Fly Tying the Mickey Finn (Classic American Streamer Fly Pattern)

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Created in the 1930s and popularized by William Alden Knight, this pattern was originally called the Red and Yellow Bucktail. Named the Mickey Finn by Gregory Clark, a Toronto newspaper reporter in 1936, it has been one of the most popular bucktail streamers since.
Hook: #4-10 streamer
Thread: Black
Rib: Silver oval tinsel
Body: Flay Mylar tinsel
Wing: Yellow over red over yellow bucktail
** Some of the popular books used on this channel: **
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Dave Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
John Shewey, "Classic Steelhead Flies," 2015, amzn.to/2RywHcP
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Morgan Lyle's "Simple Flies," 2015, amzn.to/3qB1zW1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Mike Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," 1992, amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. I've been uploading three new tying videos a week, with the occasional extra video on other days.
Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know in the comments if you have any tying tips you would like to share or if you have any patterns you would like to see tied here.

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5 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 93

@hardyschlegel1048 3 года назад

Definitely one of my go to Flys, I also tie a version using Maribu instead of bucktail and add a strand of red crystal flash to it,killer movements in the water! Thanks for sharing Matt!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Oh yeah, Hardy, I saw a marabou version in Claude Chartrand's book. It looks amazing. But I think your idea of some red flash in it would add just that little extra. I might have to try that!

@toddslichter7831 3 года назад

Great old pattern...thanks for sharing. Nice tie Matt.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

You bet Todd; thanks for watching my friend!

@Wyamike734 2 года назад

Nice pattern Matt. Thanks for the little tip on tying the hair in to prevent it from shifting. I will need to try this pattern out !

@SavageFlies 2 года назад

Well thank you Mike; I appreciate you watching and commenting my friend!

@frankmonroe8320 3 года назад

Very nice! I think this was the first streamer type I learned to tie back in the "60s".

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

That's cool to hear Frank. I think they'll still be tying flies like this for generations after we're gone. :-)

@FlyTyer1948 3 года назад

An oldie & a goody. I’ll be making a bunch of these this summer. This is one where I would coat the body with lacquer or UV. cement to protect all those fussy wraps. I also think it looks better if you don’t stack the hair & make the head somewhat large & glossy. When I started tying it, I tried to keep the colors totally separate. In the late 1980s or early 90s, I vaguely remember a discussion in one of the fly fishing or tying magazines about whether tyers should try to keep the colors completely separate or allow them to slightly blend. There was no consensus for either side, so thereafter, I gave up being fussy about separating the colors. The fish didn’t seem to care.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Interesting you mention that Bob, as Mike Valla talked about it as well. That for years people would fuss about keeping it stacked neatly, but in the end it really doesn't matter. I guess it really only matters to me if I'm making a video and want to get a nice picture of it. Thanks for the note! (I see your other email re the pheasant and Gartside's page. Will check that out after dinner.) Cheers. :-)

@FlyTyer1948 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies If I were tying a Mickey Finn for a display of streamers in a shadow box, I probably would make the effort to clearly separate the colors.

@richstiteler7359 2 года назад

Matt, thanks for this video. I read about this fly and wanted to learn to tie it and was so glad to see that you had a video on your channel. You made it so easy to understand. Thanks for all you do, keep up the great work. Rich

@SavageFlies 2 года назад

Well thank you Rich; I appreciate the kind words! And funny you watched this one tonight... this is probably my second favorite streamer of all time, behind the Blacknose Dace, which was this morning's video. :-)

@davehall2160 3 года назад

I've tied up a few of these but haven't tried them, it was something my local fly shop said to try tying Think it's time to take them to the river Thanks for the video Matt

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

I think it is Dave! And fun to fish too as you can see them pretty deep and a long way off. :-)

@michaelmerlino6753 3 года назад

Another old standard,Matt.When I first learned about using buck tail ,it would be trimmed to length and put a small drop of head cement on the butt ends,that keeps it from getting unruly and it stacks better.Just another tip for you.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Thanks Michael! Do you put the drop of head cement on and then stack it before the cement dries? Interesting...

@michaelmerlino6753 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies After you clip the length.Then tie it in.It’s even better with older,thicker cement.Just not too much.

@huntingmissouri5420 3 года назад

Good tie Matt!! Great pattern! Thanks for sharing!!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Your bet Franky, thanks for watching!

@johnnylightning1491 3 года назад

And here I thought it was invented by Mark Twain. This is actually one of the very first flies I tied oh so many decades ago. I think I still have the fly but it may have met a moth or two in it's life. Keep the good stuff coming Matt.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Thanks man, if Mark Twain created any flies, this would be a good one to give him credit for! :-)

@mikeney5113 3 года назад

Mickey Finn is a great one.thanks matt.looks great!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Oh yeah Mike; appreciate it!

@lamothe87 3 года назад

This was one of the first flies I learned to tie. Very fun and effective.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Oh yeah Cole, I love this thing!

@JamesMcCutcheon 3 года назад

Great Video. So many flies, so little time to tie them all.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Yes indeed Jim. More flies out there than we'll ever be able to tie. :-)

@bigdaddy99929 3 года назад

Yes, the Mickey Flynn is a great fly. I have several tied up and ready to go. Great job!Thx Matt.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Oh yes, Clyde. I've got at least a half dozen in my streamer box at any given time. :-)

@laytonmarvin3790 3 года назад

Fantastic pattern and great fish catcher. This and wooly buggers are my go to streamers and never disappoint. Thanks Matt for sharing

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

You bet Layton; I love this thing too. :-)

@skylazart 3 года назад

That’s a very good looking body. I don’t have tinsel but gonna try with wire and use this fly for summer run coho salmon. 🎣🎣🎣

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

This is definitely a good salmon or steelhead fly. I think Mike Valla mentions that in his history of it as well. Just put it on a bigger and stronger hook. Thanks for the note Felipe!

@TERRYBIGGENDEN 3 года назад

Yes. tis; a genuine classic streamer. I really love that pic of of the time-simple and no complex masses of gear all over him. Possibly called the Mickey Finn as it is a knock-out, as is or was the famous drink. Wonderful! :-)

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Thanks Terry! And I think you are right. It didn't give the history how it related to the drink in Mike Valla's book, but a few other sources out there thought that might have been the origin of the name. Interesting to think about. :-)

@TERRYBIGGENDEN 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies Just an idea. I've always wondered. :-)

@slickydicky 3 года назад

Probably my favorite streamer. According to what I've read in the book "History of fly fishing in 50 flies" the Mickey Finn got its name from a cocktail that was spiked with poison.. The mickey Finn was referred to as the "Assassin" for a short while after John Alden Knight ( a once famous outdoor writer) caught 75 brook trout in a single day in 1932. Then in 1936 a fairly well known individual by the name of Rudolf Valentino fell victim to a Mickey Finn cocktail, that's when Mr Greg Clarke dubbed it the Mickey Finn after reading about the incident in Esquire magazine. One thing is for sure, this fly will absolutely catch fish, I like tying this in a purple/pink/purple color scheme and it works really well.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Great note Dave! After doing a little more research, I think you're completely right. But man, I wish I had thought to look for this fly in the "History of Fishing in 50 Flies." I have that book but didn't even check it for this one. Cool history though. Thanks for the note. :-)

@RockyPhillips 3 года назад

Nice choice, love the mickey finn. If I'm not mistaken it was named after a deadly cocktail

@epsieblaine7968 3 года назад

That's right Rocky,cool story.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Yes, I learned in some of the comments here that a Mickey Finn was a deadly drink. :-)

@epsieblaine7968 3 года назад

Morning Matt.great tie.Easy to tie but hard too make look good.Yours look great,had some good tips too.Watch Barry Org Clark tie this he tells how it got its name.Cool story.Linda got her reagle yesterday,and fell in love with it.She tied on a medallion for about 20 years. Great video and tie.Have a great day. Cheers. Ken and Linda

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Thank you! I am so glad you got the vise. I'm sorry it took so long but with the special order color I guess they had to send it from the factory.

@leemowers9395 3 года назад

Thanks Matt, another fly for your shadow box.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Great idea Lee! I need to make a classic streamer shadow box (after the steelhead one I just started.)

@mikesflies5005 3 года назад

Love the fin. I like to put just a small amount of yellow crystal flash as well

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

That's a pretty cool idea Mike. A couple other folks mentioned using some red crystal flash. Particularly if you use some marabou. Thanks for the note!

@PeasantPB 4 месяца назад

Hey Matt, great instructional video as always, but I believe this pattern was originally designed to imitate spawning redbelly or finescale dace from Ontario and Quebec

@easttnflyfreak2870 3 года назад

great tye Thanks Matt!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Appreciate it James!

@gdreilly 3 года назад

Thanks Matt! It's an old standard fly!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Absolutely George. Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

@marksleeper3752 3 года назад

great job Matt

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Appreciate it Mark!

@marksleeper3752 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies your welcome

@michaelpeterson6413 3 года назад

I like to fish this when my Stimulator fly stops working. It seems to get the trouts attention again ,and I can switch back to the stimulator. Makes for a great full day of fishing this time of year. Thanks Matt.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Oh yeah Michael, I think these big attractor streamers get the fish's territorial instincts going.

@Jd-yc3gw 3 года назад

Morning Matt. Back in my routine, coffee and watching your videos. I remember reading about this fly that he called it the Assassin and some called it the Red and Yellow Bucktail. That writer that first named it the Assassin changed it to the Mickey Finn when Rudolph Valentino was killed supposedly by being given a Mickey Finn. Trying to recall where I read that but it wasn’t that long ago. Interestingly a book that I was reading recommended the Mickey Finn to tyers just starting because it provided a slight degree of difficulty and challenge in material application. Enjoyed the video. Take care Matt.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Great history John! I just got home and saw your email as well. I wish I had dug this up when I was filming the intro. This would have been great. Oh well... maybe next time. Thanks for the info though. :-)

@Jd-yc3gw 3 года назад

Hey Matt. You always share information and techniques with us so it’s nice when I can return the favour.

@jeffreystone7327 2 года назад

The Mickey Finn. The first fly I recognized and knew by name. Why? I have no clue. Being born, raised and living in Southern Indiana for 61 years. You couldn’t have found a Trout if you wanted to. 😂

@dahutful 3 года назад

I really liked your opening comments about exaggerating, from time to time. Someone will surely explain how the fly had another name previously, or how the name Mickey Finn came about, so I won’t. But my favorite bit of lore about this particular fly is that it was included in the survival kits for WWII United States Army Air Corps pilots to carry in their planes. Should they be shot down and survive the encounter, they may find themselves in a survival situation until rescue could arrive. Included in the survival kits was a fishing outfit, and among the bits, ….you guessed it: The Mickey Finn Absolute fact, or exaggeration? I don’t really know. But the story persists, and I like it. David Palmetto Fly and Fish

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Wow, this really IS an interesting bit of lore. I might have to do some more digging and if we can find at least a kernel of truth in that, it's worth propagating the story. In fact, I might have to include the Mickey Finn in my first book if that's true. Now I've got to do some more research! Check these out. I wonder if there are any originals in these things... www.ebay.com/itm/333959816322 www.ebay.com/itm/203496122858

@jamesvatter5729 3 года назад

Always liked this pattern and keep a few in my streamer box. Can't brag about it being my "go to" though. The BND probably has produced over ten times greater numbers, but I still like this one.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

I'd have to agree with you Jim that the dace has probably caught me more fish. Maybe because we actually have dace in a lot of the waters I fish. But I think this big yellow has gotten me bigger fish. I think it brings out the territorial nature in the big browns. :-)

@edwardchavez5627 3 года назад

Thank you so much Sir Matt for this video on Buck tail fly the Macky Flynn I like it. Thanks for remembering. By the way I love the intro Savage Flies looks So Great. Till next time my friend Cheers...

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Thanks Edward! Always appreciate your feedback my friend. :-)

@jimholland1592 3 года назад

Good morning Matt, honestly I don’t fish a lot of streamers. But I really need to I have lots of them to fish. I just don’t have the confidence to fish them. I guess I need to start lol😳 This is a classic pattern!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Yes Jim, you just need to get out there and use them! I was a terrible streamer fisherman until maybe 10 years ago. I was on a trout stream, getting skunked with my dry flies and nymphs, and I saw a guy just hauling them in with his spinning rod and a rooster tail. I put on the shiniest, flashiest streamer I had in my box at the time and said, I'm just going to pretend I'm spin fishing. I'll toss it out there and retrieve it like I would a rooster tail. And bam, I started catching fish. And you know what the fly was? It was this Mickey Finn. I didn't even know what it was called, but it was flashy and colorful. And it worked. And it's been one of my favorites since. :-)

@jimholland1592 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies Will you sold me on it and now I will start today. Thanks for the encouragement 👍

@arlielease875 Год назад

This is a top fly while fishing the Arkansas rive in Colorado

@captainflint89 Год назад

a wifes hair straightening irons work real well for making bucktail or any other hair straight for tying but you never heard that from me , tight lines

@joeduca8582 3 года назад

Great tie Matt, I like the blended wing. I'm glad so many like this pattern. I can't remember ever tying it, never appealed to me, especially after reading some complicated formulas for the yellow/red/yellow ratio of the wing, it's a simple fly! The name Mickey Finn was more intriguing. I learned what a "mickey" was shortly after I knew who Mickey the mouse was, (Mighty Mouse was actually my hero), then the baseball great Mickey Mantle - I did have his autograph and a sweatshirt with his and Roger Maris picture on it, god knows where they are now. Anyway, I asked my father what "slipping a mickey" was, I probably heard it from an old movie, I remember "knock out drops" even in old cartoons. He told me that someone puts stuff in your drink to make you sick. Be careful when you go out to a party or a bar. (when I was of age of course ;o) Back to the streamer, fitting name for a fly that took 75 wild brook trout, even though they're said to be eager to take a hook. I have that Valla Bucktail book, I love it! I had to look at it after I watched your video. The "Mickeys" tied by Knight and Cooper look nothing like what's tied today. Maybe I'll give it go seeing I have more colors of bucktail now. But for my money I like a black over yellow wing and a white belly bucktail. That's my "dope" streamer. Hey, for a cool story on the real Mickey Finn go to All That's Interesting .com. Brutal times in the late 1800's to early 1900's, very easy to sleep with the fishes ;o) Thanks Matt, love these historical patterns!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Great story Joe! A Mickey Mantle autograph? Wow, I grew up a Yankees fan and have a picture of Mantle on my wall still. And yes, those originals in Valla's book were definitely different from today's. I think a couple of them were even tied on short-shank hooks, like Flick did with his original Black Nosed Dace. Okay, now I've got to go check out allthatsinteresting .com. Oh yeah, definitely some interesting stories. A London RU-vidr abducted by aliens? I need to be careful! But cool story about the Mickey Finn, the Chicago bartender. Isn't there another cool story about the Barber of Seville? Maybe I'm mistaken, as I just checked and that's an opera, but somehow I was thinking there was a fly named that. Hmmmm.... I've gotta do some more research.

@joeduca8582 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies The Barber of Seville developed the perdigon nymph, right? ;o) I know it wasn't Edward Scissorhands. :o/ Yeah, the Chiefs were a Yankees affiliate (farm team) when I was a kid. They had an exhibition game at the then called MacArthur Stadium and I got Mantle's autograph. My cousin got another players autograph on the team bus, can't remember his name but he was Italian, maybe an outfielder.. JOE PEPITONE!!! infielder! He said he was wearing a pinstripe suit and reading a Jimmy Olsen comic book. My father told me his father, a power company worker, put up the lights at the stadium. Very fortunate to have a job during the depression. I never knew my grandfather, he died young, before my dad served during WW 2. How the heck did I get here from a fly tying video?!? Must have been those alien abductors... omg... I hear the X - files theme. Thanks Matt, lots of memories, Have a great 4th!

@RyanAshley419 3 года назад

Huh huh. I think this might be one of the first ties I tried years ago when I was first experimenting with gloss cement. I don't recall what happened exactly. Not sure if the cement had gone bad or I glopped it everywhere or what. I ended up with this thing that looked like a rubber bouncy ball out of a gumball machine.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Ha!! That's funny. I've still got some of the flies I tied as recent as three years ago that I don't think I would show anybody. Just crazy looking concoctions. :-)

@cheflexx778 3 года назад

@Savage Flies good morning matt! I have a question for you. So as I have mentioned before I am new to fly tying and the smallest flies that I have tied have been 14-16. My fishing manager at our Orvis store tells me that I should start practicing tying smaller flies. Would you do a video on how to tie smaller flies maybe size 18 to 22? Maybe give us some tips on how much material to use, what size threads we should be using, etc because I attempted to tie a size 18 elk hair Caddis and let me tell you it was a disaster. LOL it just looked like a little ball of fur. you couldn't see the hook, but I still loved it... Lol. Anyhow, any help that you could give me would be greatly appreciated. As always thanks for all you do! Have a fantastic day!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

I'll be happy to! How about I do a tiny Elk Hair Caddis? I'll add it to my to-do list. Meanwhile, I think I have some small flies on the channel already. Check out the Black Herl Midge or maybe Herter's Bastard Midge. Both of those are tiny. And I think I did a Griffith's Gnat on either an 18 or 20 as well. But an EHC is a little different. Deer or elk hair that small can be challenging. We'll see though. :-)

@michaelmerlino6753 3 года назад

A little advice on tying 20’s and smaller.You have to be picky on the material.In other words most of it has to be purchased in person to keep in line with what you are tying.You can buy Superfine dubbing and Whiting 100’s on the internet but most of the other material you have to see.If you want to do an elk hair caddis in small sizes first advice from me is using elk hock instead of elk hair.I have used both elk and deer hocks on some down to a 28.

@cheflexx778 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies thanks for the info. The elk hair Caddis was actually the one I tied on an 18 and well let's just say it wasn't what i envisioned... Lol. I look forward to seeing your video on small flies and materials. I will def checkout those two you mentioned.

@cheflexx778 3 года назад

@@michaelmerlino6753 what's the difference between the 2???

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Great advice Michael. I usually tie my EHCs with deer hair (I know, kind if cheating but a lot if people do it!) And for 18-20s I'll use fine comparadun hair. For other dries, yes Superfine dubbing on thin thread is the way to go. I still can't imagine putting any hair wing on a 28! 😏

@peterrebhahn1113 3 года назад

A classic pattern, for sure, and one I sometimes fish here in the Driftless. Not to be a know-it-all, but you can greatly lessen (or even eliminate) that bump at the rear of the fly where you tie in the oval tinsel by using your thumbnail to peel away the tinsel from the thread core it's wrapped around for an eigth to a quarter of an inch (use scissors to snip off the peeled away tinsel) and then tying it in only by the thread core, wrapping towards the rear of the hook, stopping your thread wraps where the tinsel overwinding resumes. As with many things in fly tying, this sounds harder and trickier in the description than it actually is. Some also avoid the hump by simply tying in the oval tinsel at the front of the hook, so that the buried oval tinsel extends for the full underbody, but this has always seemed wasteful to me.

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

Peter- that's a great tip and I appreciate you sharing it! Not just for me, but for anyone else who might read this comment. I'm definitely going to try it the next time I'm using oval tinsel. I've also thought about starting it up front and laying a single layer to get to the back. I don't usually do that either, not because it'll waste a half inch of tinsel, but mainly it might make the slender body too thick. Thanks again for the note! Cheers. -Matt

@peterrebhahn1113 3 года назад

@@SavageFlies No brilliance here -- I learned it from Eric Leiser in his "Complete Book of Fly Tying" where, if memory serves, he uses the method to illustrate tying a MIckey Finn. In the same pattern guide he shows you how to double wrap the flat tinsel body in a way that allows you to bind the tinsel down with itself at the front of the hook to minimize thread build-up. Result is a very smooth body and a useful technique for many patterns (Black Nose Dace etc.) A great book, worth picking up. I'm going by memory because my copy is boxed and inaccessible due to a remodeling project!

@SavageFlies 3 года назад

@@peterrebhahn1113 Great note Peter, and much appreciated! I have this book and am looking at it now. He actually says to dip the exposed cotton core into your head cement too, and he ties this in before the tail. (And it was his Blacknose Dace, not the Mickey Finn where he talks about this technique.) But pretty good memory as he did the Mickey Finn shortly after the BND! I'm going to have to go back and take a closer look at this book. How many other tips did I overlook when reading through it too quickly the first time?? Anyway, thanks for the note. Good stuff. :-)