The SC Needle
By Daniel Krenz
The SC Needle is a versatile fly pattern that can be used in both saltwater and freshwater for a variety of species. On the beach, it imitates needlefish that are preyed on by migratory salmon, trout and resident flatfish. In streams, the SC Needle can be swung across a run as a streamer to trigger strikes from salmon, trout and char.
Materials
| Hook: | Streamer hook desired length, my two favourites are Tiemco 200R in size 10 and Tiemco TMC in size 4 |
| Thread: | Olive thread (Red Thread for throat, optional) |
| Body: | Silver holographic tinsel |
| Wing: | Green polar flash, gold flashabou accent, red krinkle flash |
| Eyes | Holographic 3D eyes |
| Head: | Multiple coats of head cement, hard as nails, or epoxy |
Tying Steps
- Create the thread base on the hook.
- Tie in tinsel at rear of the hook, wrap forward to head and tie off. You can add wire wrap for durability.
- Size 10 fly – Cut equal amounts of each wing material around 1 inch long, mix them in a hair stacker.
- Tie in half of mixed materials on bottom of the hook and half of mixed material on top of the hook.
- Once the wing material is secured, build up head to desirable size.
- Stick holographic eyes on head, and coat entire head with one coat of head material.
- Once head has dried, apply one or two more coats of hard as nails or head cement – epoxy will only need one coat.
- Once head has dried, take fly out of vice or board and trim the wing materials, you want to achieve a tapered look.
Tying Notes
- Make sure to not overdress the fly. Very sparse flies with only 10 or so strands of each material often work best, especially in smaller sizes (size 10).
- This fly also works well with trailer hooks, especially in the larger 3+ inch saltwater version.
- Variation can also be made in blue, just substitute blue krinkle flash for red, silver flashabou for green and silver flashabou accent for the gold.
Species
- Chinook salmon – Size 10 in rivers, large size off beaches/behind flashers. Blue version works best.
- Coho salmon – Size 10 in rivers and beaches. Green and blue version both work well
- Chum salmon – Size 10 in rivers. Green version works best.
- Pink salmon – Size 10 off beaches. Doesn't work well in rivers. Green version works the best.
- Coastal cutthroat trout – Size 10 in sloughs, rivers, beaches, anywhere. Both blue and green versions work.
- Dolly varden – Size 10 off beaches and in rivers. Blue version works best.
- Rainbow trout – Size 10 in rivers, lakes. Green version works best.
- Flounder and sole – large size works very well off the beach for flounder. Green version is best.
Fishing Notes
- This fly is best fished on a very fast 2-3 inch strip.
- It can fish well on the swing in fast water with predatory fish such as coastal cutthroat trout, dolly varden, etc.
- Try to "match the hatch" with colour if you are fishing off the beach.
