Foxy Sculpin

[Tom L]

I've had good success fishing the Foxy Crawdad last season. However, during highwater I felt the fly was not as effective as it should be. In this condition, I think I would need something with a little more flash and larger profile especially around the head. So, I've been tiggling with the Foxy Crawdad and finally I'm happy with the result.

 

May I present the Foxy Sculpin.

 

Hook: Eagle Claw 630-2 Size 2 (90 degrees jig hook)

Thread: Danville's 140 Denier for the body and GSP 100 Denier for the head (colors of your choice)

Under Body and Tail: Krystal Flash (color of your choice)

Body and Tail: Magnum Zonker Strip (colors of your choice)

Wing: Holo Flashabou on each side (colors of your choice)

Collar: 2 hackles and deer hair (colors of your choice)

Legs: Silicon legs (I used spinner bait silicon skirts for these. A trick I learned from Tim A.)

Head: deer hair or Ice Dub (colors of your choice)

Eyes: Lead dumbell eyes

 

Step 1: attach dumbell eyes to the hook on the hookpoint side.

 

Step 2: add Krystal Flash under body and tail.

 

Step 3: add Zonker Strip body and tail.

 

Step 4: add Holo Flashabous wings on each side of the fly.

 

Step 5: add 2 pieces of hackles and palmer 5-6 turns for the collar, behind the dumbell eyes.

 

Step 6: add rubber legs on each side of the fly.

 

Step 7: add deer hair collar, just behind the dumbell eyes.

 

Step 8: add Ice Dub on top, bottom and in front of the dumbell eyes. Whip finish. (You can also use deer hair for the hair)

 

Step 9: trim to shape.

 

These are the different variations that you can do with the fly.

 

You can also use a straight eye hook and eliminate the rubber legs, then it became "Foxy Minnow".

[Ted P]

Thanks for the description and steps to make this fly. As a beginner fly tier this is a big help.

Thanks again.

[John Gillio]

Great ties Tom! Thanks.

[Bart Durham]

Very impressive looking fly, thanks for recipie.

[Tim A]

Great flies, Tom! Thanks for the SBS!

[Guest Jim S.]

Those are really nice Tom!

[Jim Wright]

Awesome flies! I will have these in the box this season for sure. Nice work, thank you for the recipe.

[Guest Josh Glovinsky]

Wow. Very beautiful flies!

[Rob G]

Tom,

when you tie in your barbell eyes on top of the hook shaft, will the hook still ride point side up and how quick is the descent would you say?
Lovely flies btw !

[Tom L]

Thanks everyone for the nice compliments.

 

Tom,

when you tie in your barbell eyes on top of the hook shaft, will the hook still ride point side up and how quick is the descent would you say?
Lovely flies btw !

Rob, I started of by tying the dumpbell eyes on top of the hook shank of the 45 deg jig hook (the same hook that I used for the Foxy Crawdad). The fly did swim hook point up; however, I didn't get the head shape I wanted. Next, using the same 45 degree jig hook, I tied the eyes under the hook shank (on the hook point side), I got the head shape that I liked, but the fly sometimes swam hook point down (tested in the tub). After that, I used a 90 deg jig hook and tied the eyes under the hook shank. I got the head shape and the hook point up swim as I wanted.

 

I'm not sure what the sink rate of these flies is. The weight of the dumpbell eyes on the fly will determine that. So I had used 3 different eye sizes (x-sm, sm, med); and not to confuse myself when I actually use them, I also used 3 different colors of eyes.

 

Red eyes = x-small

White eyes = small

Plain eyes = medium

 

Hope that helps.

[Rob G]

After that, I used a 90 deg jig hook and tied the eyes under the hook shank. I got the head shape and the hook point up swim as I wanted.

 

From the photos above it appears you tied the eyes above or on top of the hook shank (if the hook is to ride point up)

[Tim A]

It seems we should use words "point side" and "opposite of point side" or "non-point side" to avoid confusion. Is that more confusing?

[Mike G]

It seems we should use words "point side" and "opposite of point side" or "non-point side" to avoid confusion. Is that more confusing?

Yep.

 

I figure that the standard position of a hook is with shank horizontal, bend curving downward, barb and point below bend. All references to location are described as if the hook were in this position even if you have turned the hook 90 deg or inverted the hook 180 deg or tilted the shank to a vertical position. So the dumbell eyes of a clouser are tied on top of the shank. A TD eye is always a TD eye even if you invert the hook. Etc., etc., etc.

 

It is easier to use pictures.

[Rob G]

It seems we should use words "point side" and "opposite of point side" or "non-point side" to avoid confusion. Is that more confusing?

 

I'm not sure I get your point

[Tom L]

Step 1: attach dumbbell eyes to the hook on the hookpoint side (the bottom of the hook).

[This picture is showing the vise jaw in the upside-down position, so the hook is in the upside-down position also]

 

Step 2: add Krystal Flash under body and tail.

[This picture is showing the vise jaw in the upright position, so the hook is in the upright (normal) position also. And we can see that the dumbbell eyes are on the bottom of the hook or on the hookpoint side]

 

Hope that cleared up the confusion. Please keep in mind that the vise is a rotary vise. And the upright (normal) position is when the vise jaw is at 45 degrees pointing up.

[Tim A]

Thanks, Tom. I knew I got that idea from somewhere!