Marabou Muddler

Streamer imitating baitfish, for trout and bass. Intermediate. Dan Bailey.

A red hackle-fibre tail, a silver tinsel body, a full white marabou wing topped with peacock herl, and a spun deer-hair collar and clipped head.

Materials

Steps

  1. Attach thread Attach the thread at 72% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end. Leave the front quarter bare for the hair.
  2. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
  3. Tie in: red hackle fibres Tie in the red hackle fibres, leaving 1.6× the gape sticking out behind.
  4. Tie in: silver flat tinsel Tie in the silver flat tinsel with a few firm thread turns.
  5. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 72% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
  6. Wind: silver flat tinsel Wind the silver flat tinsel forward to 72% of the way along the shank in 18 turns. Touching turns.
  7. Tie off: silver flat tinsel Tie off the silver flat tinsel with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  8. Tie in: white marabou Tie in a bunch of white marabou, leaving 4.4× the gape sticking out behind, angled about 6° up from the shank. Tied full: one or two plumes, stripped from the quill.
  9. Tie in: peacock herl Tie in 6 strands of peacock herl, leaving 4× the gape sticking out behind, angled about 9° up from the shank. About six strands over the wing.
  10. Spin: deer hair Spin clumps of deer hair round the shank, packing each one back against the last, up to just behind the eye. Tips back to about the hook point, then butts-only clumps packed tight.
  11. Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread.
  12. Trim: deer hair Trim the spun deer hair to shape, leaving a head about three quarters of the gape thick on each side. A cone, wide at the back; flat underneath to keep the gape clear. Leave the collar.

History

Dan Bailey, the Livingston fly-shop owner credited with the Muddler's dense clipped head, swapped its turkey wing for marabou to imitate river minnows. Wikipedia's article on Bailey dates it to the 1940s; the other sources give no date. Bailey preferred white; brown, yellow and black are also popular in the West.

Fishing it

Tied light, the deer-hair head keeps it near the top: it suspends, and stripped it wakes on the surface. Weighted and fished on a sinking line, it bobs up and down on the retrieve.

Sources