make mine minkie

[jiggerjohn]

Last fall I began experimenting with mink "zonker" strips, rather than the usual rabbit fur for my favored Basher and Boolie jigs. The action was a little bit differant from the bunny tails - a bit more subdued, with more of a whole body swing,rather the normal ripple. But at various stages of a jigging retrieve the material took on the look of an active bug, swimming leech, a leggy helgrammite, and a bottom walking crayfish ! Fish loved it!! In researching mink, it seems that British fly fishers have been making a mink zonker pattern that they call a "minkie", and photos posted show HUGE rainbow & brown trout as victims from their impossibly hard fished waters.These English anglers claim the natural motion of a minkie looks more like a small baitfish than any other fly.

Thin mink zonker strips are available in some shops and catalogs right now. But if you can get hold of one of those old fashioned mink stoles (the ones with artificial mink heads biting the tails of other mink, to form a chain), you can have a huge supply at limited or no cost!

 

[AtticaFish]

I have dug around for some more info - the mink looks like it is alot more dense than traditional rabbit. Would be interested in seeing the action.... will have too keep my eye out at yard sales this year.

The minkie fly pattern you are talking about, is it similar to a matuka style with the strip tied at the back and hide laid over the body material and tied down again at the eye? I found LOTS of different things that were called minkies, but those seemed to be the most abundant.

Here is a video i found - The Minkie - from a UK site. Some interesting info about wetting the hide down and stretching it as you tie. I like the finish knot he uses at the end also.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Yep, the "minkie" is sorta like a matuka tie. The action seems more controlled than rabbit, but a neat spreading of fibers that looks like legs while at rest. Another super looking mink tie is called a "Plonker" ( http://www.flyfishersrepublic.com/patterns/plonker/ ). I've been tying these recently on Keith's mini HU head and they look terrific (way more actionized for the body when crosscut mink fur is spiral wrapped) during a straight swim or crawled along bottom. Mink zonker strips are now offered by some of the bigger fly supply companies, but I still enjoy hacking up the old coats to shape my strips!

 

[Hawnjigs]

"I have tied the Plonker with squirrel skin strips and I even tried a few with chinchilla skin strips, but they were both remarkably unproductive. Mink is by far your best bet."

Hmm, I wonder why?