Mylar Minnows

[dryfly2010]

All,

I am looking to tie up some mylar minnows in hopes of enticing the local finicky bass to bite. However, in order not to mess up, I am looking for advice on patterns, type of hook, etc.

Any help is appreciated

Tight lines

Jordan

[Normand]

GOOGLE found this one

http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/...tern.php?id=41

and a bunch more

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...l=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[James Smith]

I've had excellent luck with floating mylar minnows for bass, especially around this time of year. The way that I tie them is as follows:

Tie in the tail material of your choice. I like either rabbit or Arctic Fox fur as it provides nice movement in the water and is very durable. For the under-body, I like to use the medium thin closed-cell foam padding material used to protect electronic equipment. You can find it at any store that sells computers etc and it's free. Look for the stuff that's about 3/32 inch thick. Cut the foam material into strips about 1/4 wide. Now wrap the thread to about 1/8 inch from the eye of the hook and tie in a 1/4 inch wide strip of closed cell foam that's about four inches long. Next, wrap the foam back down the hook shank to the tail and back up to the where it is tied in. Taper the body a bit at the front and back of the "fly" by how much foam you wrap. Tie off the foam and tie in your mylar tubing. If you've not worked with mylar tubing before it can be tricky, especially if you try to get too frugal. Start by removing the cotten string core in the mylar tubing. Slip one end over the eye of the hook and tie it down. Then wrap the thread to the back of the hook. Make sure that you don't wrap the thread too tightly over the foam as you will compress it and it won't float as well. Now ease the mylar tubing back over the foam body. It will reverse itself, turning inside out as you push it back. Then, tie off the mylar tubing at the tail, make a cuople of half hitches and add some head cement. I like to add 3D eyes to my mylar minnows and I use Marine Goop as an adhesive. You can add some different colors to it with markers and you're ready to fish.

This is really a simple pattern to tie and very effective when fished along a steep drop off shore line or brush.

I hope this helps.

Jim Smith
Conyers, GA

[aged_sage]

I can personally recommend Charlie Cypert's Mylar Minnow as found at the first link. It works in the salt as well as freshwater. My sons and I have caught things from Sea Robbins to flounder on them in Galveston Bay. The fact that Charlie is a close personal friend has nothing to do with my endorsement! (Believe that and you will believe anything.)
Aged Sage

[mickmcco]

I second the vote for Cypert's Mylar Minnow. It's a very versatile fly and extremely easy to tie. In fact, it's often the first fly I teach new tyers to tie. I have had great luck with it in a variety of colors and sizes, though I think my favorites are chartreuse and white. I had the good fortune of watching Charlie tie a few of these before he retired. He makes it look even easier.

[Gandolf]

Hi Jordan,

I don't know if this is what is meant by a mylar minnow, but I like the hot flash minnow. It can be tied in several patterns, and has good movement.

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/instburkmin.htm
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/burkmin.htm

Regards,

Gandolf

[dryfly2010]

thanks for the responses all.

Normand: what did u type into google? i did a search for it before i came here and came up with a bunch of spinning lures.

James smith: that is how i thought they were made, but just wanted to check and see if others approved of the method.

aged sage and mickmcco: this pattern would use alot of mylar, would it not?

and Gandolf: not quite what i was looking for. what i was thinking of was a minnow tied using mylar tubing. idk what the normal use for it is, but it makes a wonderful, scaly, shiny body on a minnow pattern.

Thanks again

Jordan

[Normand]

thanks for the responses all.

Normand: what did u type into google?

see my second link above for what i typed into the search box

[FishnDave]

I like the mylar minnows to sink a bit, rather than float, so I don't use foam as an under-body. I would prefer weightless...just letting the weight of the epoxy to sink the fly...but I also like the pattern to have a bit deeper, narrower profile. I've seen wire use...like a paper clip bent to shape. I haven't tried that. Instead, I've recently been using adhesive-backed lead tape cut to shape and folded over the hook shank to form the body This works ok, the fly looks good enough. I haven't FISHED with these yet, though, so I don't know how fast they will sink.

I'm open to suggestions on ways to form the underbody without adding too much weight.

[mickmcco]

Yes, the Cypert Mylar Minnow uses a length of mylar tubing equal to twice the length of the fly. The cotton core of the tubing is removed and the mylar is then worked over the eye of the hook and pushed up against the body material (usually chenille), pulled flat top and bottom, tied off at the bend of the hook, then the tail section is separated out with a bodkin. Charlie Cypert also ties them with no body (just the mylar), then squirts E-Z Shape Sparkle Body into the cavity, which hardens and contracts as it dries.