Written by: Mike Schmidt
Is it a caddisfly? Is it a Hendrickson? Is it a stonefly? Do you really care, since the fish are willing to eat it?
Mike’s Thin Mint is pretty much my take on a steelhead Soft-Hackle. Just as the Girl Scout cookie called the Thin Mint is irresistible to me, the fly version seems irresistible to steelhead. When wet, the Senyo Laser Dub lies back across the body, as a bit of a wingcase, and has just enough sparkle in it to add a little dimension and the appearance of translucence.
The best way to fish this fly is a standard Soft-Hackle technique: let the fly dead drift and then swing across the current. Many times, you will get a bump just as the fly starts to swing, so be ready! In water that is on the low and clear side, you typically want a smaller, more buggy nymph, so it is in those conditions that I most often tie on the Thin Mint. I also tie this fly in both brown and black versions to more closely match whatever bug is most prevalent on a particular day.
Mike’s Thin Mint
Hook: Daiichi 2457 size 10.
Thread: UTC 140 denier, olive.
Weight: .015 lead (optional).
Abdomen: Olive Larva Lace, small.
Legs: Hungarian partridge.
Wing: Senyo Laser Dub, brown.
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Step 1: Place the hook in the vise,and then make 8 or 9 wraps of .015 |
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Step 4: Wrap the Larva Lace forward with edge-to-edge wraps. This will form the segmented back of the fly body. Wrap forward into the thorax section, tie off, and trim the excess.
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fibers to the hook shank. Tie it off and trim the excess. . |
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rear of the body. Fold the Laser Dub back over itself and form a head. |
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Mike Schmidt is an Orvis contract tier and owner of Angler’s Choice Flies. He lives in Dublin, Ohio.