Fly of the Month - July 2019

ARCULEO’S BC MEGA MINNOW

 The idea for the BC Mega Minnow was born out of a conversation with Jesse Riding at Rainy’s Flies and Supplies, where we discussed the creation of a bigger version of the BC Baitfish for large predatory fish. While similar in design and swimming performance, it reacts differently in the water when fished.

The BC Mega Minnow is a larger version of the BC Baitfish. With the foam head as a comparison measurement, it is two sizes larger using a 5/8” foam cylinder for the head versus a ¼” foam cylinder. By comparison, the hook size on the BC Mega Minnow is a 6/0 whereas the BC Baitfish hook size is a 2/0. The length of the BC Baitfish is 3-1/4 inches and the BC Mega Minnow is 5 inches.

Creating the BC Mega Minnow inspired me to improve the construction of my entire articulated chain flies collection. In the original, smaller BC Baitfish design, I used two strands of stainless steel bead chain as the tail section vertebrae. This two-strand, bead chain design worked well to create a wiggle action. At the same time, this construction keeps the foam tail disks from spinning, which allows a color to be painted down the back of the fly.

This bead chain construction worked well on the smaller BC Baitfish. However, with larger flies, this design caused a break to one or both of the bead chain strands. As a result of this dilemma, I searched for a stronger chain material to provide the same wiggle and swimming action. This updated construction would keep the foam tail disks from spinning, which makes the patterns more realistic and painting color on top of the flies’ backs.

After an extensive search and testing multiple types of chain, I found the perfect material, which is exponentially stronger than the two strands of bead chain. Through my testing, the chain remained unbroken even after trying to break it with gloved hands. I am still testing the chain’s strength, but I have caught multiple fish by tying in a smaller trailer hook onto the chain near the tail end.

The cable chain construction provides more of a wiggle and swim action while keeping the foam tail disks from spinning. As Rainy’s Flies replenishes their stock of the BC Baitfish, the new versions will be tied using the new cable chain.

BC Mega Minnow action is different than the smaller BC Baitfish. The BC Baitfish is weighted to suspend in the water whereas the BC Mega Minnow has too much buoyancy to add enough weight for it to suspend and easily cast. It can be fished with a sink tip or full sinking line to get deeper in the water column. The front-angled lip design causes the fly to dive when stripped; however, when stopped, its buoyancy causes it to float up and back like a conventional crankbait lure. The hydrodynamics of larger foam head with the longer articulated tail section creates a snake-like swimming action.

To see the BC Mega Minnow in action, check out this video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jydXZZBNUNs&feature=youtu.be

The BC Mega Minnow can be fished with a continuous swimming action by putting a fly rod under your arm and stripping hand-over-hand. It can also be fished with a strip, strip, pause action emulating an injured baitfish. When retrieved using long slow strips, it will swim on the surface making a V-wake. While the BC Mega Minnow is a floating fly that dives, it can be fished deeper with an appropriate sinking line.

The BC Mega Minnow is available in seven colors from Rainy’s Flies, all white, grey/white, olive/white, chartreuse/white, black/purple, firetiger, and perch. Several people have asked me, “what do you catch on those?” My answer is, “anything that eats a baitfish.” For smaller baitfish imitations use the BC Baitfish, for larger use the BC Mega Minnow.

Arculeo's BC Mega Minnow Perch