Fly Tier's Bench: How to Tie Chicone's Magnum Mantis Fly

This article appears in the Oct-Dec 2024 issue of Fly Fisherman. Pick up a copy at your local fly shop, magazine stand, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, or major book retailer. 

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Saltwater flats fishing has come a long way in the past few decades, but one of the most peculiar things about that fact is that it seems the flies, for the most part, have remained straight outta the 70s. Fly lists for destination trips still feature old-timey flies like the Gotcha, Merkin, and Cockroach at the top of the pile, and while there is no denying the effectiveness of these flies, I’m always on the lookout for something new and exciting when tying for a trip. Drew Chicone is the first guy I call.

Chicone lives in Fort Myers, Florida and has taken saltwater fly tying to an entirely new level. Approaching the varied life forms found on a saltwater flat like a trout angler might approach an insect hatch, Chicone has endeavored to create flies that are much more realistic and purpose-driven imitations of the most commonly available prey items. I have featured Chicone here in the Fly Tier’s Bench previously with his McFly Crab pattern and upon seeing his new Magnum Mantis pattern, was quick to add it to my to-do list for this column. [The story “McGenius: Chicone’s soft, chewy crab pattern uses McFlyfoam” appeared in the Feb.-Mar. 2015 issue of Fly Fisherman. The Editor.]

Mantis shrimp are widely available in tropical waters and grow to great size, but for angling purposes, we will focus on the young, smaller versions. Ranging from 1 to 5 inches long, mantis shrimp get their name from their likeness to the praying mantis, stemming from their club-like pincers that they stun their own prey with. They are commonly found in an array of both earthy to even fluorescent colors, and these crustaceans are beautiful and imposing at the same time. They are also dangerous, so don’t pick them up with your bare hands. They offer a realm of options in tying patterns to replicate them. While it would be really easy to get overcomplicated and end up with a pattern that takes half an hour to tie, Chicone has a gift for simple elegance and his Magnum Mantis is a fairly quick, easy creation.

Chicone starts with the new Umpqua XS435 hook, a black nickel model with a bent shank designed for Bendback-style patterns. The kink at the front of the shank is the perfect platform for weighted eyes, and this fly can be tied with anything from beadchain to lead eyes as conditions and water depth dictate. He employs clear monofilament thread as it disappears under a coat of UV resin, and he uses soft Finnish raccoon for the mouthparts to breathe some life into the fly. A pair of realistic resin/mono eyes mock the large peepers of the natural, and a couple strands of barred round rubber work their magic as the antennae.

Where Chicone takes some artistic license is with the knotted forelegs, a step that takes some practice and might seem superfluous, but the result is hard to argue with when paired up against a natural.

My favorite part of this fly is the method that Chicone has developed to create a barred body of two different textures that work amazingly well together to bring out depth and contrast. He starts with a length of Wire Free Synthetic Fox Brush, a magical-sounding material that turns out to simply be craft fur cut in a thin strip and pulled taut, causing the backing to curl itself into a fuzzy rope. He attaches this to the hook at the bend, then ties in a piece of medium Estaz in a contrasting color.

Chicone wraps the Estaz forward to the eyes in spiraling turns to keep it sparse, but then spirals the dubbing brush forward through the Estaz to create barring and volume. A quick styling with your favorite wire dubbing brush to free any trapped fibers is followed by a bit of trimming to create a near perfect replica of the natural’s oddly shaped abdomen.

Finish with a light coat of UV resin on the thread head, and the Magnum Mantis is ready to be thrown at a bonefish, permit, or redfish on your favorite flat without a huge time or material investment and zero frustration . . . until you get to the water. That part is up to you.

Chicone’s Magnum Mantis Fly Recipe

• HOOK: 1/0 Umpqua XS435 Bendback.
• THREAD: .006" Danville monofilament.
• BODY: Chartreuse Wire Free Synthetic Fox Brush, Crustacean Tan medium Estaz.
• EYES: Large gold mono Easy Shrimp Eyes.
• WEIGHT: Chicone’s Stealth Chain or DAZL-Eyes, sized as desired.
• LEGS: Chartreuse/clear Chicone’s Micro Crusher Legs.
• MOUTHPARTS: Chartreuse Finnish raccoon.
• ANTENNAE: Chartreuse barred black round rubber legs.
• ADHESIVE: Solarez Thin Hard Formula.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Chicone’s Magnum Mantis

1. Begin by starting the thread on the flat behind the hook eye and building a thread base. Tie in the eyes with figure-eight wraps right behind the hook eye and add a drop of Super Glue to the wraps. Continue the thread base all the way down the hook and down around the bend about a third of the way.

2. Cut a clump of Finn raccoon and even the tips a bit, then tie it in so it encompasses the bend of the hook and points slightly downward at the back.Make sure this clump is spread evenly all the way around the shank. Clip the butt ends just short of the hook point and smooth off the tie-down with a few thread wraps.

3. Flatten the mono stem on the base of each eye with a debarb or flat-nose plier.

4. Tie an eye on each side of the raccoon fur extending about halfway up its length. Trim the butt ends of the mono even with where the raccoon ends.

5. Tie in a 3-inch length of barred rubber at the center of its length at the base of the tie-in area, then pull the loose ends taut as you wrap back over them to the base of the mouthparts.

6. Clip another equal sized clump of raccoon and hold it along the far side of the hook so its tips are equal to the first bunch. Wrap over the base of the clump and allow the thread to roll it to the bottom of the hook, then anchor the butt ends in place on the bottom of the hook shank and clip the excess.

7. Tie in two strands of Micro Crusher Legs at the base of the tie-down area at the center of their length. Pull them taut and apart as you wrap the thread back over them to the base, anchoring them along the sides of the shank.

8. Carefully tie an overhand knot in each of the Micro Crusher legs about a quarter inch from where they meet the hook. Once the knots are tied, pull them tight and trim the ends to about the same length as the raccoon.

9. Tie in the wireless dubbing brush on top of the bend of the hook and secure it in place, then tie in the Estaz and anchor it to the base of the fly as well.

10. Wrap the Estaz forward to the back of the eyes with spiraling turns, then tie off the excess and clip it. Don’t butt the turns together, as this will make the fly too dense and not allow it to sink well.

11. Now spiral wrap the dubbing brush forward over the Estaz, making sure the spacing is such that the Estaz shows through. Tie off the dubbing brush, clip the excess, and build a smooth thread head to cover the stubs. Whip-finish twice and clip the thread.

12. Use a wire dubbing brush vigorously on the body to free any trapped fibers.

13. Use a sharp pair of scissors to trim the brush fibers even with the length of the Estaz along most of the shank—all the way around. Your goal is a cylindrical body shape, and you can use the eyes at the front as a gauge for the final diameter.

14. Coat the thread wraps with a layer of Solarez UV resin and cure it with your lamp.

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Charlie Craven co-owns Charlie’s Fly Box in Arvada, Colorado. He is the author of four books, most recently Tying Streamers: Essential Flies and Techniques for the Top Patterns (Stackpole Books, 2020).