This classic streamer gets it's name from the Chicago underworld, where a Mickey Finn was a bar drink laced with chloral hydrate- the concoction would render the drinker unconscious enough to rob. It is a truly classic streamer pattern, and has appeared in every fly tying book, magazine, web site, and collection as a "must carry" pattern. Even Earnest Schwiebert wrote about it in "Trout".
Presumably, the pattern was such a knockout on trout that it just had to be called a "Mickey Finn". Since everyone who is anyone carried the pattern, I dutifully tied up a dozen in 1999 and always carried three or four in the corner of the streamer box. However, the pattern had a distinction; it was the only fly pattern that I ever tied that never once caught a fish. Part of this was that I never tied one on unless it was one of those cold cloudy desperate days where the stream seemed lifeless. I would usually put on one when I came to big dark pool, make a few desultory casts, and snip it off in favor of something that might actually work. It became a joke- I knew guys that would fish the Mickey over any other streamer pattern but I hated it.
I actually consider the Mickey Finn not as an attractor pattern, but a very good imitation of a redbelly dace. But redbelly dace are pretty scarce in most of their range, and creek chubs, black nosed dace, and sculpins are far more widespread. So although it was good, dace just weren't important.
So this went on for 25 years, until a fateful sunny summer day on the Ausable River. My friends Jim J. and Jaime S. and I were doing a hopscotch float and there was the inevitable discussion about what they might be bitin'. Jim and Jaime both suggested that the Mickey Finn was a pattern worth considering, and I scoffed. They looked at me like I was an idiot. I scoffed again, thereby adding to my future misery and shame. We were catching fish on dry flies until about noon when it sort of drizzled out. I was in a post-lunch stupor and not getting anything. One of those, "well at least the morning was good" days. Somehow, I decided to tie on a stupid-ass Mickey Finn, go fishless, and then make fun of my friends for their bad advice. A good plan, but it went bad on the first cast when a nice brookie smashed the fly. I then had one of the most eye opening experiences of my fly fishing career, but it wasn't about the fish that were smashing the Finn about every third or fourth cast, it was what the pattern taught me.
The Mickey Finn is a great pattern because of all the flies I have ever fished, it is the one that is most visible from 30 feet away when it is swinging through the darkness of deep pools and runs. Because you could see the fly, you could work it within inches of stumps, and watch how it was responding to your strips and mends. But the craziest part were the strikes. I would watch a brook trout (and occasional brown) fly out of their lairs, eat the fly, and then turn back toward the stygian depths. It was only after they had moved 6 to 12 inches that I could feel the strike. That day, I was fishing graphite because we had all agreed that three guys in a canoe was not a good situation for cane rods, and it made me realize that cane rules because of its sensitivity. Next year, I am going back with a cane streamer rod to see if I can detect strikes better, and I think I will.
The coolest part of the day came when I spied a small deep hole with big stump at the tail end- the pool was a depression about the size of your office desk. I thought, if I were king of the brook trout, that would be my spot. It was, he was big, and was released. About five minutes later the fishing ended when the last of my three Mickeys ended up in a tree, but it was fun while it lasted. I now love the Mickey Finn, and will never be without it again even though Jim and Jaime will undoubtedly make fun of me every time they see me fishing the pattern. I don't care.
Another interesting thing about this pattern is that there are almost no published variations. About the only variation I have seen in tying books is the addition of jungle cock eyes, or small painted-on eyes. I do know of two varations though that were developed by friends: William M. of Berks County PA used to add an overwing of grizzly hackle and claimed the pattern was far more effective. My friend Jim J. Ties his with a pink fur body ribbed with tinsel, jungle cock, and a topping of peacock herl . It works.
And by the way, every fishing story I have ever read that discussed this pattern as a fish catcher described the same weather pattern: Midsummer, sunny and hot. That was my case, and it may be most effective that time of year. Why? I have no idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment