Fast action Barr’s Meat Whistle Fly Tying

This is John Barr’s Meat Whistle….a pattern he developed for bass fishing here in Colorado to replicate the pig n’ jig used by conventional tackle anglers. John is one incredibly creative guy and coupled marabou and rabbit strips with a Gamakatsu jig hook to craft a fly rod worthy comparison. In the time since John hatched the Meat Whistle concept he, and the rest of the world, have found that this pattern is equally effective on trout in both still and moving water. While a great imitation of a crayfish, the Meat Whistle can be tied in a variety of colors and sizes to imitate small baitfish as well. The unique Jig hook application makes for a pattern that can be stripped quickly or hopped and dropped much more slowly. It seems to me that the key to fishing this fly is to keep it slow…I recall watching JB fish a section of the Yampa River last year during a low water and blazing heat period. I managed to scratch NOTHING out of the runs I fished while John very slowly and methodically hopped a ginger (Virile Craw) colored Meat Whistle through the runs and pools. I marveled about how long he took to fish each cast out and admired his patience almost as much as I admired the slabs of trout he was hooking. Tie a few of these up and try them…they work, just remember…slow is better!

Materials Needed:

Hook: Gamakatsu 90 degree jig hook #1/0

Cone: Large Tungsten Copper Cone

Thread: UTC 140 denier, rusty brown

Ribbing: Brassie sized UTC Ultra Wire, Copper Brown

Body: Copper Sparkle Braid

Wing: Rusty Brown rabbit strip

Legs: Pumpkin Barred Sili Legs

Flash: Copper Flashabou

Collar: Brown Marabou