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Robot Mouse from Third Coast Fly on Vimeo.

Trout Fly Recipe… Robot Mouse by Matt Dunn

I’ve been doing a lot of mousing after dark this summer, probably my favorite thing to do in the summer. There are some great mouse patterns out there and the thing is, most anything that floats and creates a good wake on the surface will bring fish up. The problem is hooking them. Though I’ve seen that done plenty of times on basic patterns as well. But I was really drawn to Tommy Lynch’s White Bellied Mouse because it has a stinger hook dangling off the back. What I don’t like about his pattern is that it sucks up water like a sponge and doesn’t float as well as it could. I really like a spun deer hair body, i.e. Ken Morrish’s Morrish Mouse, because it pushes a lot of water and floats very well.

So why not combine the two patterns? The pattern doesn’t really look anything like a mouse, it’s really an amalgamation of a few properties that seem to be important. The stinger hook and the spun deer hair body are both important, but I also think the hard mono connection between the front and rear hook is critical because it allows the rear hook to swing freely and really kick around in the water.

Best For… trout          Could Also Be Used For…  bass and pike

A link to the original post on Third Coast Fly…

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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
Eyes… large red lead eyes
Tail/Body… yellow olive bunny strip (see note 1)
Collar.. light blue crystal flash
Hackle… Brown Schlappen
Head… brown rag yarn (see note 2)

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.

Third Coast Fly – The Beasts of Beaver Island

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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
Eyes… large yellow lead eyes
Body Weight… 12 or so wraps of lead wire
Tail… brown marabou
Body… olive brown U.V. Polar Chenille
Collar.. yellow mallard
Head… peacock colored Cactus Dubbing

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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
Tail and Body… light blue tinsel
Wing… natural mallard
Hackle… grouse or pheasant
Head… orange or red thread

John Kluesing, Northern Lights Guide Service (231) 745-3792

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Steelhead Fly Pattern… Morlock’s Baby Salmon by Kevin Morlock

This fly is my evolution of the best spring into summer salmon fry pattern.  From April through June the Pere Marquette River and other Michigan streams become thick with young salmon in the 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch range.  They are an abundant and high protein food source that our resident trout and visiting steelhead focus on.

This is a must have pattern in my box for steelhead and trout swung behind an egg.  When I’m just focusing on trout we will use this fly to fish downstream around cover, riffles and drop-offs.  Or my latest favorite is to fish it behind a larger attractor streamer… 90% of the fish will come on the fry pattern.

Best For… steelhead and trout          Could Also Be Used For…  panfish

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… TMC 3761, size 6 or 8
Tail and Body… Flashabou Mirage, 3005 opal
Wing… natural mallard
Head Base… built up black thread
Gill Accent… red thread
Head Finish… your favorite head hardener

 
Morlock’s Baby Salmon, Alevin Martinez with a salmon fry.

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Steelhead Fly Recipe… Alevin Martinez by Steve Martinez

This fly is designed to fish when swung down-stream or stripped with short strips.  Peak timing for this fly is February through June, focusing on the hatching salmon and then the steelhead.  I tied this fly smaller to better represent the size of a real alevin but have evolved to this larger size because it catches more fish.

Best For… steelhead and trout          Could Also Be Used For…  panfish

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… TMC 3761, size 6
Eyes… black bead chain
Tail… white zonker
Back… loose spun yarn (see note)
Body… sparkle braid
Egg Sac… orange or peach McFoam

Note:  The only place I know to get this loose spun yarn is FlyMasters in Indianapolis.

 
Morlock’s Baby Salmon, Alevin Martinez with a salmon fry.
 

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Steelhead Fly Recipe… SS Buggers (Steelhead/Salmon Buggers) by Everyone

This is another super easy to tie, highly effective steelhead and salmon pattern used by many folks in the area.  Swing it as a wet or use it as a streamer with or without a sink-tip.  Tail, body, tinsel and hackle color combinations are endless, I go with bright in low light or dirty water and natural in clear conditions.  I tie most with tinsel because it only takes two snips with my scissors to un-tinsel them.

Best For… steelhead and salmon          Could Also Be Used For…  trout, carp and bass

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Mustad R74, size 4
Eyes… x-large silver bead chain
Tail… marabou
Tinsel… whatever you like
Body… yarn
Hackle… schlappen

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Carp Fly Pattern… Anderson’s Hammerhead by Ian Anderson

On a June evening at the Fisherman’s House on Beaver Island last summer, our friend Ian Anderson decided to create a funny new carp fly.  There is little doubt that Ian’s creativity was peaking after several beers.  Well, Ian threw together 4 bead chain eye’s, rubber legs, glow-in-the-dark Mylar and some bunny strip… finally creating this 5 inch crazy monster of a fly.

Wouldn’t you know that we absolutely destroyed the carp on that fly the next couple days.  This is now my go-to fly for hot, aggressive fish.  This is also an excellent fly for smallmouth bass.

The double bead chain eyes create a lot of noise and enough weight to get depth quickly.  The bonus is that if you want to create a lighter fly, you can quickly cut-off the outside eyes while on the water.

Ian is one of our friends form FlyMasters of Indianapolis.

Best For… carp and smallmouth bass          Could Also Be Used For…  salmon

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Mustad R74, size 4
Thread… 3/0 or A Mono or FlyMasters +, color to match body
Eyes… x-large gold bead chain and 8 – 10 wraps of .030 lead wire
Tail… 4 – 6 pumpkin/black flake sili legs,  6 strands glow in the dark Mylar Motion fl. orange, 6 strands glow in the dark Mylar Motion fl. yellow
Under Body… dark brown sparkle yarn
Over Body… crawfish orange magnum zonker or black barred orange over tan magnum tiger strip (Hare Line)

Notes:
1) This fly uses regular rabbit zonker strips, not crosscut strips.  You palmer the zonker with a small margin of the skin over lapping the previous wrap while stroking back the fur on each wrap.  By using a regular zonker strip the hair stands out and pulses more than a cross cut strip would.
2) Color variations would be black, olive or dark brown.  Tiger Zonker (strips) or barred zonkers work better because of the contrasting colors.
3) You can tie this on a size 6 using large bead chain and magnum zonker and a size 8 using large or medium bead chain and a regular zonker strip; not magnum.  Lead size would also be reduced for each smaller size hook.

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Steelhead Fly Pattern… Bunny Hex by unknown

A local fly fishing friend brought this pattern on a trip last year and it was dynamite, he had picked-up the pattern at a local fly fishing club meeting (West Michigan Hacklers).  I have made a few changes from his original, peacock back instead of swiss straw, black eyes instead of brass and a better hook.  It is still dynamite and easy to tie and has become mandatory equipment in my boat for steelhead.  Kevin Morlock

Best For… steelhead          Could Also Be Used For…  salmon and trout

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Gamakatsu, octopus (02408), size 4

Eyes… medium, black bead chain

Tail… flesh colored rabbit strip

Back… 4-5 strands of peacock herl

Body… cream colored sparkle yarn

Hackle… pheasant body

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Steelhead Fly Recipe… Crystal Egg (Estaz Egg or Sparkle Egg) by unknown

I have a wide variety of nuke and crystal eggs in my boat each day for steelhead and salmon.  The crystal eggs give me more versatility and fly pattern depth than simply having yarn selections.  They work well in all conditions and are a "must have" pattern for my trips.  Kevin Morlock

Best For… steelhead, salmon and trout

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Mustad, octopus,beak "Big Red" (92567R), size 4-6

Body (inner)… Estaz, Cactus Chenille or Ice Chenille

Wing (outer)… a lighter colored egg yarn than the inner color