El Sculpito

It seems that articulated flies are all the rage right now, but there is definitively still a place in our hearts (and in fish lips)  for the one hook variety of streamers.  El Sculpito, like many of the patterns that I tie, is more of a concept than an exact recipe, and many of the materials can be added/subtracted to your liking.  When I started this concept, I wanted to make a pattern that wasn't too complex, and that would slither over rocks without hanging up.  I knew the tail was going to be rabbit, but the rest of the fly was kind of up in the air.  I used Arizona Mega Simi Seal (AZMSS) for the body (and eventually for the head too), because it has a wide variety of colors and isn't overburdened with flash.  By using AZMSS in the fly it eliminates the need to add flash of any kind and makes the bug even faster to tie.  Pectoral fins on sculpins are what really make or break them because the head and fins should have a wide, flat profile.  I had been tying some bass jigs and had a bunch of skirt material (sili legs) laying on the table, so on they went.  They looked really cool on the vise, but I didn't realize what they would do for the action of the fly in the water until I actually fished it (see below).  Then came the head...  Deer hair?  Nope, I want to keep it simple.  Wool?  Nope, even more simple.  I grabbed some Congo Hair and started cutting it up to make a super dubbing.  The dubbing consists of multiple colors of congo hair cut about 2 inches long and blended all up with combs and dog brushes (coffee grinders don't take to well to this stuff).  I attached the dubbing using a dubbing loop, and it actually brushed out really well and held its shape even in the water.  I have since moved to AZMSS dubbing for the head due to a wider array of colors available.  For the eyes, I have been using lead barbell eyes with CCG eyes super glued  to them, but if I want to simplify the pattern I add  Spirit River I-Balz eyes or Allen Fly Fishing barbell eyes.

Field tests have been completed, and not only did the fish munch it up, it swims great and slithers over rocks just as I suspected it would.  One of the coolest features was that the sili legs are somewhat buoyant, and make the back half of the fly kick up after it is stripped kind of like a jigging motion.  Many more variations to come.

~ Cheech

Recipe:

Hook: Gamakatsu B10 S or Allen Fly Fishing B200 (almost any streamer hook will work, but I get better hook-ups with these two.)
Thread: Uni 6/0.  Bigger thread is important so I can cinch the dubbing loop between the eyes.
Tail: Rabbit strip.  Normal size for smaller patterns, and magnum for larger patterns.
Body: Arizona Mega Simi Seal, or Simi Seal dubbing.
Pectoral fins: Skirt material from www.fishingskirts.com (seriously, you should check this site out.)
Eyes: Lead eyes w/ CCG eyes glued on, Spirit River I-Balz, or Allen Fly Fishing barbell eyes w/eye.
Head: Same as body, OR crazy Congo Hair  mix that is mentioned above.