Notes From A Basement in Bozeman

Winter here in Montana has allowed for a lot more fishing opportunities than I would have previously imagined (it's forecasted to be 40s all this week), so my off-days from the coffee and fly shops have thankfully been spent on the water testing out new patterns. This fly is a take on a streamer that I have been using all year long in different colors with incredible success. The most crucial aspect to this fly is actually maybe the least noticeable at first glance.

There are two Gamakatsu B10S hooks in tandem on this guy, but instead of articulating them with streamer wire and beads, which also works well, I threaded 20 lb. backing along and through a magnum zonker strip and secured it with a few turns of thread and a dab of glue once on the rear  hook (size 6) and once on the front (size 2). This technique of threading backing through the zonker allows for a "fluttering" action that works well swung, stripped and dead drifted in the current. The threading technique on the zonker was not altogether an original creation. I was shown the idea by fellow Troutfitters employee Johnny Mac in the shop, who in turn took the technique from a couple streamers we sell there.

I have not fished the chartreuse yet, but have smashed fish on a similar tie in white, purple, and silver. If it fishes alright, I may start calling this specific sculpinish variation "Mr. Fo," due to the unruly Senyo's left long on the top part of the head. We will see. Special thanks to Pete Atkins for taking the photos while visiting on a ski trip.