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The Pinky
By Peder Lindström
Holmsund just by the mouth of Ume-river in Sweden

Originally I made the Pinky to be used as a dropper when ice-fishing but then I had a few of them in my box one day and put one on my leader and cast out. Catch for that day was four dinner-size trout, about 2 pounds each and three grayling which I returned.

This one is my own creation and it has proved fairly effective on both trout and grayling. Fish it on a long leader, minimum 1½ rod lengths. Try it just on the edge of a stream in the riffles or cast upstream as you would if you were Czech nymph fishing.

You could if you want weight it down with a piece of sticky back lead on the hookshank. Feel free to try it in other colours as green or black and clear has proven effective as well.

Materials List: The Pinky

    Hook: Kamasan B110 Grubber Size 10.

    Thread: White Benecchi 12/0 and a brown thread, I happened to have Gudebrod 10/0 Rusty Brown.

    Legs: 2-3 natural grey Ostrich herls.

    Underbody: Pearl electra braid.

    Body: Veniard Magic Glass V-Rib (Shrimp pink).

    Rib: Any tippet material of your choice,I use 2lb Stroft GTM.

    Head: Orange Hare´s Ultra Dubbing.

Tying Instructions: The Pinky

    1. Start your white thread at the eye of the hook and go back well around the bend, there you tie in 2-3 herls of ostrich along with a piece of your tippet material.

    2. Cut a piece of your Magic glass V-rib and cut a little tying-in tag.

    3. Tie in the Magic Glass V-Rib at the same place you tied in the herls.

    4. Now tie in a piece of the Pearl electra braid on top of your V-Rib and the wind the thread forward to where you want your body to end, I stop about 5mm short of the eye.

    5. Wind your Electra braid forward in overlapping turns and tie off where you parked your thread.

    6. Now follow with the V-Rib, stretch it slightly and wind on in almost touching turns up where your thread is.

    7. Tie off V-Rib on the underside of the hook. In the interest of safety I now throw on a whip finish or half hitch to stop my thread running off the hook.

    8. Turn your hook upside down in the vise and now hold the herls in one hand and the nylon tippet in the other hand and fold hearls forward and follow by winding them down in the segments made by the V-Rib, pull tight to set the herls in the groves and raise the fibers. Keep the herls central on the underside of your hook.

    9. Tie off the herls and snip the waste, whip finish your white tying thread.

    10. Change to your brown thread as we now are going to dub the front part of the shrimp. I use my dubbing needle and stroke out a little head cement on the thread as I find this to be better then waxing the thread.

    11. With the head cement on the thread you now dub on your Hare´s Dubbing, you will find about 3inches of dubbed thread will be enough.

    12. Wind on your dubbing and make a conical front part, then tie off and maybe a tiny amount of head cement on your whip finish.

    13. Now go out on your favorite stream, tie it on your leader and hope the fish are hungry. ~ Peder Lindström, Sweden


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