Mop Fly
The Mop Fly has been described as one of the most sinful flies of all time – in terms of one of the easiest flies to tie as well as to fish. It is a very simple fly to tie and a very effective and productive fly for trout. The Mop Fly wiggles when wet, with some enthusiasts saying it is their most effective trout fly ever.
“This one really pushes the envelope in terms of good taste, but trout can’t seem to resist it”, said Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions.
It is for this reason that this particular fly is controversial. As one angler put it:
“I’m sorry guys, but I absolutely hate the mop”, said one keyboard warrior. “I was fishing late summer one time and was doing okay and decided to try a mop for the first time. I watched fish that weren’t even feeding go out of their way to eat it. No matter if I dragged it, made a good drift, left it dangle in the current while I waded upstream, fish were literally moving 3ft or more to eat it. It is definitely a deadly fly, but it required no skill, drift, or any of the technical aspects that makes fly fishing challenging and great.”
The reason for the Mop Fly name is because it is made from the chenille-like fingers found on dust mops and dusters. You just snip off one of the fingers off the mop or scrubber and tie it securely to the top of the hook. That’s all you really need to catch fish. However, it never hurts to juice things up a little by starting first with a bead, either brass or tungsten, in order to add weight. You’ll have no trouble finding beads in a wide assortment of colours to match whatever colour of material you are using.
Recipe
- Hook: Curved scud (this is a 3 12 or #14).
- Bead: 4mm Tungsten (colour of choice).
- Thread: Black in this case, UTC 70.
- Body: Tentacle off a car washing mitt.
Tim Flagler’s Mop ‘n’ Glo Fly
From Orvis.com
Tim Flagler, of Tightline Productions, offers clear instructions for creating this very simple pattern, which is basically a Glo Bug with a mop segment coming the rear. The humorous ending of the video (below) suggests that he enjoys being a bit of a bad boy.
Recipe
- Hook: Emerger hook (here a Dai-Riki #125), size 14.
- Thread: Fluorescent orange, 8/0 or 70-denier.
- Body: Mop segment.
- Blood dot: Fluorescent fire orange Antron Bright Steelhead Dubbing.
- Egg: Yellow Antron Bright Steelhead Dubbing.
- Adhesive: Bondic UV-cure resin.
- Note: Tie this in any colours you choose.
This rainbow clearly didn’t care that the pattern is ugly and unorthodox.
