The Gulp Minnow is a classic soft plastic well-known in the conventional world. They've caught millions of fish because they imitate one of the most consistent prey for fish, other fish. We started tying this fly by the request of a customer who was fishing with a friend that used a small Gulp Minnow and crushed fish on our smaller streams in VA.
Because of this, we tried to make a fly that looked and acted the same way. This meant, lots of weight in the head to make it drop fast, a bulky body, flowy tail, and a hint of sparkle. It only took one trip out to realize these little fellas work great!
The look of this fly is certainly not revolutionary as there are many patterns that are similar (Wooly Bugger, Golden Retriever, etc.) however, we've found this smaller 1" Dubbing Bugger - if that's what you want to call it - works and looks very similar to the Gulp Minnow. Therefore, that's what we're calling it!
You can change out colors to match whatever baitfish are in your area! Make it tan or orange and you've got a small crayfish pattern. We've got all the materials to tie this pattern (and many others) in the shop, and often have the completed flies available for sale as well. Tied locally by one of our shop tiers.
