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Mini Sculpin
Mini Sculpin
Tying Instructions
1. Slip on a slotted tungsten black bead. Using a 5/32 size with a #8 Daiichi 4660 jig hook. Oh! and crimp down the barb.
2. Wrap 0.015″ Leadfree wire around the hook shank 4-5 times and shove it into the bead cavity to stabilize the bead.
3. Attach the Monofilament thread just behind the bead and secure the wire wraps. Notice the barbs are crimped down.
4. Wrap the monofilament thread to the bend of the hook and apply Aussie Dubbing to the thread. I apply one wrap to lock in the material to the shank and can tighten the dubbing around the thread.
5. Wrap a small ball of dubbing at the bend of the hook. This performs as a stop for the squirrel zonker strip you will apply later. Bring the monofilament thread up to the 1/3 position on the hook shank behind the bead. The is the location you will tie in the legs (or pectoral fins).
6. Clip off 5 barred legs, 1.5 to 2.0 inches long, and secure the center of the bundle of legs at the tie in position on top of the shank, 1/3 shank length behind the bead. Apply some X wraps.
7. Bring the thread to just behind the bead and attach a section of Ice Wing Fiber just behind the bead.
8. Secure the fiber bundle along the top of the shank with thread wraps down to the dubbing ball at the bend of the hook. The monofilament allows the coloration to shine through. This is the reason for using monofilament.
9. Trim the tag end of the fiber bundle about one hook shank from the bend of the hook. Cut the material with some sawing motions of the scissors so that there is some taper.
10. Wrap the monofilament thread back up to behind the bead.
11. Whip Finish and cut off the tag end of the monofilament.
12. Attach the Olive Dun thread to just behind the bead.
13. Invert the hook and measure a strip of pine squirrel so that the attachment location is about one hook shank long. Marking that spot with your right thumb and index finger, attach the strip to the point of the hook.
14. Remove the hook from the vise so that you can slip the strip from the hook point, around the bend, and up to the dubbing ball. Reattach the hook in the inverted position and bring the front part of the strip up to the bead.
15. Secure the strip with thread wraps just behind the bead. Cut off the tag end and secure with additional thread wraps.
16. Attach a small wad of dubbing to both the top and bottom of the hook shank behind the bead. This material helps to hide the thread wraps that secure the strip but also provides additonal material to construct the sculpin head.
17. This photo shows how the material is clumped on both sides of the hook shank.
18. Create a dubbing loop and apply Aussie Dubbing to the loop.
19. Twist the loop to create a dense chenille of dubbing.
20. Wrap the dubbing around the shank just behind the bead. This should be fairly dense. Secure with thread wraps and trim off the tag end.
21. Whip Finish and trim off the tag end of the thread.
22. The head dubbing that is on the “belly” side of the pattern should be trimmed so that more of the shiny belly material shows itself.
23. Brush out the head to get a nice flow of material going rearwards.
24. Grab the end of the silicon legs and trim so that they are about the length of the hook shank. These legs should extend perpendicular from the shank and not be pushed rearwards by the head dubbing.
25. The finished Mini Sculpin. Designed to bounce off the bottom with the hook point being upright to reduce snags. The entire fly is only about 1.5 inches long, very close to many natural sculpins found in Sierran waters.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | Daiichi 4660 #8-12 |
| Thread | Danville Monofilament and Uni 8/0 Olive Dun |
| Head | Black Nickel Slotted Tungsten Bead, 5/32 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree Wire |
| Fins | Grizzly Flutter Legs, Black Barred Olive |
| Body | Aussie Possum, Olive |
| Ribbing | Flat Silver Tinsel |
| Tail | Pine Squirrel Strip, Olive |
| Collar | Aussie Possum, Olive |
| Flash | Light Olive Ice Wing |
Mini Sculpin
Many Sculpin patterns are tied with Rabbit strips, utilizing a straight strip for a tail and a crosscut strip for the body. However, most of your natural sculpins are less than 1.5 inches and the rabbit strips are just too long and bulky to tie at this size. Welcome to Pine Squirrel! This material can be used with size #6-12 streamer or nymph hooks. The material still has the movement and natural mottled coloration of rabbit and can be used with a lighter rod such as a 4 weight. The patterns usually call for some type of heavy beadhead such as tungsten beads or formed Sculpin Heads marketed by Fish Skulls. Fish Skulls have a mini-size, perfect for these 1.5 to 1.75 inches patterns.
Jig Style Hooks
Many of these patterns are tied onto jig style hooks so that the pattern rides with the point upwards, reducing snagging. The body of the sculpin tapers from fat near the head to skinny near the tail. The Pine Squirrel strip produces this tapered effect and has an undulating effect within the current. Some sculpin patterns use spun deer hair for a head but this material tends to provide flotation to the pattern. Other patterns will utilize spun wool for the head which can be quite heavy and bulky when wet. These tungsten beads or Mini Sculpin heads are a good choice for getting the patterns to the bottom quickly and not create a tsunami wave upon casting.
Sculpins
Sculpins live near the bottom of the stream. They do not have stabilizing air bladders like trout so that they tend to tip up when drifting with the current and tip downwards when swimming. These weighted jig hooks will often produce the same effect.
Up and across casts are very effective with twitches to the line giving the pattern some movement in slack currents. Keep the line in the water with some tension to the pattern, you want to keep slack line to a minimum. Sculpins tend to live within the gentler currents usually within the lower sections of a run or pool. They dart among the rocks as they are not good swimmers. Occasionally, they get washed downstream and trout will be looking for them in drop-offs below riffle sections or transition areas along a gravel bar where fast water transitions to stillwater.
Variations
Fishskull Helmet Mini Sculpin, Olive
Tying Instructions
1. Using a strip of Pine Squirrel Zonker cut 1/10th inch straight, measure a length about one shank length.
2. Pierce the strip with the point of the hook at the one shank length position. Remove the hook from the vise and slide the strip up to the bend of the hook.
3. Attach the hook back onto the vise and attach the thread to the hook shank, wrapping down to the bend of the hook.
4. Apply some Aussie Dubbing, Olive to the thread.
5. Create a small ball at the bend of the hook to keep the strip in place.
6. Snip off the tag end of the strip so one half equals the other. This will be the tailing part of the strip flowing behind the bend of the hook. Create a dubbing loop just in front of the dubbed ball at the bend of the hook.
7. Using some Material Clamps, secure the fur off a 2 inch strip of Pine Squirrel. Adjust the hide out from the edge of the clamp about a 1/4 inch.
8. Using scissors cut the fur from the hide as close to the hide as possible and insert the fur into the dubbing loop.
9. Tighten the loop by pulling down on the twister and remove the clamp. The fur should be locked between the two threads of the loop.
10. Spin the loop device to create a chenille.
11. Remove the twisting tool and hold the chenille with hackle pliers. Wrap the chenille forward over the shank.
12. Use your fingers to stroke back the fur on each turn going forward.
13. Wrap the chenille to about the 1/4 position on the hook shank. If you need more material, create a second dubbing loop, and make a dense body of fur up to the 1/4 position. Secure the tag end of the chenille with thread wraps and trim off the tag.
14. Using your hackle pliers, bring the end of the pine squirrel strip over the hook shank toward the hook eye.
15. Secure end of the strip with thread wraps behind the eye about an eyelength from the eye. Remember to leave enough room for the helmit to slide onto the hook.
16. Creat another dubbing loop at the end of the pine squirrel strip.
17. Apply Aussie Dubbing to the loop and tighten in place
18. Twist the loop to create a yarn.
19. Wrap the dubbed yarn creating a tapered head towards the eye of the hook.
20. Secure with thread wraps and trim off the tag.
21. Select a pair of dyed Partridge feathers trimming the bottom fibers off to get the size yoiu desire. These will be the pectoral fins of the minisculpin and should be about 3/4 the shank length.
22. Attach a feather on each side of the hook shank anchoring the stem of the feather just behind the eye of the hook. Trim off the tag end of the feathers and apply some more thread wraps.
23. Place the helmet onto the eye of the hook, ensuring that the eye can protrude from the helmit. If satisfied with the fit, remove the helmet.
24. Whip Finish and remove your thread. Apply some Gel Zap-a-Gap to the areas that will cement the helmet to the body behind the eye.
25. Place the helmet onto the hook once more securing the helmit with the adhesive that was applied. You can also attach the thread just behind the eye to fill the cavity of the helmet and further secure the helmet. Whip Finish and remove the thread.
26. Sculpin Heads comes with a pair of Living Eyes. Attach one to each of the eye depressions on the helmet using some UV Thin finish to secure the eyes.
27. Apply some additional Thin Head Finish around the eyes and harden the finish with a UV Light.
28. The finished Fish Skull Mini Sculpin. Designed to bounce off the bottom with the hook point being upright to reduce snags. The entire fly is only about 1.5 inches long, very close to many natural sculpins found in Sierran waters.
| Hook | TMC 5263, sizes 6-10 |
| Thread | Danville Dark Brown 6/0 |
| Head | Mini Sculpin Helmet |
| Tail | Pine Squirrel Zonker Strip, Sculpin Olive |
| Body | Pine Squirrel Zonker Strip, Sculpin Olive |
| Fins | Small bunch of Dyed Partridge, Olive Dun |
| Collar | Aussie Possum, Olive |
Mini Headbanger
Tying Instructions
1. Lay a thread foundation on the hook shank from the 1/4 length behind the eye to the bend of the hook.
2. Select two blood marabou plumes and match up the tips.
3. Measure the length of the marabou to be about 2 times the length of the shank.
4. Secure the marabou to the bend of the hook and secure the tag end of the marabou with thread wraps to the mid-point of the shank. Twist the remaining tag and clip with scissors.
5. Fold a Schlappen feather back along it’s axis. This will help to sweep the fibers back along the shank. Attach the schlappen feather, by the tip just in front of the tail tie-position. Secure the tip along the shank with thread wraps and bring the thread back to the tail tie-in position.
6. Next, attach a section of Estaz to the base of the tail and wrap forward.
7. Wrap the Estaz to the 1/4 point of the shank and secure with thread wraps.
8. Palmer the schlappen feather with spirol wraps up to the end of the Estaz. Use your fingers to stroke the fibers back on every turn.
9. Secure the Schlappen just in front of the Estaz with thread wraps
10. Attach a pair of legs to the top of the hook shank where the Schlappen hackle and Estaz were secured.
11. Secure the legs so that a pair of legs drop on each side of the hook shank. Do not crowd the eye.
12. Clip a section of Artic Fox Fur and measure the length of the fur so that it does not extend past the mid point of the tail.
13. Flip this section of fur around so that it extends in front of the eye and secure the base of the fur with thread wraps behind the eye.
14. Bring the fur back over the body and secure with additional thread wraps, finishing with a whip knot.
15. Finished back hook.
16. Attach a second hook to the vise and insert a section of 25 lb. Mono through the eye of the back hook. Attach a glass bead through both ends of the mono to create a loop.
17. Attach both ends of the monoline to the top of the hook shank. Ssecure with thread wraps.
18. Apply some superglue to the wraps.
19. Do the same procedures as the back hook sans the tail. Attach the Estaz and Schlappem hackle to the bend of the hook..
20. Wrap the Estaz forward to the 1/4 point of the shank
21.Check the sculpin head for fit so that the eye of the hook extends fully out from the head.
22. Palmer the Schlappen forward to the 1/4 mark. Add a couple of wraps of the Schlappen at the 1/4 mark and secure with thread wraps. Trim off the tag end of the Schlappen.
23. Attach a pair of legs to the top of the hook shank where the Schlappen hackle and Estaz were secured.
24. Check again that the skullhead will fit easily with the hook eye extended beyond the head.
25. Flip the hook and clip a section of Artic Fox Fur and measure the length of the fur so that it extends just past the bead.
26. Attach the fur so that it extends in front of the eye and secure the base of the fur with thread wraps behind the eye. Bring the fur back over the body and secure with additional thread wraps, finishing with a whip knot.
27. Bring the fur back over the body and secure with additional thread wraps.
28. Add Light Olive Nymph Dubbing behind the eye with some figure eight wraps.
29. Whip Finish.
30. Apply Super Glue.
31. Fit the Sculpin head so that the eye of the hook extends full out from the head..
32. The Finished Headbanger.
| Hook | Gamakatsu B10S, #8 |
| Thread | Veevus 10/0 Black |
| Head | Mini Sculpin Helmet |
| Tail | Black and Olive Marabou |
| Body | Pearl Olive Estaz Chenille palmered with Black Schlappen Hackle |
| Legs | Small bunch of Crazy Legs, Olive/Black Flake |
| Collar | Light Olive Mottled Nymph Blend |
| Overwing | Arctic Fox Body Fur, Olive |