EP Minnow (Enrico Puglisi)
Enrico Puglisi's EP Minnow revolutionized saltwater fly tying with its use of synthetic EP fiber. The material pushes water and breathes in a way that natural materials cannot, creating extraordinary lifelike movement. Available in a huge range of colors, it imitates everything from bunker to mullet to pilchards. Strip it at varying speeds to find the action profile that triggers strikes from stripers, snook, tarpon, and false albacore.
- Type
- streamer (Saltwater)
- Hook sizes
- #1/0–4/0
- Target species
- saltwater
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Saltwater streamer hook #1/0–4/0
- thread: White 6/0
- belly: White EP fiber, generous
- wing: Olive, chartreuse, or gray EP fiber layers
- flash: Flashabou or Krystal Flash between layers
- eyes: Stick-on or painted eyes
Tying steps
- Mount a size 1/0–4/0 saltwater hook; start white thread.
- Tie in a generous bunch of white EP fiber at the bend as the belly.
- Fold EP fiber back and tie down; the double-layered fiber creates fullness.
- Add several layers of olive, chartreuse, or gray EP fiber over the white for the back.
- Add 4–6 strands of Flashabou between layers for flash.
- Tie in stick-on or thread-wrapped eyes just behind the hook eye.
- Build a small head with thread; coat with UV resin.
- Brush the EP fiber rearward with a coarse brush or Velcro to create a lifelike textured finish.