Letters to the Predator: Small Vampires

Another amusing anglingman recently wrote :

Roddy:

I couldn’t figure out how to upload pics, so I am sending two to you, which you may post if you like.

Mike's Small Vampire?

Both are of my brother Mike’s muskie pattern he calls a “Vampire.” I have no idea how he ties it, but it’s about the size of a chipmunk and casts just fine on a 9 or 10-weight. I have caught muskies, pike and bass on the fly but have not tried it for hawg browns. Because the thing comes alive in the water, I have to believe those old salmo piscavores ought to at least take a swiperoo at it.

The shot of the fly on the canoe seat shows my Loomis 9-wt for perspective. That’s the tail end of another of Mike’s patterns hanging from the hook keeper, called a “Rainbow Leech.”

The portrait shot was taken by my webmaster, Les Booth. This pattern and several others will soon be for sale on my website, dansmalloutdoors.com. Just look for Mike Small’s Big Flies. As Red Green says, “You can tell a lot about a man by the size of his fly!”