Matuka

HOOK: 5263, sizes 4-8. THREAD: Brown RIB: Copper wire or fine oval gold tinsel BODY: Brown chenille WING: Four brown-dyed grizzly hackles HACKLE: Brown-dyed grizzly

Uses

Matuka-style flies imitate small baitfish. They are useful anytime you are around large, predatory trout.

Variations

There are many variations on the Matuka style, including different body colors, spun and clipped deer hair heads, gills, etc. Anything to make it look like a minnow or sculpin. The fly can be weighted or not. The eyes are optional.

How to Fish

Use a count-down-and-retrieve presentation. Vary the retrieve until you find what works best at the moment: slow and steady, fast, strip-and-pause, or quick, short two-inch strips. In rivers, this is a good fly to use with a sink-tip line: let it sink into undercut banks, then start stripping; or use the deep wet fly swing presentation.