The Mop Fly has taken the fly fishing world by storm, and rightly so. I have been fishing it for just about a year and it works wonderfully. "Japanese-style" tenkara anglers from America may not give it a second look, but that's OK. "American-style" or "European-style" tenkara anglers will use it and with great affect.
You can get mop material everywhere nowadays, and you can get it in a rainbow of colors. I'm pretty boring, so I mainly stick to grey or cream. Grey works best for my trout in my streams, but you might need to experiment to hit upon what works best in your environment.
I've found that auto supply stores have the best selection of traditional colors. I found a car washing mitt that had the grey micro-fiber mop dongles that were just the right size for my flies. You can also get a huge skeen of it at JoAnn Fabric, at least I saw some the other day at my local store.
For the Grey Mop Fly that I have been using:
Hook: competition jig hook
Bead: tungsten, black
Thread: grey to match body. Then change to black, before dubbing thorax.
Body: micro-fiber dongle, cut to size
Thorax: Ice Dub, peacock black
Easy to tie. Deadly to fish!
You can get mop material everywhere nowadays, and you can get it in a rainbow of colors. I'm pretty boring, so I mainly stick to grey or cream. Grey works best for my trout in my streams, but you might need to experiment to hit upon what works best in your environment.
I've found that auto supply stores have the best selection of traditional colors. I found a car washing mitt that had the grey micro-fiber mop dongles that were just the right size for my flies. You can also get a huge skeen of it at JoAnn Fabric, at least I saw some the other day at my local store.
For the Grey Mop Fly that I have been using:
Hook: competition jig hook
Bead: tungsten, black
Thread: grey to match body. Then change to black, before dubbing thorax.
Body: micro-fiber dongle, cut to size
Thorax: Ice Dub, peacock black
Easy to tie. Deadly to fish!
Hey Tom,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the winter pattern ideas. It’s been too cold in western ny to hit the water but at least I can try tying a few of these. Always glad to see your posts. I do have a question for you, unrelated to this site. My wife and I have been talking about moving to Idaho for some years now. Actually I’ve been doing most of the talking. Anyway, we have decided to take a vacation the last of September to check out some areas. This will be mainly a scouting trip but there will be no shortage of fishing. I haven’t narrowed down exactly where we will settle for the week but I would like to be close to some relatively easily accessible trout streams. I’ll pretty much have my three sons, 7,5,4 and my 2 year old daughter with me most of the outings. Not sure if you’d be willing to field the question on the potential areas and streams to fish, but I figured I’d throw it out there. If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it; I will not feel slighted in the least if you choose not to respond. Again, many thanks for the great info you have always shared on this site.
Regards,
Chris
Rochester, NY
Hi Chris, find me on Facebook then send me a PM.
DeleteWill do sir.
DeleteI would suggest looking for a mop or glove rather than buying yarn at JoAnn Fabrics. I have not been able to find a neutral color glove so I ordered a couple skeins from JoAnn. When you cut the yarn, it can unravel so all the fuzz comes off. I am sure there is a solution but I have not yet figured one out. The little "fingers" that you can cut from a glove or mop won't unravel once they are tied in. I think they would be a much better solution.
ReplyDeletePainting the cut end of the yarn with superglue keeps it from unraveling. Takes longer than expected for the superglue to dry, though. One skein is a lifetime supply of material - even if you cut them 4" long for bass fishing.
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