Fly of the Month- The Slumpbuster

Slumpbuster

The Slumpbuster is yet another piscatorial creation from John Barr. The Slumpbuster is heavily weighted at the front end to create a fish attracting jigging action in the water.  Its matuka-style fur strip wing breathes seductively without fouling. Fish this fly by retrieving with erratic strips. Vary the speed and cadence of the retrieve. Long, slow strips are sometimes the answer while fast and furious produces at other times.

Material

Hook: 4X-long streamer hook Size 8

Head: Nickel cone, large.

Weight: Lead-free round wire .020.

Thread: 6/0 or 140 Denier, brown or olive.

Rib: Ultra Wire

Body: Silver Mylar

Wing/tail: Pine-squirrel strip.

Collar: Pine-squirrel strip.

Tying Instructions

1.    Crush the barb on the hook and slide the cone head small hole first on to the hook up to the eye. Secure the hook in your vise. Take the weighted wire and begin making touching wraps starting at mid shank wrapping forward toward the eye. Twelve to fifteen wraps should be enough. Snip off the excess and apply a couple of drops of head cement to the wire wraps to stabilize. Push the wraps forward tight against the cone.

2.    Start your thread on the hook shank immediately behind the wire and take  

wraps rearward before snipping or breaking off the tag. Reverse direction wrapping forward to the weight. Take wraps forward over the weight to  

further secure it and then build a little thread ramp at the back of the wire.

3.    Secure the ultra-wire to the near side of the hook shank and  

take thread wraps binding it down all the way to the bend.  Then wrap your thread forward to just behind the weight. Secure one end of the sparkle braid at the tie-in point and take thread wraps rearward to the bend and then  

forward all the way back up to the edge of the cone.  Get t hold of the silver braid and start taking slightly overlapping wraps around the shank forward ending at the back edge of the cone secure the braid with several tight turns of tying thread and then snip the excess off close.  

4.    Get hold of the butt end of the pine squirrel strip and remove a small amount of fur to expose the bare hide. Cut angles into the hide on both sides to make appoint. Push the point into the cone on top of the hook shank and take thread wraps to secure.  Be sure to secure it tightly.

5.    Pull on the strip to stretch it rearward and then wet your fingers to make the fur  

more manageable.  Preen the fur upward so it is at a ninety-degree angle to the shank.  Part the fur right at the ribbing wire and begin making spiral wraps forward between the clumps of fur. Do your best to keep the wraps and try to keep from binding down too much fur in the process. When you reach your tying thread take several wraps to secure the wire really well. Helicopter or cut the wire off.  

6.    Tail lengths are an individual preference. Suggest trimming the tail to slightly longer than the length of the shank. When the fur is pushed back the tail will appear longer.

7.    Take the remaining squirrel strip and again remove a small amount of fur.  Secure it to the hook shank behind the cone just as you did in Step 4. Start making wraps behind the cone. As you wrap, sweep the fur rearward and pack the wraps tightly so there is no space behind the cone.  Secure with 4-5 whip finishes. Carefully snip the excess off close. Take a couple more whip finish wraps and cut your thread.

The slump buster is a terrific pattern for fish when the water is high and off colored. It can be tied in a variety of colors.