Polar Minnow

By Fred Telleen of North 40 Fly Shop.

Gold UV Polar Minnow
Materials:
• Thread: UTC Tan 210
• Hook: Gamakatsu B10S #6
• Eyes: Spirit River Real Eyes 3/16” Nickel/Pearl
• Tail: UV Polar Chenille twisted and furled
• Body: UV Polar Chenille Gold
• Head: Tan/Claret Ice Dub in split thread or dubbing loop

Polar Chenille is one of my favorite synthetic materials. I use it on many streamer patterns and salmon/steelhead flies. It makes a great body for flashy buggers and sculpin. A couple turns can add the perfect accent to Intruders and tube flies.

The Polar Minnow is a simple pattern I worked out several years’ back that relies on UV Polar Chenille for the body and the tail. It is easily customizable and I’ve tried numerous color schemes. On our original video, I used UV Pearl and permanent markers to color it up. While that pattern is still in play, I’ve gotten more positive feedback from customers using the Gold UV Chenille version that is available from Yellowstone Fly Goods. A couple local tiers have been building their own Gold UV Polar Minnows and fishing them with great success on the Missouri River.

The power of Gold UV Polar Chenille is hard to beat. Some days, trout can’t leave it alone. Here is an updated Polar Minnow in the Gold format. The head is finished off with Claret and Tan Ice Dub. The addition of some Claret behind the Tan adds a little attraction and bling. Give this one a try and let me know if it works for you.
Note: Don’t be afraid to do a little trimming of the Polar fibers if you want a sparser body.