Marabou Spey by:                                

Marabou Spey

Josh Reffner

17

Bethel Park Senior High School

The fly pattern that I have chosen to present is the marabou spey.  This streamer pattern is great for swinging flies and is an awesome fly for finding those aggressive fish, whether they are trout or steelhead.  This fly is guaranteed to catch fish!  The spey pattern, I was taught in the Family Tyes’ Steelhead Class, is rather simple compared to traditional spey flies.  The fly is intended to imitate a small minnow or bait fish and the marabou used to tie it gives the fly great movement in the water.   Here is how I tie this fly:

Materials:                                                  

Josh with big "steely "from Conneaut Creek

Hook: 5263, sizes 2-10.

Thread: 6/0 thread to match Marabou

Collar: Marabou (Color of your choice, I like to use white, black, green, purple, and grey marabou), Flashabou

Recipe:

1. Start the thread at the eye and wrap 1/3 of the hook shank towards the bend.
2. At this position tie in the butt section of two marabou plumes. 
3. Return the thread back up to the eye of the hook.
4. Begin to palmer the marabou in a clockwise motion up the hook shank towards the eye.  Wet your fingers and pull the marabou fibers backwards after each wrap (Do not catch tips in the wrap).  If your marabou wraps do not reach just behind the eye, tie down another marabou plume (Refer to Step four for tying down the Marabou) and continue to palmer up the hook shank.
5. Tie off the marabou behind the eye. 
6. To add some flash to the fly tie in 3-4 pieces of flashabou on top of your marabou and making several wraps securing it to the hook.
7. Wrap your thread to build a tapered head towards the eye of the hook.  This makes this delicate fly sturdier.
8. Whip finish and add a drop of head cement.

Fishing Technique:

On the stream, I position myself upstream from the fish and make a 45-degree upstream cast, mending upstream immediately to get the fly to sink.  The current pulls the fly down stream and since the fly does not have enough line to go further than the expected target, it swings right toward the fish or where I expect a fish to lie.  Most of my strikes occur when the spey fly is beginning to settle directly below me.  I like to strip the fly back a couple times just in case a fish is still following.  BE READY (especially when fishing for steelhead)!  A fish can strike at any time.  Some of the hardest strikes I have ever felt were when swinging flies.  This is a very exciting way to fish and I highly recommend you try it at some point.