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Baby Fat Minnow Step-by-Step:
There are times of year in every watershed when small bait is abundant; when spawning is complete and fry abound. When this happens, larger predators can become fixated on easy prey and will often forgo an angler’s larger offerings. In such times, anglers are best served by downsizing. Large baitfish patterns set aside in favor of smaller offerings. A downsized Clouser’s Minnow will of course work in this regard, but another pattern, the Baby Fat Minnow, became popular with a number of Louisiana anglers during the 2022 post-spawn.
The creation of the folks at Fly Fish Food, the Baby Fat Minnow is a downsized version of their earlier creation, the Low Fat Minnow. An ideal imitation of small sunfish or the various fry found in our local warmwater systems, the Baby Fat Minnow is tied on a short stout carp hook and imparts significant flash and motion in the water. At less than two inches in length, it may just be the perfect alternative when the bass are refusing your larger offerings.
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Baby Fat Minnow Step-by-Step Tying Instructions:
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Tips and Tricks
- Color Selection – Tied above to imitate the various “minnows” present in my back yard test pond, this fly is also an excellent mimic of juvenile sunfish. With that in mind, take some time to research the look of your sunfish in your area and color your Baby Fat Minnows accordingly. While not as bright as their adult counterparts, you may be surprised to see smaller sunfish with a bit of color to them.
- Substitutions – While the above step-by-step remains relatively true to the original, there is one substitution worth noting. The folks at Fly Fish Food designed their own dubbing blend, Bruiser Blend Jr, specifically for this pattern. However, it is similar enough to the Senyo’s Laser Dub already in my kit, that I elected to forgo the purchase of a new dubbing in this instance. While the fibers of the former may be shorter than those of laser dub, this can easily be rectified by trimming laser dub to the desired length then blending with you fingers.
Proof of Concept
The Baby Fat Minnow didn’t take long to prove its worth as a quick visit to my backyard test pond produced multiple bluegill and a largemouth that unfortunately broke my tippet.
Tight Line!
Chris
Species Caught on the Baby Fat Minnow to Date:
- Bluegill
- Largemouth Bass
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Great Read Can i leave my thoughts ?! –
I absolutely love this article! As an avid fly fisherman, it’s always great to have a variety of patterns to choose from, and the Baby Fat Minnow looks like it will be a great addition to my collection. I appreciate the advice on downsizing during times of abundant small bait, and the step-by-step tutorial makes it easy for even beginners to tie this pattern. Thank you for sharing this valuable resource!
Thanks for reading , Love The Blog !!