Cat's Whisker

Streamer imitating baitfish, for trout. Beginner. David Train.

A white marabou tail and wing, a fluorescent lime chenille body with a silver wire rib, and silver bead-chain eyes behind the eye.

Materials

Steps

  1. Attach thread Attach the thread at 92% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end.
  2. Tie in: bead chain eyes Tie the bead chain eyes on top of the shank with figure-of-eight turns. On top, just behind the eye, with figure-of-eight turns.
  3. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
  4. Tie in: white marabou Tie in a bunch of white marabou, leaving 2.6× the gape sticking out behind. A large pinch; tear it to length, never cut it.
  5. Tie in: silver wire Tie in the silver wire with a few firm thread turns.
  6. Tie in: fluorescent lime chenille Tie in the fluorescent lime chenille with a few firm thread turns. Above the wire.
  7. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 86% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
  8. Wind: fluorescent lime chenille Wind the fluorescent lime chenille forward to 86% of the way along the shank in 12 turns. Touching turns, stopping short of the eyes.
  9. Tie off: fluorescent lime chenille Tie off the fluorescent lime chenille with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  10. Wind: silver wire Wind the silver wire forward to 86% of the way along the shank in 5 turns. Counter-wound.
  11. Tie off: silver wire Tie off the silver wire with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  12. Tie in: white marabou Tie in a bunch of white marabou, leaving 5× the gape sticking out behind, angled about 10° up from the shank. A second large pinch, reaching about the tail tip.
  13. Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread. A small head in front of the eyes, varnished.

History

David Train's lure from the 1980s; Funky Fly Tying says the early 1980s, the GlobalFlyFisher video about 1985. The first version had no eyes, and to keep the marabou from fouling round the hook Train tied in four white whiskers his cat had shed. Adding bead-chain eyes, to make it sink and swim level, did away with the whiskers, but not the name. Train sent some to Bob Church, who won competitions with them, and it became one of the best known British stillwater lures.

Fishing it

A weighted stillwater lure, fished on whatever line puts it at the trout's depth, from floating to fast-sinking. Strip it in long, uneven pulls and break the rhythm now and then with a pause and a few quick, short jerks. When it stops, the eyes tip its head down; when it moves, it darts up again like a fleeing fry, and the marabou keeps moving throughout. It fishes all year. The English Fly Fishing Shop rates it highest in autumn, when trout feed on the year's fry; Funky Fly Tying prefers it in cold water, from late October to April.

Sources