Favorite MI fly

[Steve]

Let's start this topic back up. What's your favorite MI fly. It can be any kind, floating, wet, or streamer.

[msiebers]

The Spings Wiggler fly is one of my favorites. I dont fish with flies as much as I used to but this pattern was always one of the first I would try for steelhead and trout in the spring. This is still the best imitation I've seen of the wiggler nymph.

[Steve]

Do you have any pattern info on that one? If so, maybe I can tie one up and put it on as our fly of the month, next month.

[msiebers]

Steve, Ill do my best to dig up that recipe. I havent done any tieing in quite some time but I must have several dozen of these wiggler flies stashed in my stuff somewhere.

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Mike

[Erik]

I'm not real well versed on the language of fly tying so don't make fun of me. The first steelhead I ever caught on a fly was a springs wiggler. It had a chartruese body tied with a shinny glittery type string and squirell hair for the back and tail. I still remember the day, it was on the big man, in the early spring about five years ago. Since then I've only caught a few steelies on flies. The best luck has come from an oregon cheese egg fly. I will quite often tip the fly with a wax worm or wiggler. So I guess that doesn't really count, does it? It does work though!
Now for trout right after the regular season opener, I really like those floating hex flies. I've found that you don't nessesarily have to match the hatch. Trout like floating bugs all summer. I like to find a spot where the water backs up and creates a nice little "slick" on the water. I'll cast and let it sit still just a few seconds then twitch it. O.K. so maybe this isn't the way your sposed to do it but I swear it works. I caught a twenty four inch brown once using just this technique. My friend told me I didn't know what I was doing only seconds before I caught it! He's never caught a twenty four inch brown in his life! Hah!

[Steve]

Hey man, whatever works.

[msiebers]

Steve did you get the e-mail I sent you on the Springs Wiggler pattern?

[Steve]

Yes, I did. You think that's a good one for February? That means I'll have to get off my butt and tie one for a picture.

[Steve]

For that spring wiggler, I printed out the picture you recommended. Do you recommend the squirel tail left
untrimmed over the head? How is the wing cased formed? By just running the
squirel from head to tail?

[msiebers]

The wing case is formed by tieing the squirel tail in first at the bend in the hook along with the chenile and hackle. Although I cant remember which is first. And I always left the ends trimmed,at the front,just past the end of the hook eye. It will kind of fan out in either direction from the hook eye. This is how I was taught years ago. I'm sure others do it differently. I'll dissect one of my old ones for you for more details.

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Mike

[msiebers]

Incidently, wigglers and the pattern's to match are used for winter steehead quite a bit. So dont be put off by the name "spring wiggler"
The way it was first described to me, this was a pattern created by the owner of Springs Tackle shop in muskegon but you know how rummers go... Also the picture you copied showed the pattern with gold chenile I believe. Try some of the other colors I mentioned in my e-mail and see what you think.

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Mike

[Bob T]

I think my favorite fly is the Muddler Minnow. I seem to tie it on when looking for a fly to start out with when there is no hatch going on. You can use it as a dry or use it as a streamer or nymph. By varying the coloration you can use it as a grasshopper.

[Steve]

Bob, I have worked a Muddler through many a water myself. A very good all-purpose fly.

[Bob T]

Steve, what I like about the fly is that you can tie it in so many variations, weighted, unweighted, marabou, wing type, color. It is usually the fly I tie on first and of course I fish it with a lot of confidence. One of my other favorites is the elk hair caddis. It is a good searching pattern and in most streams is the dominant insect around. I do not think you can go wrong with either of these two patterns. I fish a lot of small streams around the state and I find that in small streams the hatches are not as strong as in the Manistee, Au Sable or the Boardman and the fish are more likely to take a well presented fly and are less picky. Of course all of us flyfishermen would just die for a beautiful hatch to fish to. Usually that is not the norm but I relish it when it happens even though it can be frustrating in pattern selection and presentation. But that is flyfishing and we all enjoy the challenge. It makes us better fishermen.

[Steve]

Look for the muddler to be featured as our Fly of The Month for March.

[MIBow]

I'll make a couple catagories:

steelhead / springs wigglers, tied with some "rock and roll" flash colors!!

small stream dry / adams
small stream nymph / bead head hares ear

It is hard to come up with favorites!!

[gmaschke]

I to have many favorites but only use flies for steelies. So far the common and extremely easy Glo-Bug has not been mentioned. I like it because its cheap to tie, color variations are only as limited as your mind, they are easy, and last and most important they work.

I also like the Kaufmans Stone. Its a challenge to tie though and I cringe when I loose one, or two, or more. But hey thats whats its about I guess