Overview

The Balanced $ Minnow is a signature pattern from Umpqua tyer Matt Winkler. Baitfish are an essential food for large stillwater trout, and a slow, helpless minnow is a meal they rarely pass up.

Tied on a balanced platform with a heavy wire jig hook, the fly hangs horizontally under an indicator and holds exactly at the depth you set, the way a resting or injured minnow does. Overlapping wraps of palmer chenille give it a full, mobile body, and a realistic eye completes the baitfish look. It is a known producer for big cutthroat at Pyramid Lake and works for other predatory fish too.

How to Fish It

• Under an indicator: suspend it at the depth fish are cruising and let the wave action rock it.
• Slow strip: a slow strip and pause makes it swim and then hang level, which often triggers a strike.
• Targets: fish drop-offs, points and shoreline structure where trout and bass hunt baitfish.
• Big fish: use stout tippet, as this is a fly for large lake trout and other predators.

Choosing Color and Size

White matches light-colored baitfish and is a good choice on bright days. Olive suggests the darker backs of minnows and young fish. Black gives the strongest silhouette in low light and stained water.

All colors are size 6.