Cowen's Somethin' Else - Fly Tying Tutorial

This fly was created by striper guru Henry Cowen. This fly was created to imitate small threadfin shad. This pattern has done hard work for us on our local striper fisheries. In the fall/winter months when our fish are keyed in on those smaller baitfish you'd be hard pressed to catch them on something any bigger.

The Something' else uses Polar Fibre rather than Bucktail (like a classic Clouser Minnow). The idea behind this is, Polar Fibre breathes better than bucktail in smaller sizes. Some may ask, can you just use craft fur? In my opinion, it's not the same. Craft Fur has larger individual fibers than Polar Fibre, therefore, getting a baitfish imitation in small sizes is harder than using Polar Fibre.

Just like many patterns, this fly can be used on a wide variety of species, though the original purpose was, striped bass.

Pretty much every fish out there will eat a baitfish, and the Something Else is just a baitfish fly... On lakes, I've caught largemouth, white bass, bluegill, and a LOT of crappie. On rivers, I've used it for smallmouth and trout successfully!

I typically tie this fly on two hook variations: a size 4 and a size 6. On a size 4 hook I like the fly to come in at about 2 inches. Maybe a little more maybe a little less. On the size 6 fly I keep it in the 1.5 to 1" range. I have a few different sizes on hand in case the baitfish I'm over vary in size.

Another thing that sets this fly apart is the throat. I remember hearing Henry talking about the Fluoro Fibre throat probably 4-5 years ago now, and I started putting it into flies then. I love the effect. Pretty much every Clouser, Deceiver, and similar baitfish style fly I tie anymore includes the Fluoro Fibre throat into.

Overall, this is a pattern that has gives me a lot of confidence. I'm all about simple "guide flies" that don't take too long to make, are simple, and catch the daylights out of different fish species!

We have all materials in the shop and online, but check with your local fly shop first!