Mighty Myakka Minnow

[stevegibson]

Here’s a fly that works great when fish are feeding on minnows. It was designed for bass and panfish, but has produced lots of fish. In fresh water, the MMM has taken largemouth bass, bluegill, speckled perch, shellcracker, stumpknocker, barramundi, oscar, Mayan cichlid, gar, brown trout and rainbow trout. In the salt, it has produced spotted seatrout, snook, redfish, jack crevalle, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and tarpon.
For most fresh water applications, I tie it on a No. 10 hook. But I tie it on hooks ranging in size from No. 2 to 3/0 when fishing salt water.

Oscar on MMM:

Mayan cichlid on MMM:

[dusty montgomery]

Well done, but tell me about the Oscars if you can. I have had freshwater aquariums in the past, and I had Oscars and Tiger Oscars. I always thought they were aquarium fish, but I guess they are local for you? I think they are S. American Cichlids, so I guess I don’t understand how you would be catching them in your neck of the woods. Are they indigenous fish?

D.

[Neal Osborn]

Thanks Steve, that looks like a very effective warm water pattern.  Nice pattern, thanks for sharing.

I hope you don’t mind, but the link below describes the recipe for others to follow the instructions. Are you Southern Steve on that board?

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/f40/mighty-myakka-minnow-3822.html

Do you use Epoxy to finish the fly?  

[lee church]

I have an oscar at home and I’ve often though about flippin an adams in the tank.

[regan c. kenyon jr.]

They’re invasives that the good people of Florida let go from their aquariums into the glades and canals to give their pets a better life, screw things up a bit more, and also give the local anglers another target species.

[keith b]

I am pretty sure I caught one of those in Hawaii, in a small stream, or it was something related to it. I did not think it fought well at all.

[regan c. kenyon jr.]

Those peacocks probably screwed things up pretty good as well.

[stevegibson]

Thanks Steve, that looks like a very effective warm water pattern.  Nice pattern, thanks for sharing.

I hope you don’t mind, but the link below describes the recipe for others to follow the instructions. Are you Southern Steve on that board?

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/f40/mighty-myakka-minnow-3822.html

Do you use Epoxy to finish the fly?  

Yes, I am Southern Steve on that forum. And, yes, I use epoxy to finish the fly.

[stevegibson]

Well done, but tell me about the Oscars if you can. I have had freshwater aquariums in the past, and I had Oscars and Tiger Oscars. I always thought they were aquarium fish, but I guess they are local for you? I think they are S. American Cichlids, so I guess I don’t understand how you would be catching them in your neck of the woods. Are they indigenous fish?

D.

Oscars trace their roots in Florida back to 1954 when an aquarium owner dumped his/her fish into the backyard pond or canal.

Florida fisheries biologists dislike them (and other exotics), but they’re here to stay.

[stevegibson]

They’re invasives that the good people of Florida let go from their aquariums into the glades and canals to give their pets a better life, screw things up a bit more, and also give the local anglers another target species.  Kinda like the giant goldfish that scare the crap out of me from time to time here.

Steve-  Do you get rio grandes too?

No Rio Grandes as far as I know.

[regan c. kenyon jr.]

The Rios are pretty.

[stevegibson]

Those peacocks probably screwed things up pretty good as well.  You might have caught a tilapia.  I think they have a lot of them in HI.

It’s interesting, though, that peacock bass were stocked in South Florida waters by the state in 1984.

[Gary Sundin]

Yeah, FL resource managers put the peacocks there on purpose and consider them to be valuable.

[Grant Wright]

The Rio Grande perch are fun to catch….they are beautiful fish.

[stevegibson]

Yeah, FL resource managers put the peacocks there on purpose and consider them to be valuable.  Most of the guys that target them are pretty hard core about C&R.  They provide a great backyard/golf course/urban fishery for south Floridians.  I’ve always wanted to make a south FL trip focusing on all exotic spp.  Recent posts have really re-kindled that interest.

G

One of my favorite things to do is drive a couple of hours south to The Everglades and fly fish for the exotics. On one trip the Holiday Everglades Park last May, we got 59 largemouth, 47 peacock bass, a dozen large oscar, 20 Mayan cichilds, several bluegill, shellcracker and speckled perch.

I used a popper and dropper for a short while and actually caught two peacock bass at the same time!

It’s a very amazing fishery.

[dusty montgomery]

Steve,
What are you using to build up the body before putting on the mylar?
D.

[stevegibson]

Steve,
What are you using to build up the body before putting on the mylar?
D.

I use Bodi-Braid.

Here’s a link to the recipe:

http://floridaflyfishing.ning.com/forum/topics/tying-the-myakka-minnow

[dusty montgomery]

Thanks Steve. I tried some out last night, only I used chenille to build the body. This was not the best way to go about it as the chenille poked out through the mylar tinsel I was using. Your way seems much more efective!

Dusty

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