MGM (My Glass Minnow)

Materials:

Hook: Mustad 3407 #2 (or similar)
Thread: .006 mono thread
Body & wing: Polar Fibre, three layers (your choice of colors)
Lateral line: Holographic tinsel or Flashabou
Head: 1/8” Corsair or E-Z Body tubing cut to ¾” long
Eyes: 1/8” molded eyes
Overcoating: Softex or epoxy

Prepare tubing before tying fly by heating one end then pressing it end-side down against a cold surface (such as the base of your vise) melding the end to keep it from fraying. One end ONLY.

Tying procedure:
1. Attach mono thread to hook and run a base from the eye to the hook bend. Whip finish or half-hitch at bend to keep mono in place.

2. Tie in 1st color of Polar Fibre at bend (after you pull out the under fur). Apply a drop of Locktite (glue) or super glue. *

3. Tie in a smaller batch of 2nd color (about 1/3 amount of the 1st batch). Make sure you wrap thread back to original tie-in point. Repeat with 3rd color as wing.

4. Tie in holographic flash on each side as lateral line.

5. Whip finish and cut thread. **

6. Slide tubing onto fly melded end first, re-tie thread and tie down loose end of tubing behind eye.

7. Apply eyes with Locktite adhesive (I use Locktite gel for this application). Overcoat front of fly with Softex or epoxy, just enough to go past the eyes (I just dip it in the Softex then clean off excess from hook eye). If you use Softex, after ir dries, apply a coast of Sally Hansen or your favorite head cement. It will bring luster to the eyes.

* Tying tip #1: As you tie in the Polar Fibre, lift up on material
when wrapping thread back to tie in point. This will keep the
material on top of the hook; it will also stack the following
bunches on top of each other for a neater fly.

** Tying tip #2: To eliminate step #5, slide body tubing over the
tip of your bobbin (unmelded end first) before you begin to tie
the fly. In this way, you don’t have to cut the thread and re-tie.
Just slide the tubing off the bobbin and onto the hook at step #6.