Learn how to tie the Baby Fat Minnow, including step-by-step instructions, a video tutorial, pictures, and much more. Improve your fly-tying skills here.

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An easy to tie streamer that can be altered to imitate almost any baitfish, the Baby Fat Minnow brings excellent realism in the water and helps coax those tough fish into eating. Initially designed by Cheech at Fly Fish Food for chasing picky fish in stillwater situations, we've found that this is a fly that extends far beyond that setting. Whether you're stripping it back to you on a river, casting it into the mangroves in Florida, or chasing smallmouth bass in a large river, this fly just plain works. Tie it in any size you like and use any colors you need to match your local forage, the Baby Fat is an excellent streamer to have in your box all year long.

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Material list:

Step One

Begin your fly by adding your tungsten bead onto the hook. Depending on the size of your hook and bead, you may need to crimp the barb to get it on.

Step Two

Once you have the bead onto your hook, start your thread behind the bead and create a base. After you've created a thread base behind the bead, cross your thread over the top of the bead and create a base in front; repeat this step several times to really lock the bead in on your hook, and end with your thread behind the bead (so that tying the tail in is easier). Adding glue is optional, but if you want to increase durability, a little glue on either side of the hook certainly helps.

Step Three

Select a white marabou plume and measure it to be roughly one-and-a-half the length of the hook's shank. Once measured, tie it in just before the bend of the hook, secure it, and trim the excess.

Step Four

Grab some Hareline Ice Dub in the color Minnow Belly and rip stack it in your hands in order to get it aligned properly before tying in. Once aligned, tie it in over the tail, but leave some fibers extending forward. Once secured, pull the forward-facing fibers rearward and tie them in.

Step Five

Now advance your thread in front of the bead. We're going to use some Hareline Bruiser Blend for the head and body, so select a bunch that's just a bit shorter than the tail and tie it in behind the hook's eye, leaving some material facing forward towards the hook's eye.

Step Six

Invert your fly in the vise and repeat that exact step with a lighter color Bruiser Blend. It's important to keep solid separation between the two colors here in order to showcase the darker back and lighter belly found on most baitfish.

Step Seven

Now pull your thread in front of the Bruiser Blend, sweep the fibers facing forward rearward, and create a dam in front in of them to keep them oriented towards the tail of the fly. Once they're facing the rear, use a comb or bodkin to straighten the fibers out.

Step Eight

Now secure the fly with a whip finish, as we are done with the tying process of the fly.

Step Nine

Now take your Copic Marker and shade the top of the fly. We're using brown, but any contrasting color can be used, and then take a red marker and create some gills. This is an optional step, but it does add some realism.

Step Ten

Now, secure each eye with a dab of Gel Super Glue. You can put the glue right onto the head or apply it to the back of the eye before applying them, chef's choice.

Step Eleven

Now completely coat the head and eyes of your fly with UV Resin--we're using Loon's Thick formula, but any that you have can work-- and cure it with your UV light.

Your fly is now finished and ready to swim the next time you're fishing. From flowing to stillwaters, this streamer works just about everywhere.