MOP FLIES....what is your single best color..?

BruceC2C

BruceC2C

Active member
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
317
Location
Any GravelBar, will do just fine. 365. Fresh&Salt
Just like I was slow to make egg patterns a priority...
I now feel the need to submit my application to join the Mop Fly Club.

Seeing the expected range of colors, beads & accents.

If u could only fish ONE MopFly for 2024.....what color would u choose?

Any other material /accent details r appreciated.
Feel free to include photos of your featured Mop
 
If only one, chartreuse. I like them as a dropper on forested streams during the Summer when flows are up. Inchworm representation.

Chartreuse is good for early season stockers too. When the fish in the hole start to get spooked from watching their buddies get yanked out on egg patterns, I switch to a chartreuse mop and can usually catch a few more.

The only other color I carry is a tannish color. Mimics grubs and such that get washed in after a good rain. But I still usually go with chartreuse.
 
When these first came out I tied a bunch in gray, green, blue and yellow. I can honestly say that I never enjoyed fishing them and consequently didn't have a ton of success with them. I still carry a few in my junk box in gray w/ a yellow head and yellow w/ a brown head because they are the only ones I had any luck with and they look most natural to me.
 
Dear BruceC2C,

A couple of years ago after reading so much about mop flies I went all in and bought a nice collection of dust mop heads from Amazon. I got blue, chartreuse, orange, tan, white, and a couple more colors that I forget about.

Maybe I don't tie them right, or fish them right? I tie a mop piece behind peacock herl collar with a partridge hackle and a brass bead at the hook eye on curved caddis nymph hooks in size 10 and 12. I've fished the tan and chartreuse with no luck for trout. Beadhead green weenies and IPW's work way better for me.

I will say that they work nice on bluegills, perch, and crappies when fished on a dropper off a size 6 Sneaky Pete popper though.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
Light tan or dark cream, whatever you want to call it. Definitely stands out as the winner for me.
 
Tan and Cream, matte black bead head with black dubbing.
Tan and cream, copper bead head with peacock dubbing.
 
This is a tough one since I carry only tan and chartreuse after playing around with all sorts of colors. However, if I was stuck with one I would go tan/cream since it works better in clear water for me and I can tell myself it is a cranefly larva.

Some people swear by this for a cream color: It is what I use now, but tan seemed pretty much the same.

Rain-X 45078X Microfiber Window Mate Defog Sponge​

 
I still have never caught a fish on a mop....but I haven't fished them all that much.
 
First time I ever fished a mop fly, it was just prior to an expected sulphur hatch on the breeches. It felt like cheating. I caught a dozen fish in about an hour. I watched fish come ten feet out of their feeding zone to smash the fly. I ended up catching more on the mop than during the hatch and it was one of my best days ever on the breeches.

I tie gray, chartreuse, and a mottled tan one that I like a lot as the point fly of a two nymph rig. Black ice dub collar to fully embrace the junk. Usually a #8 jig hook with a big black bead. If I'm prospecting, I'll drop a #14 or 16 Walts Worm off of that. The worm usually outperforms the mop.

I bought a bathroom rug at Aldi that had three different brown mottled tones from darker to lighter. Enough mop material for a lifetime. My chartreuse is a carwash mitt from the dollar store.

It's a cheap fly that you can tie big and heavy. I love it for fast water prospecting. Not for the purists, but I find it fun.
 
20191109 215142

Fish really like these!
 
I've tied them in a lot of different colors and sizes.
P4140195a

P4140197

But my most effective colors have been yellow for warm water and chartreuse for cold water.
P5210247 2

P5210249 3
 
I typically despise mop flies simply due to their size and bulk. I'm am by my nature a "small and sparse" tyer. However, I found a nifty little towel in an auto store last year that has what I would call "micro mops". I tied up a few on a size #18 scud hook. Chartreuse. I'm sure they'll catch plenty of fish if I ever get around to actually tying one on. 😁 Pretty decent little caddis imitation. It's the only size mop I might really have any interest in fishing with. If I get a chance I'll upload some pics for size reference.
 
I refused to tie and use them for a few years but many customers asked about them so I started to tie some. I have three or four colors and they all seem to work very well on stocked trout. Especially fresh rainbows will inhale them
.I just tie them with a gold bead and the mop. You can dress them up a little with peacock or cactus chenille but it is really more for the fishermen then the fish.
Just dead drift them and they will gobble them up. I have also caught a few wild browns mainly on the gray color.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top