From the Tying Bench – Custom Fly Design – The Baby Bluegill

If you have followed my Urban Fly Fishing Dallas-Fort Worth Facebook page, you have probably noticed a few references to the flies that I use, some of which are not available in fly shops. As part of my near-constant quest for bass in the streams of north Texas, I have developed several flies for the specific purpose of attracting these aggressive predators. Whether it be largemouth, white, or spotted bass, my pursuit of these hard-fighting fish knows few limits.

One of my fly designs that has been quite successful in local waters is a streamer that I have dubbed the Baby Bluegill. As you might expect from the name, the idea behind its development was to imitate juvenile bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus.) In fact, this fly will imitate the three most common Lepomis species that inhabit our north Texas waters, which include bluegill, green sunfish (L. cyanellus), and longear sunfish (L. megalotis.) A grizzly hackle on the lateral line also provides a visual element that suggests a fingerling bass, so this fly is an all-around attractor pattern imitating a number of different panfish. (Click on the photos to view larger images.)

If you like to tie your own flies, this is a fairly easy tie. I recommend tying a few of these up and seeing how they do in your favorite bass fishing holes. And don’t be surprised if you catch sunfish, crappie, catfish, and other predators too!

Hook: TMC 5262 streamer hook, sizes 6–10
Thread: Olive, 140 denier
Head: Brass or black chrome conehead, sized to hook
Tail: 2 olive grizzly hackle feathers, tied on either side of hook
Flash: 4 flash fibers
Lateral line: A few chartreuse fish scale fibers (optional)
Gills: Red Antron dubbing bump, some fibers picked out
Gill plate: Turquoise or blue/rainbow flash, 12–16 fibers per side
Belly: White/pale green/beige EP fibers or similar
Dorsal: Olive EP fibers (can sub bucktail or craft fur)
Collar: Olive dubbing, some fibers picked out

Step 1: Put conehead on hook, start thread, tie in grizzly hackles on either side of hook. Feather tips should extend approximately 1 hook shank length beyond hook bend. Tie in flash fibers on either side of hackles, trim just short of the hackle length.

Step 2: Tie in fish scale fibers (if using) on top of hook shank, trim just short of hackle length.

Step 3: Advance tying thread to 1 conehead length behind conehead. Tie in Antron dubbing bump, pick out some fibers.

Step 4: Tie in turquoise flash fibers, trim length to just past the hook point. Tie in a small olive dubbing bump to help flash lay flatter on the sides of the hook.

Step 5: Rotate vise a half turn, tie in light-colored belly fibers. Rotate back and tie in olive dorsal fibers.

Step 6: Tie in olive dubbing to fill void between EP fibers and conehead, whip finish, apply your favorite head cement to the thread wraps (I use thin super glue here). Trim, groom EP fibers to shape.