Published Apr 13. 2006 - 17 years ago
Updated or edited Nov 30. 2023

The Mango

The Mickey Finn is one of the first streamers many beginning fly tyers learn to tie. Kasper Muehlbach never used it and for years a yellow and orange fly was missing in his fly box. Last year he was inspired to tie a replacement.

Mango fruits

The Mickey Finn is often one of the first streamers, beginning fly tiers learn to tie. For some reason, I have never used it. I prefer zonkers or palmer hackled flies along with shrimp imitations.

So for years a yellow and orange fly has been missing in my fly box.
Last year I found materials, which inspired me to tie a replacement for The Mickey Finn. It stayed in my box for severeal weeks. I took a picture, uploaded it to our local site and named it The Modern Mickey Finn Zonker... probably a result of being less creative that day.
But when my girlfriend got a look at it, she exclaimed: It looks like a mango. Bingo! The Mango was a reality.

It is just a zonker and nothing particular. I like the colours and I like the two-coloured zonker strip.

I think it will be good for winter trout and in those waters where orange is a killer colour. Perch also like orange and so does cod (they seem to like any colour).

If you also like it, you should tie some following this recipe:

Mango
Pattern type: 
Cold saltwater fly
Originator: 
Kasper Mühlbach
Materials: 
Hook
Streamer, size 2-6.
Thread
Rusty, 8/0.
Underbody
Red yarn.
Body
Re-Flash Tubing, orange.
Tail
Hackle fibres, mixed yellow and orange.
Wing
Zonker strip, cross coloured, orange/yellow.
False hackle (throat)
Orange hackle fibres, let them almost reach the hook point.
Skill level/difficulty: 
Easy
Instruction: 
  1. Mix a tail from yellow and orange hackle fibres. Tie them in just above the hook bend.
  2. Tie in the yarn and turn it over the shank to form a nice tapered under body.
  3. Let the tube slide down the shank. Secure it just above the hook bend. Make 1-2 mm of the tube stand out from the secure point.
  4. Tie in the zonker strip. Let 1-2 mm stand out from the secure point. Avoid trapping the hair.
  5. Whipfinish.
  6. Tie down the tupe at the head.
  7. Tie down the zonker strip at the head. Make sure to stretch it, as it gets sloppy when wet.
  8. Tie in a bunch of orange hackle fibres as a false hackle.
  9. Form a nice little head and whipfinish.

Materials

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

3 winter flies

Comments

Jelle, Good to he...

Jelle,

Good to hear and nice report. I am glad you had so much success using the fly rod. Even though many of the fish were thin but shiny kelts I can see, that you also got some beautiful chromers.

The fly with the pink-white-pink body looks fine for cold water. What is your description/material list?

Kasper

Jelle Holm's picture

thank you i was insp...

thank you i was inspired through this article to tie a fly nearly like this in different colours and it brought me some good fish on our last trip to southern sweden you can read about the tour here and see the fly:
www.foerde-fishing.de/breisen06.html

thank you for the inspiration and in our german balticcoast it works also very well!!!

Chris from Canada, t...

Chris from Canada, try www.feather-craft.com. They have about 18 colors. They work great for many diffrent zonker and double bunny flies, also try them on John Barrs meat whistles

I live in Maine, and...

I live in Maine, and yes we now have Northern pike in many of our waters. I think the Mango pike fiy is a great pattern. I will be fishing the the St Johns river in northern Maine next year and will try the MANGO.

Nice presentation, e...

Nice presentation, exeptional pics.
From Belgium.
www.apmc.be

great photos, much a...

great photos, much appreciated,

iam from Argentina, ...

iam from Argentina, i live in the Patagonia and i new in the flyfhishing, but this fly it's amazing... my congratulations to the warsmith! There is a seccition with tying videos y this page? thanks...

WOW!! function and ...

WOW!!
function and simplicity... what else can you ask from a fly pattern. Amazingly easy to modify in color ... do not substitute materials i have found it to be perfect for large mouth bass in central florida and incredible in smaller sizes for blue gill and crappie!!

Amazing fly!!! Pl...

Amazing fly!!!

Please , can anyone direct me to a place that I can purchase some zonker strips in that color.

Thanks in advance,
Chris from Canada

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