Mickey Finn
The Mickey Finn's red-and-yellow color scheme is a classic provocation pattern — it does not imitate any specific prey but triggers aggressive reflexes in trout, especially brook trout and landlocked salmon. It has been catching fish since the early 20th century, particularly on trolled or swung presentations in lakes and rivers. The bright colors make it visible in stained or turbid water.
- Type
- streamer (Streamer)
- Hook sizes
- #4–10
- Target species
- trout, salmon
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: 3X long streamer hook #4–10
- thread: Black 6/0
- body: Flat silver tinsel
- ribbing: Oval silver tinsel
- wing: Yellow bucktail, then red bucktail over, then yellow bucktail on top
Tying steps
- Mount a size 4–10 3XL hook; start black thread and wrap a smooth base.
- Wrap flat silver tinsel from bend to the 2/3 mark as the body; tie off.
- Wrap oval silver tinsel rib over the body in 5 spirals.
- Tie in a sparse bunch of yellow bucktail as the first wing layer.
- Tie in a sparse bunch of red bucktail over the yellow.
- Tie in a final sparse bunch of yellow bucktail over the red.
- Build a small neat head; whip finish and lacquer.
- Inspect the wing from above — the red center stripe should be centered exactly between equal bunches of yellow, creating a neat tricolor layered wing.