Umpqua Cowen's Baitfish

“I remember when the peanut butter fly first hit the fly shops around the country. I was loving the look of that fly. The synthetic materials of the fibers held the shape just beautifully. My only issue with that fly was that it didn’t breath or have any lifelike movement and when it hit the water after the cast it would lie on its side for a few seconds before finally absorbing water and sinking. In my opinion, the quicker a fly gets into the strike zone the more likely you get an eat! Many baitfish flies are tied with an over/under technique or what some anglers refer to a hi-tie design. It’s hard not to fall in love with a baitfish’s profile when using these stiffer synthetics. The Cowen’s Baitfish was certainly inspired by the peanut butter fly. The difference in my interpretation is that we tied polar fiber into the tail to give the fly a little lifelike movement when retrieved. It is also tied with lead wire wrapped around the shank so that when cast, the fly sinks into the strike zone as soon as it hits the water. If casting up against a mangrove where snook tend to lay, it’s important to get the fly to sink under the mangrove rather than having to pull it away from the cover before it starts to sink. That same scenario works for largemouth and smallmouth that hide in cover. However, the magic mojo in this baitfish pattern that makes it a game changer for anglers is the hot pink fluorofibre tied in as a throat. That particular color in that material will out fish any baitfish tied with red Krystal Flash as a gill or throat. Hot pink fluorofibre tied in a fly is like an American Express card…DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT! This fly took a line class world record golden dorado back in the early 2000’s.” -Signature Tyer Henry Cowen