Fin Clip – Imitates Stocked Rainbow Trout and Steelhead

Each year DNR fish stocking trucks back up to the river to subsidize fish populations on many of our rivers. The beeping noise these trucks make when in reverse is like a dinner bell to the larger fish in the river – they know that the next two months is a perfect time to get a mouthful of easy prey.

The Fin Clip was designed to imitate naïve hatchery rainbow trout put into the wild where the natives take note and eat big. I first started tying this as a small baitfish pattern but it soon became “super-sized” after seeing some large fish eat the stockers. After I tied some for a few fellow guides it didn’t take long to become a favorite of both anglers and fish looking
for something big.

Stocking Hatchery Fish Becomes A Food Source

I like to tie the Fin Clip in a few sizes to replicate the size of the fish stocked in the river. Hatcheries sometimes have various size planters and as anglers, we are always trying to imitate the common food source – it’s no different here – match the naturals.

Tie this pattern in other color schemes to imitate chubs, brown trout, suckers and bass for not only trout but other predatory species. While it doesn’t imitate anything in particular, Chartreuse and White makes a great attractor which fish often crush.

The primary material used in the Fin Clip is Icelandic Sheep Hair because of its inherit qualities. First, it moves, slinks and wiggles when the fly is paused between strips and the current has its way with it. Second, it offers neutral buoyancy allowing the fly to suspend in the water column on the pause. Third, Icelandic sheep hair comes in a wide variety of colors. Fourth, when wet, it fills out and maintains a realistic profile. Fifth and lastly, it sheds water with one good false cast making it easier to cast than you might think.

How To Fish the Fin Clip

Unlike a lot of streamers used for trophy trout, this fly doesn’t need to be in the “zone” for a fish to eat it. Rather, fish can see this large profile pattern and when fished with long strips and 2 -4 second pauses (depending on the depth of water), it gives the appearance of a disoriented stocked fish that isn’t swimming all that well and creates a perfect predator-prey relationship and gets the fish to move long distances to eat. I cast this fly with 6 and 7 wt. rods and heavy sink-tips like Scientific Anglers 250 grain Streamer Express. This 30’ sinking section of line keeps the fly in the optimum water column throughout the retrieve. Leaders should be short – 5 to 6 feet long and Maxima Ultragreen in 8 and 10 pound-test is preferred.

Not perfect

While effective, the Fin-Clip is not perfect and has some drawbacks to it. While it’s a good thing that the sheep hair sheds water to ease in casting, those that might be around you if fishing from a boat will notice the isolated showers it creates.

Don’t rush – cast slow with a long casting stroke and don’t try to force or punch a cast – it will cause the materials to foul in the hook bend loosing it’s profile and action.

It’s a fly for big aggressive fish which usually key in on the eye (notice the oversized eyes?) and attack at the head. This can create some broken hearts with fish that “nip” at the tail or attack the head and miss the hook. I have tried to incorporate a stinger hook for some of those tentative takes, but haven’t found a method that doesn’t compromise the action of the pattern nor get tangled up with the connection .

This pattern does take a little time to tie, but since it doesn’t sink like a rock, it doesn’t hang up too much on the bottom. When it does, it is easy to see and often get back without donating.

The Fin Clip is predominately used for those fish that are not only big and eat big too– it’s a pattern that is meant for the alpha-fish that have given up on snacking and prefer to eat large meals with one bite.

Fin Clip Recipe