Moto's Minnow is a streamer pattern that seems to be all the rage right now. I've yet to really fish one but as you can see here it looks pretty good underwater.
For a hook I'm going to use a Dai-Riki #700 in a size 10. Mash the barb so you're able to slide an appropriately sized cone head around the bend and on to the shank then secure the hook in your vise.
I like to add a good amount of weight to ensure the fly will go down quickly. Here, 12 wraps of .02 lead free wire. To really stabilize the weight, hook and cone head, apply a small amount of Zap-a-Gap directly to the hook shank. Slide the weight forward and hold it there a few seconds while the glue sets.
For thread, I'm using UTC 70 Denier in gray. Start your thread on the shank just behind the weight and take wraps rearward to the bend.
For the tail, pull back the lower fibers on a single plume of marabou then snip the stem off to get rid of them. Then remove the tip of the feather so it won't be part of the tail. With that done, I like to rip the stringy tips off the marabou resulting in a fluffier appearance. Measure the tail so it's about a hook length long and then tie it in securely on top of the hook shank. Take tight wraps of tying thread all the way up to the weight. You can then snip the remaining butt end of the plume off. Make tight wraps all the way back to the base of the tail.
Select a nicely colored partridge feather. These can come from a variety of places on a skin. Strip the lower fuzzies off to expose the stem. While grabbing the feather by the tip, pull the fibers down. You can then snip the tip off leaving a small triangle which will aid in tie in. Secure the feather to the hook with several tight wraps. Don't skimp here as you don't want it pulling out. Grab the stem with your hackle pliers and preen the fibers rearward. As you wrap the stem around the hook shank, continue to pull the fibers back. When you get to bare stem secure it with a few wraps and then snip it off close.
You're going to repeat the same procedure over and over again to cover the entire hook shank with these wraps. Yes, it takes a lot of feathers and yes, it takes a good deal of time. Think of it like building a deer hair head on a muddler minnow. With about an eighth inch left before the cone, switch over from partridge to a white or off-white saddle hackle, the webbier the better. With the shiny side of the feather facing you, snip the base of the feather off and then prepare the stem for tie in. Stripping a few extra fibers from the top edge of the stem will help the feather to wrap correctly. Tie in the stem and begin taking wraps so the dull side of the feather faces rearward. You'll find you can really pack the wraps in tightly behind the cone head. Take several turns of tying thread to secure the tip of the saddle hackle. You can then snip the tip off close.
To finish the fly, do two 5 or 6 turn whip finishes before cutting the tying thread free. A generous drop of head cement on the wraps behind the bead helps to ensure nothing will come loose.
And that's the Moto Minnow, kind of like a woolly bugger but with more densely packed hackle fibers. Give it a shot.
Show / Hide Moto's Minnow Transcript 
