Recipe
Hook-3XL, 2XH streamer hook-sz. 2 or 4
Thread-white 6/0 or clear mono
Tail-white crinkle hair, white ice fur, blue polar flash, sky blue ice fur
Body-silver tinsel wrapped to cover body then coated with silver glitter nail polish
Collar-white dubbing on bottom, sky blue dubbing on top tied in to create a veil over body
Head-blue nail polish, silver 3 mm eyes, blue glitter nail polish on top in between eyes, silver glitter nail polish on bottom in between eyes, 1-2 coats Sally Hansen Hard as Nails
Material Links
Mustad Streamer Hooks sz 4.
Danville 140 Denier White Thread
Ice Fur
Flashabou
Dubbing - Pearl
Kingfisher Blue
Polish/Head Cement - Sally Hansen Hard as Nails
Tying Notes
This fly is quick and easy to tie. It is better to tie these in groups of three or more to save in dry time with the nail polish. If you want good action out of this minnow, tie the tail one and a half times the length of the hook you are using. The crinkle hair is a super important material in this fly as it keeps the ice fur from fowling. You do not have to use nail polish like I do in this pattern but I find that it gives the fly a flashy and durable profile underwater. The only other thing to keep in mind is the length of the dubbing. When you get to the dubbing step, make sure that you tie in a fairly large clump for both the top and bottom. When you brush it out, you will lose some. Also, when you tie the dubbing in towards the end of the clump, to gain length and veil the body, you also lose some fibers. Make sure you align the fibers as best you can to keep them all the same length. Follow along in the video to see this step and how to achieve the veiled body.
Fishing Tips
I find this fly does best under sunny conditions and in clear water. I use this pattern in the spring into the beginning of summer and smallmouth crush it. I have also lost a few of these to pike as well. It does not produce a big splash when it hits the water, making it the perfect choice for finicky, clear water fish and is always in my fly box when targeting smallmouth bass in small streams. This fly does great on the swing as the ice fur moves like marabou. Give this fly a try under these conditions and do not hesitate to experiment! You never know what you will discover!
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