FLIPPR Logo

Punkinhead

Punkinhead

- By Mike Andreasen

Anyone tackling Patterson Lake for the first time should have a number of Punkinheads in their fly box. From the earliest surveys by the FLIPPR field crews the presence of large brown leeches was noted in the lake. Any brown mohair pattern will work but the spectrumized versions that Mike Andreasen developed appear to work best. On this version, that little patch of bright or- ange SLF on the head appears to be just the trigger for the large browns and rainbows that haunt Patterson’s shoals and depths.

We fish these with a fast sinking line during warmer months and in deeper water. However, the most fun comes when pounding the weed lines when the fish are up and feisty.

We tend to tie these in sizes from 8 - 3x to number 2s. The strikes can be quite violent and 0X tippet material is no guarantee that you’ll survive the initial take. On other days the strike is often short and a mere tap - the classic short strike.

This is a fine pattern for all Parkland Lakes but works best on Tokaryk and Patterson.

Materials:

Type Notes

Hook

Number 6 to Number 2 - 3x

Thread

Brown Monocord

Weight

Weight can be added near head of fly

Tail

Reddish Brown Marabou with two pieces of Olive Krystal Flash on either side if desired

Body

A blend of Canadian Brown Mohair with some Lite-Brite mixed in

Head

Dubbed Orange SLF or Orange Anton - swept back

Steps:

Type Notes

1

Tie in Marabou tail. Sparse for cleaner water and a little thicker for turbid conditions.

2

If using weight then wind it on at the head, simply wrapped around the hook shank.

3

Tie on Mohair Yarn and allow to drop out of way.

4

Make a sparse dubbing rope with blend of Mohair and Lite-Brite. Wind it ahead and fasten.

5

Wind the Mohair Yarn ahead, taking care to fluff and sweep each wind backwards with a dubbing brush. Tie off leaving sufficient space for the head.

6

Dub on the Orange SLF or Anton and fasten securely so about 1/5th of the hook shank is covered when swept back with dubbing brush.

7

The body of the fly can also be tied by making dubbing from chopped Canadian Brown Mohair yarn into suitable lengths (usually a half inch) and then mixing it with Lite-Brite as per California Leech arrangements. See that pattern for details.