Mylar fish

Mylar fish

by Kuba Chruszczewski

In early spring, I usually fish with a streamer. Unhurriedly, I carefully fish deep, quiet places in search of fish that are not very active in the cold, pre-spring water. This time is a good time to experiment with new flies. Recently, the so-called „mylar fish”, liked by many fly fishermen, came to my workshop. Sometimes very impressive, beautifully made, as if they were alive. The different-colored mylar used in their construction shines like real scales. Spotted and striped like small trout or minnows, expressive , meticulously painted eyes, several layers of special varnish. Simply small works of art, until the fear of throwing into the water.... But somehow, so far, I have not had a conviction to them, due to their peculiar, for me not much fly construction. Mostly a stiff, „bare'” torso and a feather or fur tail. And that's it. I associated it all together more with a crankbait than with a fly lure. So I decided to quality enrich this design with some elements that would give it a little more life and make it closer to fly lures.

The characteristic shape of the mylar fish's torso is achieved by attaching the mylar to a special skeleton, built on the hook shank. There are several ways to do this:

  Photo 1, From top:

• Using round forceps, bend the shank of the hook appropriately, and from the top tie a section of stiff, thick line to it.
• To a similarly curved hook we tie a shape made of foam from above. The foam is buoyant, but the shank of the hook acts as a keel, this ensures that the fly works in the correct position.
• To a simple hook attach a shaper from below. If it is made of buoyant material, tie a section of lead wire from below as ballast.
• We cut a rectangular strip from a special self-adhesive lead foil. We fold it lengthwise and place a hook in the bend. Then we cut the foil to the desired shape.

This type of design allows you to get a heavy lure, useful for fishing deep pits with a strong pull.

  But you can also do it differently. For some time now I have been making my mylarks in a way that is probably simpler than the above-described ones, it allows to get an equally effective lure, what's more - noticeably less prone to snagging. And yet now, in early spring, this factor is important, when I fish with a fast-sinking line in deep troughs and cavities, when I try to „nudge'' the bottom of the fishery with the fly.

 To make the bow tie you will need:

A hook with a long shank, some shiny material for the torso, bright feathers for the scutellum and tail, a section of mylar, metal beads, preferably in the form of a chain, and a strip of leather with fur, for example, from a rabbit.

   Photo.2.

  To the shank we attach a section of mylar a little longer than the length of the hook. We make a tail, in this case from a bunch of down feather rays.

  Photos.3., 4.

 Into the center of the mylar we put two metal beads cut from the chain.

  Photo.5.

 On the shank of the hook wind the trunk of the shiny braid, bend the mylar backwards and tie in the place where the tail is attached. The beads inside the mylar give a distinctive shape to the fly's belly and, at the same time, provide ballast to ensure that the fly is in the right position while leading.

  Photo.6.

 The entire body can be coated with a five-minute epoxy resin, which will give our design adequate durability. After all, by design it is supposed to scrub against the bottom.

  Photo.7.

 Turn the hook in the vise with the arrowhead upwards and make a scrambler, in this case in the form of a beard made of the same material as the tail.

  Photo.8.

 We take the fly out of the vise and on the tip of the hook, we scoop the skin with the hair. This should be done after carefully measuring the place of puncture so that on one side you get a suitable section that will constitute the tail, on the other side of the skin must be enough to tie it at the head.

   Photo.9.

Stretch the strap so that it rests against the beginning of the trunk at the puncture point, then tie it at the head.

   Photo.10.

 Finished fly. Thus constructed, it works in the right position, the soft material of the blackberry and tail and rabbit hair pulsate attractively, and the upward-facing spearhead greatly reduces the number of hooks.