How small do you tie your muddlers

How small do you tie your muddlers and when ya do tie em small which hook do you like.
Thanks
Doug

Hi Doug,

I've tied standard muddlers as small a #16 on a 3XL hook. From time to time I've also tied them on dry fly hooks down to #20.

One year (1981 as I remember) I bet a friend I would fish with nothing but a muddler for the entire year. I learned to tie the smaller sizes to imitate some of the smaller caddis in the north Idaho waters I fished at that time. The problem in tying smaller muddlers is finding hair that flares close to the tip. Take care & ...

Tight Lines - Al Beatty [url=http://www.btsflyfishing.com:06155]www.btsflyfishing.com[/url:06155]

I don't really tie them that often, but I did a #20 once, just for fun. Came out looking right to me.

Hey thanks for the reply's.
Al that sounds like crazy bet.
I want to tie them small enough for some smaller streams that I fish, and tie them unwieghted so I can use it as a streamer or dry fly.
Thanks agian
Doug

I'd say that on about a #12 dry fly hook is about as small as I've gone. tying them any smaller than that sounds like torture to me.

I've had success w/ #8's on some smallstreams throughout the west.

mgj

I fish alot of muddlers in #12. Seems a good compromise size between being a minnow and a bug of some sort. That said, I've taken some pretty tiny brook trout on a size #6 muddler. I lost my fly box and it was all I had left in my vest so I used it. I caught fish that were probably only 2x as long as the fly....

But I love a 10 or 12. A #16 sounds like a fun challenge to me.

Oh, and this is on Pa brooky streams, Camp Run in particular....

[This message has been edited by LigonierA1 (edited 11 February 2005).]

Red fox tail is good. So is Llama hair.

Size 16 is the smallest I tie. I use a Mustad 9672 for all my Muddlers. I have tried smaller, but the deer hair I Have is not suited for it.

Alberto

[This message has been edited by Alberto (edited 12 February 2005).]

Ah, ... #8 or maybe 12

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Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec