How small do you tie your muddlers

[paflyfisher16]

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

[Al Beatty]

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]

[OkieBass133]

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

[paflyfisher16]

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

[LigonierA1]

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).]

[bbrothe1]

Red fox tail is good. So is Llama hair.

[Alberto]

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).]

[fcch]

Ah, ... #8 or maybe 12

------------------
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec