How to Tie Chicone's Midnight Special Fly

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

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Chicone's Midnight Special Fly is a stellar pattern for imitating small baitfish in a saltwater setting. If you're chasing Stripers, Redfish, Tarpon, and more, this fly is a great floating pattern to entice picky fish. Tune in as Jared provides step-by-step instructions to tie this simple pattern that should be in every saltwater angler's fly box.

Materials:

We've put together a kit that contains all the materials you need to tie this exact fly pattern.

Click the button below to shop the selection.

• Gamakatsu SC15 - Size 4
• UNI Mono Thread
• Just Add H2O Steve Farrar SF Blend - Grey
• Hedron Flashabou - Pearl
• Hareline Chicone's Fettuccine Foam - Grey
• Hareline Wire-Free Synthetic Fox Brushes - Grey
• Fish-Skull Living Eyes

Step One:

Start your thread, create a base, and tie in the SF Blend. Grab a sparse clump of roughly 20 fibers, cut a small chunk, and fold it in half. Taper the material a bit in your hand and when you're satisfied with the way the SF Blend is shaped, measure the SF Blend so it extends roughly 2x the length of the hook shank. Tie in the Blend on top of the hook shank then fold it over to create a base and wrap your thread back over the blend.

Step Two:

Choose 3-4 strands of Flashabou and tie them in just behind the hook eye. Wrap your thread back toward the bend of the hook then forward to just behind the eye. After tying in the Flashabou, wrap the Flashabou forward to create an underbody. Take tight, close turns to create a solid pearl underbody. Leave some space behind the eye of the hook for the head.

Step Three:

Take two pieces of Fettuccine Foam and tie them in on opposite sides of the hook right on top of the bend of the hook. Be careful not to break the foam with your tension when tying with mono thread. Pull the foam forward on top of the hook shank and tie the fronts in on top of the hook shank leaving room to build the head of the fly.

Step Four:

Prep the Wire-Free Synthetic Brush by stripping some of the Craft Fur from the core then tie in the core right behind the eye of the hook. Stroke the fibers back then wrap the Brush around the hook shank twice. Tie the Brush off and clip the excess brush. After you create a small head with a few thread wraps, whip finish.

Step Five:

Clip some of the fibers from the underside of the fly. To make the fly more sparse, invert the hook and pull the fibers up from the underside of the fly. Clip them to create a more well-rounded body profile.

Step Six:

Finally, stick some Living Eyes on the side of the foam to give the fly a more life-like appearance. Place glue on the backside of the eyes and press them into the fly on either side. And that's it! That's the Midnight Special, a great pattern for targeting fish feeding on small baitfish especially at night.

Questions?

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