MJ's Dream Ticket: A Pair of 60-Degree Striper Flies

Well, it's November 4. You've stood in line, you've made sure not to leave any hanging chads or butterflies in your ballot, and you're feeling great about exercising your right to vote. It's time to put your feet up, let the exit polling and fierce vote tallying run its course, and take a look at two of this Fall's nastiest 60-Degree striper flies!

Matt "MJ" Jones' 60-Degree Half & Half is the perfect candidate for those anglers looking for big strikes in cold water this Fall!


The Half & Half: Just like rich Guinness Stout and crisp Harp Lager at your favorite Irish pub, right? Well, not exactly, but the Clouser/Kreh Half & Half is similarly designed. By ingeniously combining two of the most effective baitfish fly patterns in the history of saltwater fly fishing (a little Clouser Minnow on top, a little Lefty’s Deceiver on bottom), Bob Clouser and Lefty Kreh may have stumbled upon one of the most incredible Frankenstein flies a striped bass will ever lay its eyes and lips on!

The leading portion of this beautiful fly is composed of the heavy dumbbell eyes and bucktail of Clouser’s Deep Minnow. This solid, sinking head is trailed by a hackle-type tail which is highlighted by some flash and capped with another pinch of bucktail.


MJ has tied this pattern with a bit of yak hair blended into the bucktail mix, giving it a bit of extra bulk which he says has been useful this fall because of the colder water temperatures he's run across. He's also kept the flash material a bit longer, a preference of many modern tyers.


MJ's Pink Flashtail Whistler, a variation of Dan Blanton's famous striper pattern, is the perfect blend of bright color and long flash for fishing stripers in the surf or stripping around structure.


MJ has tied this pattern with extreme length in mind. The hackle collar is neatly finished and the green thread nose is long and tapered with care. MJ is known for working with bucktail fibers of exellent quality and length. It can take time to select the proper materials, but the results reflect the hard work.


The 60-Degree Debate

Both of MJ's flies are tied on 60-degree jig hooks from Gamikatsu. Since Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser introduced and popularized the "Deep Minnow" during the 1980s, the jig vs. fly debate has burned through the saltwater fly tying and fishing community. Despite the school of tyers and fishers who frown upon flies like the Clouser Minnow and the Flashtail Whistler for their "jigging actions," a great number of saltwater anglers have taken the concept and run with it.

One of the most vocal proponents of the value of this kind of "jig action" is Dan Blanton. He swears by 60-degree jig hooks and their effectiveness in the water, tying all his Whistlers on Eagle Claw jig hook offerings.

Last week, MJ thought he'd give these hooks a whirl. He was impressed, catching three 5- or 7-pound stripers in a short morning trip. Whatever your leanings, 60-degree jig hooks are an easy way to increase the effectiveness of the flies you tie.


Evan LeBon is a regular contributor to beyondthebug.com

photos and flies courtesy of Matt "MJ" Jones, a regular contributor to beyondthebug.com

Striper Fishin'

This is a Bug I originally tied up for surf fishing in Hawaii, and it worked great for jacks. The fly was brought to the west coast by a old timer form the east coast, so I'm guessing it was originally tied for stripers. This last weekend I used them in the Sacramento River Delta to catch stripers with Keith, Evan, Shunji, and Ian. No stripers were found. Though I did land a large mouth bass with this yak bunker fly.

I tied this one on a size #2 811s TMC from Tiemco. The goal of this fly is to layer white buck, white yak, white buck, blue yak, red yak, eyes, and color the side stripes with a Prismacolor marker! Then your ready to fish. I have found that this fly is a very effective patter for just about any water anywhere, and it casts great because of the low-weight materials used in its construction.

This is a Clouser with a great color combination (thanks to Josh Frazier). White buck, grey buck, and purple buck.

photos by matt "mj" jones, a regular contributor to beyondthebug.blogspot.com