[SouthernSteve]

Here's a fly that has worked well for me consistently on bluegill, bass, tilapia, shellcracker, stumpknocker, oscars and Mayan cichlids.

In fact, on my last trip to the Everglades, it saved the day. We usually just cast No. 10 poppers all day, but the topwater bite wasn't going on. I tied on a Myakka Minnow and it was Katy-Bar-The-Door.

I'll give you a little background: I was fishing the Myakka River one day and watched bass and bluegill bust minnows along the shoreline. I'd cast to them, expecting an immediate hookup, but nothing would happen. Same thing happened over and over. It was frustrating.

When I got home, I sat down and tried to come up with a fly that would imitate a minnow about an inch long. After changing the design a few times, I finally settled on one. I've tweaked it a bit over the years, but it's essentially the same.

It's certainly not a magical fly, but works well when fish are keying in on tiny minnows. Plus, it's virtually indestructable.

Hook: No. 8 to 14
Thread: Fine mono
Tail: Charteure marabou clipped to about 1/4 inch
Weight: 6-8 wraps .20 lead wire
Body: Kreinek medium gold braid (or copper, silver, etc) or Bodi-Braid by Spirit River
Eyes: 3D stick-on eyes
Coating: Devon 2-ton epoxy




Myakka Minnow in the Everglades:

[BigCliff]

Nice pics! that last one's tongue looks like its been workin on a wad of Beech Nut

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Steve,

Great flies and great pictures. One problem, the pictures are too large and you should be prepared for them to be deleted. Here are the requirements.

Image Posting Size Limits
Members shall not link to any images inside their message post that are wider than 550pxls. Oversize images will be deleted without notification.
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I suggest you edit your post and resize the pictures right away. Your photos are 800 X 603 pixels.

Frank

[Flyfisher for men]

I could see that being a good fly for crappies and white bass. Also, that body style might form the basis of a good crayfish pattern.