Mini Dragon Tail | FLY TYING TUTORIAL

When we first added the Mini Dragon Tail to our fly inventory, we weren't exactly sure where to put it. Because of its saltwater heritage, should it live next to the tarpon flies? It can fool trophy cutbows in cold water reservoirs, maybe it should go next to the trout streamers? But it can also entice any largemouth at the local bass pond, so maybe we should keep it with the rest of the warmwater flies...?

But let's not dive down the retail merchandising rabbit hole. The Mini Dragon Tail may be hard to label, but the versatility of the pattern makes it stand out. Made entirely from synthetic materials, the Mini Dragon Tail has a dynamic, snake-like swim that seems to drive fish of every species crazy. This streamer is the little brother of Captain David Mangum's Dragon Tail, a saltwater pattern created to fool fickle tarpon down in Florida. And just like its big bro, the Mini Dragon Tail can be used to target anything that swims.

In this video, Anglers All's resident fly tying expert Ben Baxter takes us through the process of tying the Mini Dragon Tail from start to finish. To make the most of this tutorial, use the timestamps below the fly recipe for navigating to the part of the tying process you'd like to see!

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MATERIALS LIST: Mini Dragon Tail (Olive)

HOOK: Fulling Mill Streamer Stripper (sz 2)

THREAD: Veevus 140-Denier Power Thread (Olive)

FOUL GUARD / TAIL SUPPORT: 20lb Mono

GLUE 1 (BODY): Gloss Coat Head Cement

WEIGHT: Plated Lead Eyes (Large)

TAIL: Mangum's 4" UV2 Micro Dragon Tail (Olive)

HEAD: Senyo's Laser Dub (Olive)

EYES: Living Eyes (6.0mm | Earth)

GLUE 2 (EYES): Solarez Flex

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CHAPTERS / TIME STAMPS: Tying the Mini Dragon Tail

00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Starting the thread
00:41 - Tying in the tail support
02:56 - Prepping the Dragon Tail material
04:08 - Coating the tail support with Gloss Coat
04:35 - Tying in the Dragon Tail
05:28 - Tying in the lead eyes
06:22 - Building the head with Laser Dub
10:41 - Whip finish
11:17 - Adding the stick-on eyes to the head
13:30 - Ben's tips for placing and securing eyes