Fly tying: Brush ’n Wing Minnow

Fly Tying:

Brush ’n Wing Minnow

Streamers are big-fish-magnets. Big fish get big for a reason – because they start feeding on calorie-rich baitfish. Therefore – if you’re into catching big fish, realistic baitfish patterns should be an integral part of your fly collection. In the following, Jonatan Ternald, presents the Brush ’n Wing Minnow, which is a pattern developed specifically for sea-run brown trout: An easy-to-tie and very lifelike pattern.

By JONATAN TERNALD

Brush ‘n Wing Minnow is a simple baitfish fly that is meant to be quick, easy and fun too tie. I learned the style from Nacho Heredero and have found out that it is possible to do variations of this fly ad infinitum. Simply mix the right colours for whatever baitfish you’re aiming at imitating and cut and trim to get just the right shape and profile.

I personally find the Brush ‘n Wing fibres to be perfect for the fly, and – in the water – they have a special sheen that really attract sea-run brown trout (which is my favourite species to target with a fly rod). In my opinion, a lot of other fibres are too thick and bulky to make small minnow patterns. The Brush ‘n Wing material, however, is very thin and pulsating. On top of that, you get your flash incorporated into the fly in a very subtle and organic way. Having said this, I encourage you to try different fibres too. As soon as you get the technique right, it’s a both fast and easy to get a whole series of super-effective flies wrapped up with your favourite fibre materials. Trimming the Minnow is probably the hardest bit. I have found that the easiest thing for me to do is to wrap up a bunch of Minnows and then trim them one after another – to get into a good workflow. This helps with trimming consistency – and is something I generally recommend. In order to properly trim the flies properly, you will need razor sharp scissor with blades that are at least 3 centimetres in length.

The finished fly doesn’t absorb very much water and it makes it easy to cast. Mine have “Loon heads” for increased durability and for adding just a little bit of weight to the fly. Underneath the head I add some Loon Coloured UV Resin in fluorescent hot orange or red as a trigger point.

This Brush ‘n Wing Minnow works just as well in fresh- as in saltwater. I use them across a wide range of different fishing spots; from really shallow waters fished with floating lines all the way to spots that drop off to 7 – 8 meters in depth, which I fish with fast-sinking lines. And I love how committed and prompt the takes usually are!

Material List//

Hook: Ahrex NS 172 curved gammarus size 8 Thread: Veevus GSP 50D Tails and back: Brush ‘n wing Fiber, bronze back Belly: Brush ‘n wing Fiber, natural Eyes: Fish Skull Living Eyes, wind UV-resin: Loon thick and coloured (hot orange)

Start by securing your thread. The GSP thread offers too little friction to get a really firm grip around the hook, so I usually like to add some super glue at this stage.

Wrap the tying thread all the way to the hook bend. Then take a bunch of 12-centimetre-long fibres and tie them in at a point about half the length of the fibres.

Fold the excess fibres pointing forward back over the tail and secure them with a couple of wraps.

Repeat with a bunch of 3-4-centimetre-long fibres on the back of the fly.

Fold the excess fibres back and secure them tightly with the tying thread.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 on the belly of the fly with the natural-coloured Brush ‘n Wing.

Now repeat step 2 and 3 on the back using the bronze-coloured Brush ‘n Wing.

Repeat the process once again on the belly with the natural-coloured Brush ‘n Wing

Finish off with one last fibre section on the back and one on the belly to build the profile further.

Whip-finish and take some foam and push it over the head to secure the fibres and make room for a UVglued head. Attach the eyes with a drop of the Loon Thick UV resin.

Add some Loon Coloured UV resin between the eyes and zap it with your UV torch.

Take your Loon Thick UV resin and build a head for the fly.

Now, it’s time to start trimming the body. Patiently and carefully trim it so it starts to look slimmer. The Loon Razor Scissors are perfect for this job.

Continue trimming the fly until you’re happy with the shape and profile. Usually, you need to trim more than you think.