Son of Conehead
By Scott Sanchez

fotm october 2018

Translated by Carl Wuebben

 

In some situations, the biggest fly in your box is not the best, and the smallest might be the most appetizing.

Case in point is a fish’s disposition when it comes to food selectivity. It’s one of those facets that I have to admit I don’t consider often when I’m on the water. Sure, there are plenty of productive chuck-and-chance fly patterns out there, and a few work with dependable regularity. Fish can be opportunistic omnivores, and yet at other times, prefer something specific that replicates bait; size, shape, color or action (or a mix of all four). This becomes critical to success. Figuring out the trigger can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of fishing. Learning through experience what works and what doesn’t is a rewarding endeavor that far too many anglers don’t take the chance to encounter.

PATTERN

HOOK – DAI-RIKI 930 or Mustad 34007, size 2 to 8, bent to a bend back shape
THREAD – Red size 6/0 (140 denier)
HEAD – Nickel 3/16 to 1/4 inch conehead with recessed eyes
WING – White Bucktail, Glow-in-the-Dark Flashabou, Pearl Crystal Flash, Tan Bucktail
EYES – Orange 2mm adhesive eyes stuck into the eye bores on conehead
GLUE – Cyanoacrylate (Zap-a-Gap or Super Glue)

HOW TO TIE

  1. Bend the hook shank in the opposite direction of the hook gap about one-third of the length back from the hook eye. Then slip the cone on the hook and mount in your vise upside down.
  2. Keep the conehead toward the back of the hook and then add a little bit of Zap-a-Gap on the hook shank from the eye to where the hook was bent (about midshank). Start your thread in behind the eye and working rearward make a nice tight thread base to where you bent the hook, and back to the eyelet.
  3. Slip the cone forward to make sure it fits snugly over the thread base. When it does, make a small head in front of the cone, whip-finish, cut the thread and apply some Zap-a-Gap to the small thread head.
  4. Reattach the thread to the hook shank behind the cone.
  5. Add a sparse wing of bucktail and flash behind the cone. Then whip finish and cut the thread, add some head cement to the thread and base of the wing. (Length of wing should be almost 1 1/2 the hook size.)
  6. Adhere the adhesive eyes in the eye sockets of the conehead.

TIE UP A DOZEN OR TWO – AND GO FISHING*** But remember to practice C.P.R. (CATCH – PICTURE – RELEASE)