McGinty!

[gadabout]

Got out for a couple hours of bluegill fishing today. I started out with a Gaines Minnie Pop and had a decent amount of action on it. After awhile, I decided to tie on a McGinty wet fly. Holy Cow! Those 'gills just wouldn't leave it alone. Definitely try one if you haven't ever fished a McGinty.

[dixieangler]

Yep. We talked about that fly recently here . That wet fly is not one of Roger and mine's favorites for nothing . When the bream want it, they really want it. I find that a size 10 works just fine down here. Mine is a little different than the one listed here on FAOL (Old Flies and Stuff I think). I tie mine with a matching white duck quill fiber sections wing (rather than black and white) and a (one or two turns) ginger (light brown) hen hackle collar laid back wet fly style (rather than just a throat or beard). I like the added leggy type action or more motion that a collar gives. Great fly .

Not in Old Flies, it was in FOTW (Fly Archives): [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/060500fotw.html:66c3d]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/060500fotw.html[/url:66c3d]

The Professor is not bad either sometimes (again, I use a collar rather than a throat or beard):
Old Flies and Stuff [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part138.html:66c3d]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part138.html[/url:66c3d]

FOTW (Fly Archives)
[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/070201fotw.html:66c3d]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/070201fotw.html[/url:66c3d]

There is no listing here for a Yellow Miller wet fly but it is another favorite of mine:
Hook: #10 wet fly
Thread: Yellow 6/0 or monocord
Tail: Yellow hackle fibers
Rib: Gold tinsel or gold wire
Body: Yellow floss
Hackle: One or two turns yellow collar laid back wet fly style
Wing: Matching pair of yellow duck quill fiber sections

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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 18 June 2005).]

[beadleech]

McGinty has always been one of my favorites, too. However, I usually tie it as a wooly worm:
12 or 14 2XL hook
Red feather tail
Black, yellow, black chenelle body
Black [or griz] palmered hackle

I usually tie it as a beadhead unless very early in the spring.

My go to fly this year, however, has been a yellow wooly worm, griz hackle, red feather tail - also in a beadhead. Bluegill, redear, crappie, LG bass have all taken it.

Donald

[Panman]

Robert Mc.

I've gotten into using hen hackles on some of my flies. Two questions for you:

1. When you tie in the hackle to you tie it in by the tip or butt? (I like the butt).

2. If the color of the hackle is not a consideration do you see much difference between a hen hackle and a grouse like soft hackle (I don't).

Thanks - Tim

[dixieangler]

Hi Tim,

I like to use my soft hen hackle for wets or subsurface stuff and leave my stiff rooster hackle for dries or surface stuff whenever possible.

1. When you tie in the hackle to you tie it in by the tip or butt? (I like the butt).

Depends on the fly but if it is for a collar on a wet (small flies), I usually like to use the tip for the shorter hackle fibers. It also depends on the size of the hackle fibers so that they are the right size for the fly I am using. Although sometimes I like to use a little oversize hackle. I think I would rather my hackle be a little oversize than undersize on my flies.

2. If the color of the hackle is not a consideration do you see much difference between a hen hackle and a grouse like soft hackle (I don't).

No, not much difference. I will substitute another soft feather if or when I don't have hen. I tend to look at the leggy motion of the hackle rather than the color. I look at color second and try to match the color to the fly or sometimes use a different color for a two-tone fly. I'm not real particular on hackle color.

Don't forget that if all you've got is long soft feather fibers (other than hen hackles), that you can put those fibers in a small dubbing loop to get the correct size you need for a collar or whatever without even using the quill shaft to wrap with. This helps me at times to match the fiber size to the fly size.

Hope this answers your questions.


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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 19 June 2005).]

[Panman]

Robert Mc

Thanks for your response - more than adequate.

Tim