How To Tie The Worldʼs Greatest Smallmouth
Fly---The Floating Sheep Minnow!
by John Gremmer
Dave Whitlock created the Sheep Minnow series, including the floating version. I accidentally
modified it by making the head much bigger than what Dave wanted for catching his Arkansas
Striped Bass. I bought Daveʼs video tape on how to tie this thing, made the heads too big, and
ended up with a bass fly that strips, pops, lands like a feather, looks good from underneath, and
catches---year-after-year---20 inch bass on top. Like all “wonder flies”, this one is only as good
as the presentation you make to the Smallie. I learned how to present this fly through years of
trial and error. If you learn how to tie it right, and present it right, you will end up landing a lot of
big bass.
Recipe:
Hook: Tiemco 8089 NP(nickel plated), size 6
Threads: white 6/0; white, GSP, 100 denier(for flaring deer hair)
Platform: Mason Rock leader material, 30 lbs.---for hair flaring platform
Body and Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash
Body and Tail: White Icelandic sheep hair
Body and Tail: Silver Flashabou
Body and Tail: Gray Icelandic sheep hair
Body and Tail: Peacock Krystal Flash
Lateral line and Flash: Silver or holographic, salt water Flashabou
Lateral Line: Gray (or Badger) rooster hackle
Gills: Red rabbit hair
Head(ventral surface): White deer belly hair
Head(dorsal surface): Gray deer belly hair
Eyes: Medium sized eyes of your choice
You will also need Zap-a-Gap or whatever superglue you use and a goop like glue for sticking
the eyes on---I use Zap-a-Goop!
Directions:
1. Put the hook in the vice and rough up the shank with a small file. Put a small amount of Zap-aGap on the shank and wrap it with white, 6/0 thread.
2. Cut a piece of Mason Rock, 30 pound leader about three inches long and bend it so that it fits on
both sides of the hook like pontoons on a canoe. Then wrap it in place with the thread.
3. All the materials, with the exception of the
deer hair, will be attached at one place, just
ahead of the bend of the hook. Tie in a short
(two inches) tail of pearl Krystal Flash. Now
flip the hook over and tie a little bit shorter
bunch of pearl Krystal Flash under the first
bunch you tied on.
4. Now tie a bunch of white Icelandic
Sheep hair above and below the
Krystal Flash.
5. Tie a bunch of silver Flashabou on
top of the white Icelandic sheep hair.
6. On top of the silver Flashabou tie on
a bunch of gray Icelandic sheep hair.
7. On top of the gray sheep hair tie a bunch of
peacock colored Krystal Flash.
8. Now, tie in a piece of salt water flashabou
on both sides of the fly as a lateral line and
flash.
9. Cover the salt water Flashabou with an
appropriately sized gray (or badger) rooster
hackle.
10. To simulate the gills tie in a small bunch
of red rabbit hair just in front of the body
materials.
11. Now it is time to flare the deer hair to make
the head. Weʼre not spinning the hair, we are
flaring it. We first start with white hair for the
underside(ventral) and then put a bunch of gray
on the top(dorsal) and then alternate this
procedure until we have a nice full, big head.
Note: Use the GPS thread to flare
the hair. Make sure it is really
packed in.
Note: Now you are ready to start
trimming the hair. I use a curved
scissors first and then switch to a
razor blade.
12. Once we have completed the head we
take a scissors or razor blade and trim the
13. We want a nice flat face so that we get
the deep, resonating pop that this fly is
famous for. You wonʼt get this sound from
foam or wood. I think this sound is one of
winning features of this fly.
14. Lastly, we cut out a couple of shallow pockets(with scissors) for the eyes and then glue them in
place. I actually think these eyes are seen by the fish---so donʼt skimp on the eyes.
I like to tie about two dozen of these every year. They get chewed up by bass a lot and
Northerns are always stealing them, plus fishing partners will end up mooching ones off of you.
Go get ʻum! Have fun!
Sheep Minnows just keep catching and catching---the more
beat up they get, the better they work. This one has lost
itʼs eyes and half its materials. Itʼs stuck in a fish.
Old red-eye strikes again. This is an all white sheep minnow.
This picture was taken about 50 feet from our cabin door in the UP of Michigan. This
one measured exactly 20 inches. I am using a six weight St. Croix Legend Ultra and a
floating sheep minnow. Life is good!
John Gremmer