Michigan Fly Index page for a quick look at our collection.
Steelhead Tube Fly… Basic Bucktail Tube This is Kevin's bread-and-butter steelhead streamer for fall and winter. It is extremely basic and easy to tie but absolutely effective. The lower section of many of the west Michigan streams like the Pere Marquette, Muskegon and Manistee are basically snags with water running through them. Kevin doesn't even flinch when he breaks-off and quickly ties on another. Other considerations are that this fly will cast with the ease of a small fly but has a big profile. It also allows Kevin to use his favorite steelhead hook, the Gamakatsu octopus 02408 in size 4. Being able to vary the weight with added cones and making minor color changes with bead choices allows a lot of versatility. Kevin originally tied this Clouser type fly on traditional streamer hooks but switched to a tube style because the long flash wraps and tangles on the hook shank and bend. Best For… steelhead and pike Could Also Be Used For… trout, salmon and bass ***Materials listed in tying order Tube… whatever plastic tube you like Note – Kevin makes a point to wrap tight and heavy and then glue at both ends of the tube. This keeps materials from sliding off and also reduces tube splitting. References: 1) Kevin posted a series on our Third Coast Fly site on how he streamer fishes for fall and winter steelhead. 2) You might also like the video Michigan's Fall Steel.
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Visit our West Michigan Fly Index page for a quick look at our collection.
Steelhead Fly Recipe… Spring's Wiggler by Ron(?) Spring This is a west Michigan classic but it remains a perfect steelhead fly because it is an easy tie and fish still love to eat it. As far as a little internet reaserch produced the fly was the creation of Ron Spring who operated a sports shop in Muskegon. I like my Spring's Wigglers bushier and with a thinner body than most that I see for sale in local shops. I tie them in a variety of colors and in sizes 4-6. Best For… steelhead and salmon Could Also Be Used For… trout and carp ***Materials listed in tying order Hook… TMC 200R, size 4-6 Note – After you lash down the back make several wraps under the lashed squirrel tail near the hook eye. This will stand the hair up to look more like a head. |
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Visit our Michigan Flies page for all of our patterns and recipes.
Carp Fly Recipe… Morlock's Beast Bait by Kevin Morlock This is pattern and in the yellow in particular is becoming a staple on Kevin's carp trips. Though he has been tying and using variations of this pattern for years he has been reluctant to give it a name because it looks like dozens of bunny strip flies that are already out there. Though this year Kevin has decided to give it a name because people keep asking what it is called and why the recipe isn't on the site. And also because this fly has now accounted for two of the four largest carp caught by the Indigo crew… both in yellow. This is a quick and easy pattern to tie and should be tied in several colors. Tie them large, you can always cut them smaller on the water. Best For… carp Could Also Be Used For… trout, bass, salmon and steelhead ***Materials listed in tying order Hook… Mustad R90 Note 1 – Tie your eyes on and then glue them and let them dry. Before you put the fly back in the vise, pierce the bunny strip with the hook about 1 inch down from the head end. Note 2 – The only place I know to get this yarn is FlyMasters, though on this pattern you could substitute anything. |
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Visit our West Michigan Fly Index page for a quick look at our collection.
Carp Fly Recipe… Martinez’s Depth Charge by Steve Martinez When the carp are deep you have to get deep quickly to be effective. This fly is heavy and casts like a kitchen sink but it is effective. It has became Steve’s bread-and-butter fly for cloudy days when the carp are staying in deeper water. You can vary the color and size but this is the standard. Best For… carp Could Also Be Used For… trout, bass and steelhead ***Materials listed in tying order Hook… TMC 200R |
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Visit our West Michigan Fly Index page for a quick look at our collection.
Salmon Fly Pattern… Blueburg by John Kluesing As the story goes, legindary west Michigan guide John Kluesing wanted to tie a batch of Hornburgs for his next day of salmon fishing and only had a handful of usable mallard feathers left. As you may remember, the Hornburg has two mallard feathers per fly. John decided to go for quantity over quality and only used one feather across the back. The Blueburg has been a favorite among area guides and fisherman for years and has caught everything that swims. It looks good dead drifted but will start to wobble when it swings out at the end of the drift. This is also one of my carp flies for tough pods of resting fish in skinny water… you can just dance this fly across their nose. Best For… salmon, steelhead and carp Could Also Be Used For… trout, bass and panfish ***Materials listed in tying order Hook… TMC 105, size 4 – 8
John Kluesing, Northern Lights Guide Service (231) 745-3792 |
