A Real Mop

"But then the more I fished these little creeks and the more that I learned about them, the better I liked them.  Part of that was just the constant exposure.  Sure, there were better fisheries within a half day's drive - and I made those drives and other, longer ones often enough - but there was nowhere else where I could slip in for an hour of fishing before work or two or three hours after and have a rod in my hand every day of the week." - John Gierach

When I first saw the Mop fly I was not impressed. It was short, squat, a sickly chartreuse color that screamed "Attractor", had a useless collar and the obligatory beadhead.  I'm still the kind of flyfisher who actually wants his offerings to LOOK like something that lives in the river and that trout have eaten. I want to make trout hungry, not angry. (o, I don't think it looks like a caddis larvae)

Then I happened upon a website called "3 minute ties" and that changed everything.  Tim (I believe that is his name) used long marabou for the collar which gave it that shaggy, buggy look (much better than a "clean cut" mop) and then, for added effect, drenched the fly which really made it come alive.

Now,  I've made some adjustments to this critter which seemed to have worked keeping in mind that I believe that it resembles a hellgrammite or a leech or a large stonefly, you know - big nasty things!

1.  I ditched the beadhead and replaced it with BEAD CHAIN EYES. (very buggy and still sinks the fly) plus the eyes are tied on so the hook rides UP like a bonefish fly. (less weeds).

2. I use a size 8 scud hook.  Now, I know some of you are thinking "short strikes" but that's not the case.  This setup is a page taken out of the rubber worm bible that bass fishermen use. Bass will grab a 10 inch rubber worm BY THE HEAD all of the time and still get hooked because that's where the hook is.  That's where my hook is and it hooks trout. 

3. I use marabou for the collar OR large partridge hackle.  They both work.  I also use Sharpies to color up this fly AND I love the light grey mop fingers over any other color.

4.I like a longer mop because that tail just moves so nice.  It will wiggle in the current = it's ALIVE!!!!

5. I fish this on the DRIFT!  It's a hapless insect that got caught in the current and not a sprinting minnow. II never retrieve it!

Smallies on the Millers like this fly as did a smallmouth from Wachusett  which is a place I'm going back to this Spring.

Very  Wet And Very Buggy

KEN