I’ve got to admit, summer is not a good time for me to be tying flies. There is way too much to do in the short three months of solid good weather. There’s surfing behind the boat, visiting family, camping, cooking out, paddle-boarding, tennis, and fishing of all sorts. But, it is inevitable that I either didn’t tie enough over the winter (using various other excuses) or I run into a situation where I want something specific that I don’t have. That’s what happened to me last week. The main river was high, but dropping, so we decided to go hit some side channels that fish move into to get out of the main current. What we didn’t know was that there was a new tree down that blocked at least half of the water into the channel we wanted to fish. We got there expecting tough wading and deep water. What we found was skinny water with a few deep slots. There were still fish in there, but my 6 wt. sink-tip was overkill and I ended up spooking more fish than I caught. What I needed was a floating line with a lighter leader and a small flashy little streamer that I could plop down in little slots and seams. I wanted something sparse and heavy for it’s size. And for reasons stated above, I wanted something simple that I could tie really quickly. This is what I came up with. People can debate what constitutes a fly versus a jig, but I often nymph fish with a spinning pole, so I will certainly fly fish with a jig. If it matters to you, call it whatever you want. It’s summer, get out there and have some fun.
Jighead Streamer
Hook: 1/16 oz. round head spinner jighead by Crappie Maxx
Thread: UTC 100 white
Tail and Overbody: White Zonker Strip
Body: Ice Dub UV Pearl
Collar: Ice Dub Red
