I arrived at Lake Manatee before daylight and launched the kayak. I paddled to Gilley Creek. I had a 6-weight rigged with a black popper and wanted to see if I could nab a few bass. I did get one nice bass, but then the bite went dead.
I cast a nymph under a strike indicator (normally a good choice here), but didn’t get a bite.
I tied on my Myakka Minnow on my 1-weight and started catching fish – and nice ones. I caught 20 hand-sized bluegill, another nice bass and a hard-fighting channel catfish.
Turned out to be a decent morning – all because of the Myakka Minnow, one of the fish-catchingest flies I’ve ever used. It often saves the day.
I’ve come to find out one thing about being on the internet.
There are people that LOVE to search for items and people that dislike it immensely. I am in the the dislike category. Please, if you talk about something, provide a link to it.
I like the look of your fly and discovered a similar thing over on the St Johns a few years back. During the late spring the Crappies were right up against the trees/brush and each time an air boat would pass by from a nearby airboat tour business, they would go crazy hitting something that was taking cover in the grass/trees. Close inspection found thousands of tiny minnows tight against the grass and when a boat would go by the wake would dislodge them enough for the Crappie, Gills and Bass to go crazy hitting them. The fly I had with me happened to be a bead head of about the same size as your Minnow that I call the BS fly as I tied it to imitate a small but brightly colored Bluegill/Sunfish or BS minnow. I used a large copper bead ( gives the eyes impression) but I like your idea better, dark peacock estaz for a body, a tiny bit of orange maribou for the throat and an Olive wing and tail of maribou. That tiny minnow imitation has been a killer for every kind of sports fish I’ve targeted from Washinton to Florida and back. Small streamer imitations are superb fish getters and I say again, your’s looks terrific! Great pics also.
BTW the Myakka is on my target list this coming winter when we snowbird down your way.
