SALTWATER - OFFSHORE

CREASE MINNOW

A great fly to use when target fish are actively feeding on small fish such as sardines, whitebait and pilchards. You can either fish it on a floating line and strip it across the surface with dramatic effect or fish the fly on a sinking line, count the fly down and then retrieve it up through the water column using a fast stripping action or rolly poly retrieve. I have seen recipes where the foam is folded from both below and above the fly. If you want to include a beard then its easier to fold the foam from above and if you want a more buoyant fly its easier to fold the foam from above. Both work.

COPY OF ORIGINAL TIED BY ANDREW WHEELER

ORIGINAL TIE PLUS BEARD

MATERIALS FOR THE FIRST EXAMPLE ABOVE:

Hook - Size 2 to size 4/0 stainless
Thread - White thread
Tail flash - Your choice
Bib - (Optional) Red tinsel
Body - White closed cell foam
Eyes - Black paint or dolls eyes
Body colour - permanent marker pens

A) Tie in a tail. The tail can be a Dahlberg Diver style tail a Deceiver style tail, a length of Zonker strip or as just a bunch of white synthetic hair with a bit of contrasting material over the top. In any case make the underbody uniform along the length of the hook shank.
B) The original tie folds the closed cell foam over the top of the fly as in the first and second picture above. Unless you want to include a beard my preference is to fold the fly from below and to shape the body. Cut out a piece of closed cell foam to this shape. the distance from the end of the groove to the uncut end should be as long as the hook shank. Apply contact cement to one side of the foam and along the underbody.
C) Once the contact has gone off fold lay the closed cell foam along the bottom of the hook and fold the side up vertically and together. Glue dolls eyes on each side of the head using the same contact cement. take the fly out of the vice and decorate along the back with your choice of permanent texture pens.

Last modified: 11-Jun-2008.