Well I finally finished my test batch of balsa flies. This is a Gilly Minnow. I added a collar to it, I thought it improved the look. I only made seven. I plan to add propellers to these, but wanted to run a test batch first. My goodness these flies are time consuming, worse than poppers. Here is my favorite of the seven.
Do you use a Dremel tool?
Hmmmmm…looks like a good candidate for a wiggle-lip, too. More work for you. LOL
Nice Job Kelkay!!..oughta catch fish too
No, I didn’t use a dremel tool, it was all by hand. I have a cheap rotary tool that I plan to pull out tomorrow to see how it works. I wanted to do one by hand first. I am not sure if that tool will work for what I need it to do, it was about twenty bucks. Anyway I am going to be working with balsa and basswood a bit.
Thanks Jeff, glad you like it.
I wouldn’t know where to begin with a wiggle lip. This was rough enough. I do want to play with propellers for them though. Add one up front, then one just in back…then one with both front and back propellers. Just tweak it, try it, and tweak some more.
kel beautiful just beautiful
Glad you like it Charlaine. 
old hook boxes make for good lip material and the thin blade of a copeing saw helps keep the gap decently tight… couple small holes drilled in the portion thats embeded with epoxy helps keep em embeded as well… I use a hand torch tip drill for that… available at any welding supply store.
Thanks for the tips Bill. Do you have a pic of the lip you made?
These were done very much like Bill described, I may have used an abrasive wheel in my rotary tool to cut the slot for the lip. The lip in the articulated minnow results in a wider wiggle. I did not drill holes in the lips but it would be a good idea, you could do it with a hot 4 penny nail if you don’t want to buy a tip cleaner.
Oh I see, those are very cool. I like them a whole lot! Thanks for the photos. I have a cheap rotary tool, and I used it today to make a fly stand. The drill part of it stinks. Took forever to drill 19 holes.
Drilling holes in anything heavier than foam or balsa is not the strong point of a rotary. I probably don’t have to tell you how important it is to get the lip square with the axis of the body. Otherwise the fly will run right or left when retrieved or held against current.
I hear ya. My drill battery won’t hold a charge for some odd reason, so I had to try the rotary. It did the job, only needed small holes drilled. I will make a thread on the fly stands. Thanks for your advice.
I think I will try my minnow for some trout Sunday afternoon, I have a couple of guys from south of Atlanta coming up for a mile+ float down the Chattahoochee. There are a couple of pools that hold some little piggies, not really large enough to be call hawgs, but nice and fat.
The prop discussion got me going the other day so I put together something to tempt the bream and bass when it cools off a little. The remains of my daughter’s foam wedges from several years back. The flash tends to wash out the white on white and without a flash it comes out fuzzy.
I bet they to great for you, be sure to give us a report!
Another easy way to add a wiggle lip is with a large sequin. Simply cut a slit in the “chin” of the lure and glue it in place. You can trim the part you insert with scissors to make it fit better if necessary. You can buy a large bag of sequins at any hobby/craft store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Just a thought
Jim Smith
What would be the results if you place a 3/8" sequin over the hook shank of a heavier than water fly? Would that not add wiggle without causing it to dive?
