Best Streamer Fly Patterns
Dirty Hippie
The Dirty Hippy is a great fly for fishing with a floating line and a long leader. It has enough weight to get it down, and when dressed properly, is active and sparse. The Dirty Hippie comes in more than one color scheme, but the one listed is the one that sells best in our Missoula fly shop. If you choose to tie some of these, remember that less is more, and the sink rate will be adversely affected by excess materials.
Fly Tying Material List
- Hook: 3XL Size 4
- Cone: ¼” Copper
- Weight: .030 Lead Wire wrapped through Zap-A-Gap and coated with Zap-A-Gap
- Hackle: Yellow and Brown Marabou, folded and wrapped
- Over hackle: 2 Strands each Red and Gold Flash-A-Bou
- Collar: cheap Pale Orange Craft Fur under sparse cheap Brown Craft Fur, barred w/ Black magic marker. Why cheap? Because it’s short and coarse.
- Head: Pearlescent Ice Wing Fiber, Loop dubbed
- Eyes: 5mm Stick On Eyes
Olive Baby Gonga
It’s rare to find a small articulated streamer fly pattern, but the Baby Gonga allows an angler with a light rod to get the benefits of articulation. Coming in at under 2.5 inches, the Baby Gonga is a wade fisherman’s dream. Accurate to cast, it sinks rapidly and has tremendous action in the water. The muddler style head pushes water, and the joint allows the fly to move. Well worth having in your box in all colors available.
Fly Tying Material List
- Rear Hook: Curved 3XL Ring Eye Hook, size 8
- Thread: Olive 70D Danville Flymaster
- Tail: Olive Marabou, short
- Rib: Fine Gold Wire
- Body: Olive Sparkle Dubbing
- Hackle: Grizzly Dyed Olive Saddle hackle
- Front Hook: 2XL Nymph Hook, Size 8
- Thread: 3/0 Olive Flymaster Plus
- Eye: Small Lead Eye painted
- Connection: Beadalon Wire looped, with two Olive Glass Beads threaded
- Rear Hackle: Grizzly Dyed Olive Saddle Hackle
- Body: Sparkle Olive Dubbing
- Throat: Olive Marabou
- Under Wing: Olive Marabou
- Head/Wing: Olive Craft Fur, tied on as deer hair and trimmed to shape
Silver/ Gunmetal Kreelex
This is one of the few flies we tie in the fly shop, simply because we can’t get it anywhere else. Which means it works, because no one wants to tie flies in the shop! We can’t tell you why this fly works, but we do know that if you sub materials, it doesn’t work any where near as well. We also carry this fly in different colors, and they are effective as well. The Kreelex sinks quickly, rides like a jig and attracts fish. The perfect combo.
Fly Tying Material List
- Hook: Standard Nymph Hook, size 2
- Thread: Gray Danville Flymaster Plus
- Eye: Daz-L Eye 7/32” Black
- Tail: Bright Silver Kreinik
- Body: Bright Silver Kreinik, wrapped
- Throat: Bright Silver Kreinik
- Wing: Gun Metal Kreinik
Sparkle Minnow Sculpin
The Sparkle Minnow has proven itself all across Montana. The bulky shape combined with the bright sparkle has proven to be a very winning combination. Heavy enough to throw with a floating line, it’s not too heavy to run on a sink tip. We carry the Sparkle Minnow in 3 different colors, as well in articulated versions.
Fly Tying Material List
- Hook: Daiichi 2461 Size 2-2/0
- Cone: Black sized to Hook
- Thread: Tan 3/0 Danville Flymaster Plus (210D)
- Tail: White marabou under Tan Marabou under Olive Marabou, flanked with Copper Krystal Flash
- Belly: MFC Sparkle Minnow Body Pearlescent, pulled under
- Body: MFC Gold Sparkle Minnow Body, wrapped. Black Stripe colored down back
Articulated Fathead
This is a great streamer for use with a sink tip. Designed to be neutrally buoyant, the Articulated Fathead requires the line to get it to the correct depth. At 4.5 inches long, this is a big fly designed for finding big fish. Float fishermen love to bang these off the banks, pulling huge trout from beneath structure to slash at this mobile, active fly. It takes a bit of time to tie, so use heavy tippet. This fly can be tied in multiple colors.
Fly Tying Material List
- Rear Hook: Daiichi 2461 Size 1/0
- Thread: Olive Danville FlyMaster Plus
- Body: Wrapped Olive marabou, starting mid-shank. It may take 2-3 feathers to cover the shank
- Wing: Dyed Olive mallard Feather, tied flat over body
- Front Hook: Daiichi 2461 Size 1/0
- Thread: Olive Danville Fly Master Plus
- Connection: Looped Beadalon Wire with Three Red Beads Threaded on
- Rear Collar: 8-10 Strands Red Flashabou, cut to cover the connection
- Body: Wrapped Olive Marabou. It may take 2-3 feathers to reach the 75% point
- Wing: Dyed Olive mallard Feather, tied flat over body, extending to the mid point of the rear hook
- Head/Collar: Olive Deer Body Hair, spun and clipped to shape
Boogeyman
Another neutrally buoyant fly designed for using with a sink tip. The wool head and lead eye will help get this fly down faster in higher water. The wool head also pushes water, alerting the fish to it’s presence. The body sparkles, and the marabou provides action. Measuring at over 4.5 inches, this is a large fly, and needs a heavy line to handle it.
Fly Tying Material List
- Rear Hook: Daiichi 2461 Size 1/0
- Thread: Black FlyMaster Plus
- Tail: Black marabou
- Rib: Brassie Black Wire
- Body: Black Cactus Chenille
- Hackle: Black Schlappen, palmered over the body
- Wing: Wood Duck Flank feather, tied flat on top
- Front Hook: Daiichi 2461 Size 1/0
- Eye: Medium Red Lead Eye, tied on bottom of hook shank
- Connector: Looped Beadalon Wire, with One Red Bead Threaded
- Tail: Black Marabou, extending over the connector
- Rib: Brassie Black Wire
- Body: Black Cactus Chenille
- Hackle: Black Schlappen, palmered over body
- Wing: Wood Duck Flank Feather, tied flat extending to mid-point of rear hook
- Head/Collar: Black Sculpin Wool, tied in and cut to shape
Sculpzilla Natural
The Sculpzilla is one of the most active and effective streamers we sell. The heavily weighted front gives this fly a jigging action, while the sparse dressing allows it to sink rapidly. If you run this on a sink tip, be ready to hug the bottom, as this one gets where it needs to be in a hurry. We carry the Sculpzilla in multiple colors.
Fly Tying Material List
- Rear Hook: Gamakatsu Octopus Hook Size 2-6
- Thread: Brown 3/0 Danville Fly Master Plus (210D)
- Wing: Natural Rabbit Strip
- Connection: 20# White Backing
- Front Hook: Cheap, Short Shank Ring Eye Hook (Hook point will be cut off, so cheap hooks work)
- Cone: Cross Eyed Cone Silver sized to hook
- Thread: Brown 3/0 Danville Fly Master Plus (210D)
- Under Collar: Red Guinea
- Collar: 4 Pieces Tan Mottled Marabou tied 360 degrees around the shank
Missoula Montana Guided Fly Fishing Trip
Come enjoy a day on the river with Missoula’s best fly fishing guides. We float the Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River and the Clark Fork River. All gear, lunch and transportation provided.
