Mike's Red Rocket

With all the steelhead stuff I have been doing lately it was refreshing to sit back and tie up some Red Rockets over the last week. I suppose you could throw it at chrome, but this is a fly that was designed with chucking it at hog browns in mind. I love getting out and getting some shots at post spawn brown trout with their winter colors and temprement...they are mean and hungry!

Thread: UTC140 denier
Hooks: Gamagatsu B10S, size 1 and 2
Tail: Rabbit strip, black
Body1: Schlappen, blue
Body2: Cactus Chenille, black pearl
Body3: Marabou, black
Cheeks: Grizzly Marabou, sand
Head: Senyo Laser Dub, black
Eyes: 3D Epoxy, Super Pearl

Common color variations: black over blue, brown over yellow, olive over tan, burnt orange over black

STEP 1: With your Gamagatsu B10S size 2 in the vise get your thread started and wrapped to the back of the hook shank. Once at the rear tie in point, located above the midpoint of the hook spear, tie in 4-6 strands of Magnum Flashabou. Tie in the Flashabou by it's middle with a few tight wraps then fold it over itself and complete wrapping it down.

STEP 2: Tie in the rabbit strip off the back of the hook from the rear tie in point. The strip should hand off the back about an inch and a half or so. Once it is securely in place trim the Flashabou so that it sticks out just a bit past the rabbit.

STEP 3: At the rear tie in point you now attach a single schlappen feather by the tip and then the cactus chenille with a few tight wraps each, then advance the thread forward to the eye.

STEP 4: Wrap the cactus chenille forward to form the underbody of the fly and then palmer the schlappen forward and tie it off. Be careful as you wrap forward not to trap fibers down to the body.

STEP 5: Just behind the eye finish the back of the fly by tying in a marabou veil. The marabou tips should extend past the schlappen and about half way down the rabbit strip.

STEP 6: Place the Gamagatsu B10S size 1 hook in the vise and wrap the shank with lead. Attach the rear hook using 19 strand .018" Beadalon threaded through the eye with two size E beads as spacers. Tightly wrap edge to edge forward and back to lock the connection in place.

STEP 7: Using another 6-10 strands of Magnum Flashabou you will form a skirt off the baack of the front hook to add internal flash and help cover the junction. Tie them in by the middle on one side of the hook shank and then fold them back over themself and tie them off. They should extend about to the back of the schlappen on the rear hook.

STEP 8: Mirror Step 3, at the rear tie in point you now attach a single schlappen feather by the tip and then the cactus chenille with a few tight wraps each, then advance the thread forward to the eye.

STEP 9: Mirror Step 4, wrap the cactus chenille forward to form the underbody of the fly and then palmer the schlappen forward and tie it off. You should leave about a quarter to a third of an inch behind the eye for the remaining steps.

STEP 10: Mirror Step 5 and tie in a marabou veil. The marabou tips should extend past the schlappen and extend over the junction point.

STEP 11: Tie in two rubber legs so they come down each side of the hook shank and trim them so they extend about to the bend of the front hook.

STEP 12: Over the tie in point for the legs you will add the Grizzly Marabou cheeks. The cheeks will extend about the length of the hook shank, so just short of the rubber legs.

STEP 13: Tie in a thick head of Senyo Laser Dub. You will need to stroke the fibers so they are mostly going the same direction, slide the clump over the eye of the hook, a few wraps in the middle, then fold it back over itself and tie off behind the eye.

STEP 14: After a secure whip finish remove the thread and finish the fly by adding eyes to each side using Loctite gel. Make sure to hold the eyes in place until you feel them getting warm, which ensures they are securely bonded and will not fall off.

My favorite way to fish this fly is to use a 200gr SA Long full sinking line to get it out and then vary the retrieve strips to get a nice erratic motion as the fly is brought back in.

To order this pattern or my other patterns, or if you have any questions about the pattern that were not addressed, please visit http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/, or find me at Anglers Choice Flies on Facebook.

Wiley's Lil' Minnow

Hook: Daiichi 2546 #6
Thread: 6/0 Uni-Thread
Tail: Rabbit Strip
Body: Rabbit
Collar: Mallard Flank Feather and Rams Wool
Flash: Holographic Flashabou
Legs: Rainbow Shimmer Legs
Head: Rams Wool

Step 1: Start by placing a Daiichi 2546 #6 hook in the vise. Wrap a layer of thread back to just before the bend of the hook.


Step 2: Bring the thread to just about half way up the shank of the hook and tie in a rabbit strip.


Step 3: Next, take three strips of red and three strips of silver holographic Flashabou, double them over and tie them in at the same place that the rabbit was tied in.


Step 4: Now take three small clumps of rabbit fur.


Step 5: Tie one on each side of the hook and one on the bottom of the hook. All three are tied in at the same spot that the flash and rabbit strip are.

 
Step 6: Palmer a single gadwell or mallard feather to form a collar.
   Step 7: Now, tie in two rubber legs on each side of the fly. For an all white fly I like to use the Rainbow Shimmer Legs.
Step 8: Next, move your thread forward to just in front of where the materials have been tied in to this point. Take four small clumps of ram’s wool and tie them in on both sides, top and bottom of the fly. Note, that the ram’s wool in this step has the tips pointing back to give a nice collar to the head of the fly.


Step 9: Now move your thread in front of the clumps that were just tied in. Take a large clump of ram’s wool and spin it around the hook and secure it in place. Wrap the thread to just in front of the wool, whip finish, glue and cut the thread off.


 Final: Trim the head of the fly to a bullet shape and your ready for the water.

I first started to tie this for steelhead in the late winter. It was created to imitate the salmon fry and other minnows in the Pere Marquette and Manistee River. It has since become one of my favorite brown trout and smallmouth flies also. This fly can be tied in a number of colors to match any type of forage in the waters. So whip up a few and get it wet.

Aaron guides for Schultz outfitters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you have any questions e-mail me at troutbum0112@yahoo.com or check out schultzoutfitters.com

Matt Zudweg's "Wicked Leech of the Midwest"

When I first began swinging flies for Steelhead, I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, looking back on it now I wouldn't even call it swinging. At that time, I would simply rig a heavy sink tip with a big bunny streamer such as a "mad pup" and back troll through a run, just like I had seen the plug fishermen do. Simple as it was, it worked. It wasn't until I began working for Feenstra Guide Service, that I truly began "swinging flies" for Steelhead. The added "swing" made this style of fishing way more fun and effective. Although swinging for Steelhead is one of the most challenging ways to hook them, the take is so awesome that it's very hard to go back to any other form of catching them. If you haven't tried it, I would highly recommend that you do. Even if it's on a single hand rod, the experience is one you won't forget. For more information on swinging for Steelhead I recommend Kevin Feenstra's latest dvd available at: http://www.swingabigfly.com/

The pattern below is one I used much of the fall season this year. It has become one of my go to patterns. I hope you will give it a try.


Step 1: Place a Daiichi 2461 Size 2 hook in your vise and attach dumbell eyes about 1/8" behind the hook eye. Wind thread to the back of the hook, even with the hook point.

Step 2: Attach a black micro rabbit strip securely to the top of the hook and wind thread forward, leaving about 1/4" before the dumbell eyes. Trim the rabbit strip so it is 1 1/2" behind the hook.

Step 3: Wind the rabbit strip forward until it reaches the thread, and tie it off, trimming the excess.

Step 4: Attach a large yellow mallard flank by the tip and trim off excess.

Step 5: Dub some pink, or hot pink Laser Dub, or Ice Dub onto the thread and wind losely up to the dumbell eyes.

Step 6: Palmer the mallard flank through the dubbing and tie off.

Step 7: Attach a large amount of Black Rainbow Polar Flash just behind the dumbell eyes, leaving it about an inch longer than the rabbit strip.

Step 8: Fold the Polar Flash over the eyes and tie the remnant to the underside of the hook. Trim it the same length as the top fibers of Polar Flash.

Step 9: Advance the thread ahead of the dumbell eyes and tie in a clump of Hot Yellow Ice Dub or Laser Dub, as you would a vail on an egg fly. That's it!

Good Luck Swinging for Steelhead!

Matt Zudweg guides for Feenstra Guide Service on Michigan's Muskegon River. He also owns BoneYard Fly Gear. To see his unique line of fishing products visit http://www.boneyardflygear.com/