Muddler spec.

An unspecified muddler

By Martin Joergensen

Muddlers are mostly used for dusk or night fishing in the summer. Muddlers will work in the surface, streaming, making a wave wich can be seen by the fish against the light sky.
Muddlers move a lot of water and form a good profile. Almost any type of muddler can be used for this fishing although dark and black patterns seem best.

This pattern is really not very exciting, because the key to a muddler is not the tail, wing or body, but the head. Once the technique for tying spun deer hair heads is mastered, the door to the world and richness of mudders is open.

The pattern below is just one example. The Small Muddler, Full Metal Jacket and the Nutria Muddler are others.

Hook	Any streamer hook 4-10
Thread	Tan or black, heavy (6/0, kevlar or similar)
Tail	Small piece of coloured goose feather, orange, red or purple
Body	Flat silver tinsel
Rib	Oval silver tinsel
Wing	Black hair longer than hook
'Hackle'	Collar formed by stacked deer hair
Head	Stacked natural (tan) deer hair, spun and cut

• Tie in tail (1/3 hook length) on top and oval silver tinsel under shank.
• Run thread forwards to form a smooth base for tinsel.
• Tie in medium silver tinsel and run to hook bend and forwards again in even turns. Tie down.
• Turn rib opposite tinsel in open turns and tie down under shank.
• Tie in wing, which reaches over the tip of tail.
• Stack the first bundle and let tips reach just beyond hook bend.
• Tie in further 2-3 bundles of deer hair muddler style
• Whip finish and varnish before trimming
• Trim down hair except tips of the first bundle to form a dense, conical head with a collar.

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