Tying the Mushmouth Series

I’m not sure how much time I spent at the vise the first 15 years I tied flies, but I do know that it feels like I spent nearly the same amount of time unwrapping the wings and tails of fouled streamers while fishing. Nothing makes me crazier than a fly tied with materials that won’t stay where I put them. Imagine a shore-bound fisherman who waits all day for a chance at a fleeting false-albacore blitz or a cruising 20-pound striper and when the moment comes discovers his only opportunity was blown by a disfigured bug. The Mushmouth series is a quick and simple solution to this common and frustrating streamer problem.

The Mushmouth’s conception began in July 1999 when Chris Aubut called to tell me about a skipjack bonanza around Newport, Rhode Island. Skipjacks don’t usually appear inshore in southern New England waters until August or early September (if they show at all) when the water temperature peaks. The summer of 1999 was unusually warm, however, with most days finding the mercury over 90 degrees F. Coincidentally, a large finger of warm Gulf Stream water had also pointed its way north straight toward Newport. This highway of tropical water led the oceanic bonito and some small bluefin tuna to a nice, deep pocket of tepid water and an unusually large body of immature oceanic herring.

If this sounds like a fly-fishing dream come true, then you’re half right: the table was set and the bell was ringing, but we could hardly buy a bite to save our lives. The oceanic herring were only as long as a dime and as thick as a matchstick. On top of that, the skipjack tuna were feeding, as they often do, at the surface in fighter-jet formation and “foaming” on these small baits. Foaming skippies move in wide schools of ten to several hundred, all speeding in the same direction, mowing down every baitfish in their path. (I have also seen false albacore, school bluefin tuna, and frigate mackerel feed this way on small baits.)

The combination of these minute baits and the skipjack’s speed made fishing difficult. Chris’s clients had caught fish on large, flashy 3-D Fleyes (a Bob Popovics design) on previous days, but they were slow to tie and not as effective as he had hoped.

I tied the first few Mushmouths (offshore fishermen sometimes refer to skipjacks as “mushmouths” or “mushies,” because they often fall off the hook when brought in on heavy tackle at trolling speed) from flashy fibers of Angel Hair and Wing N’ Flash tied reverse style. These prototypes caught fish, but they also fouled. We brought the remaining flies home and coated them with epoxy to prevent this problem, and we just ended up with bad-looking Surf Candy imitations. I figured there had to be an easier, quicker, and cleaner way to make this fly worthwhile, so I went home to experiment and found that a spine of Softex was the answer.

Tying Tips

The common element of all Mushmouths is a flexible spine of Super Hair and Softex or Soft Body (collectively referred to as “glue” in the text) that extends past the hook bend. This spine of synthetic hair and glue is stiff enough to keep the fly from fouling during the cast, helps the fly retain its profile when fished in fast current, and protects it from becoming a one-fish wonder. Don’t worry that the fly may turn out too stiff. The short, wispy strands of flash hanging from the fly wave in the current and provide the illusion of movement. But if the spine extends too far past the bend, striking fish won’t be hooked.

You must prepare the belly and back of the fly ahead of time and tie them in right after applying the glue to the Super Hair tail and the hook shank. The quicker you tie this fly, the nicer it looks when finished.

The most difficult part of tying this fly is learning how to handle the materials before tying them in. Thin fibers like Angel Hair or Wing N’ Flash, used in the standard Mushmouth, are difficult to deal with. The easiest way to prepare them is to remove the fibers from the Zip Tie and align them on a table. The strands are fine and weak enough that you can pull out the necessary amount, which also stretches the material just enough to create a frizzy texture that helps build bulk. Create a tapered bundle of flash by pulling out the short fibers and tearing any undesirably long fibers and then repositioning them in your bobbin hand. Repeat this several times until you have the bulk you desire. You may need to add or remove material to achieve the proper thickness and taper.

Creating tapered bundles of other synthetics like Slinky Fibre or Unique Hair is much easier—simply pull out the center strands of the bundle. Mushmouths made of Slinky Fibre are the easiest versions to tie. Tie the tapered bundles down about one-third of the way back from the hook eye and lash them forward to the hook eye. Pull back the butt ends that are hanging forward and tie them down to complete the profile.

Practice makes perfect with this technique. Don’t despair if your first attempts do not look as nice as you had hoped, because the flies will still fish well; besides, every one looks good lodged in the corner of a big fish’s jaw!

Most Mushmouths require a little trimming at the end of the tying procedure to create a tapered, lifelike baitfish shape. Position the fly vertically in your vise so that the hook eye points up. Trim the fly slowly (you can’t put it back on after you’ve chopped it off) with a pair of serrated scissors with blades at least 2 inches long, making your way from the tail toward the hook eye. Do this on both the belly and back until you are pleased with the final shape.

The Variations

The original version was made primarily of Angel Hair or Wing N’ Flash, and since then I have created numerous variations with different materials to match different baitfish. Any nontapered synthetic or natural material can be used. Popular choices are Slinky Fibre, Unique Hair, Bozo Hair, PolyBear, Mega Mushy Flash, and yak hair. Each material has different characteristics, but longer and thicker fibers are best suited for big flies, and shorter, finer fibers are best for smaller ones.

The standard Mushmouth tied in 2- to 4 1/2-inch lengths imitates nearly any small baitfish from bay anchovies to juvenile herring and menhaden. The Super Mushy tied in 4- to 9-inch lengths imitates medium to large baitfish like alewives, halfbeaks, tinker mackerel, and sardinas. The Mega Mushy tied in 5- to 14-inch lengths is perfect for full-size baitfish like adult menhaden and hickory shad, and, when tied with a stinger hook, it is also a good choice for billfish. The Mega Mushy can also be sized down for a less flashy alternative to the Super Mushy. The belly and back of the Mega Mushy are made from blended fibers.

I have also designed Mushmouths with more specific purposes in mind. The Mushy Squid tied in 5- to 10-inch lengths is a squid imitation that can be tied with a tandem hook for billfish.

The Peanut Mushy tied in 11/2- to 4-inch lengths imitates any small, stocky, flat-bodied baitfish like peanut bunker, juvenile herring, pinfish, pilchards, and gizzard shad. The Whitebait Mushy tied in 11/2- to 4-inch lengths imitates any translucent baitfish with a pearly belly and lateral stripe such as silversides, rainbait, and immature oceanic herring.

Mushmouths have fooled nearly every species of pelagic fish from Northeast bluefin tuna and frigate mackerel to Baja mahi and roosterfish. Friends have taken Costa Rican sailfish on giant tandem-hook models, and plenty of big stripers to 35 pounds have shown poor judgment when a 12-inch Mega Mushy whizzed by.

Mushmouths are good all-around searching patterns, but they excel in certain situations. The flashier varieties commonly get bites in tough situations where other flies fail, such as when fish are feeding on crab and krill hatches or dense schools of small bait. Jacks, bluefish, and snook rarely pass up the chance to demolish a flashy version of the Mushmouth. Other fly fishermen have reported similar success with larger freshwater predators like northern pike and lake-run salmonids.

At times, however, a flashy fly is the worst possible choice and can spook fish. In particular, bigger striped bass seem to prefer less flash. Switch to a more subdued Mushy made of Slinky Fibre or yak hair when overwhelming shine isn’t the ticket.

Take five minutes to whip one up the next time you sit down to tie. You’ll save at least that much time on the water when you don’t have to reach out to untangle a fouled fly every third cast.

Dave Skok is a fly tier, photographer, and writer. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.