by: David Lisi, Head Fishing Guide - Cooper Landing Fishing Guide, LLC
When I first set out to tie a sculpin pattern for swinging with a two-handed fly rod (spey rod), I didn’t know that my first attempt would be so effective! This rabbit strip sculpin has been a fish-catcher from day one.
The goal with all of my flies is to use minimal, lightweight materials that not only cast super easy, but also were quick to tie (guide fly style). This sculpin fly pattern is about as minimal as you can get, especially considering the use of a rabbit strip. As we all know, rabbit strip flies are a bear to cast, but not this fly!
This trout spey sculpin is not only easy to tie, it also casts very well on a skagit line an some smaller versions also cast quite nicely on scandi lines and single hand floating lines.
The secret to this sculpin fly is splitting the rabbit strip, essentially using half of a rabbit strip. This not only makes the Trout Spey Sculpin much easier to cast, it also helps make the fly move quite nicely. The other “secrets” to this fly are the use of Angora Goat hair, which is sparse, but also very lively. I also cut the rabbit fur off of the strip and spin it into a dubbing loop for the head, further reducing the overall density of the fly, making it that much easier to cast.
The only thing I would change about the Trout Spey Sculpin is to shorten the tail a tiny bit, other than that, it’s downright near-perfect! I hope you have a great time tying this fly and an even more fun time fishing with it!
As always, I wish you tight lines!
MATERIALS FOR DAVE'S TROUT SPEY SCULPIN:
Donor Hook Shank: Mustad #6 Nymph/Sproat Hook 3x Hard (Hook point cut off) OR Umpqua 25 mm Waddington Shank
Trailer Material: 20 lb Power Pro or Fire Line
Trailer Hook: Owner Mosquito Hook #4
Thread: Uni 6/0 Black
Rear Bump Material: Wapsi Angora Goat Orange
Tail/Body: Hareline Rabbit Strips - Olive Variant
Under Body: A 50/50 mix of Hareline Ice Dub in Orange and Wapsi Angora Goat Orange
Body: Spirit River Tiny Tip Marabou - Olive and Black
Head: Hareline Cross Cut Rabbit Strips - Olive Variant
Head Cement: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails
