The Sunny Corleone Sunfish

This bass-walloping pattern pays homage to a famous gangster movie, but it is really designed to catch fish. Tie it, cast it, and have fun!

[by Drew Chicone]

THIS VIBRANT IMITATION EMULATES any number of three to five-inch-long adolescent sunfish, bluegills, and brim that congregate around grass lines, docks, and other structures. Native to North America, we find these fish in streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds. They are highly adaptable and thrive in just about any environment. Because they are so prevalent, they often fall prey to many larger gamefish. Although this pattern’s primary target are bass, you may occasionally pick off other species such as trout, musky, and pike.

The pattern’s bright colors of saltwater yak hair blend together for a very realistic look. It’s one of my favorite attractor patterns, and it gets the attention of even the most disinterested fish.

If you haven’t figured it out, my heritage is Italian, and although you might be polite and not say it, I will: I am naturally predisposed to Sunday dinner and mobster movies. This gangster baitfish’s name pays homage one of my favorite films, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, after the novel by Mario Puzo. Unlike his soft-spoken, quietly calculating father, Don Corleone, Sonny is flashy, hot-tempered, and quick to start a fight. I thought that was a great name for a fly, especially a pattern that openly antagonizes the biggest fish in the pond and gets violently whacked!

I tie the Sunny Corleone in a similar fashion to many of my other wide-profile baitfish patterns. For this fly I use saltwater yak hair for its translucent qualities, and also because the length and wiry texture of the material allow me to create a larger and more durable imitation. Natural yak hair is also great for blending because I can easily count the individual strands; this allows my flies to be more uniform in color and fullness. The coarse hair becomes supple when wet and has a lifelike quality when stripped through the water.

BLEND THE HAIR BEFORE TYING THE FLY

BEFORE THREADING YOUR BOBBIN, BLEND BUNCHES of yak hair—or your favorite synthetic hair—equal to the number of flies you will tie. This preparation will speed up making the flies and keep your tying bench better organized. The author refers to the following different blends in the tying instructions.

BELLY BLEND #1
50 strands of white, 15 strands of tan, 10 strands of yellow, and 5 strands of blue.

BELLY BLEND #2
60 strands of white, 15 strands of yellow, and 5 strands of orange.

BACK BLEND #1
50 strands of olive, 20 strands of chartreuse, and 10 strands of tan.

BACK BLEND #2
65 strands of olive, 20 strands of root beer, and 10 strands of black.

THROAT BLEND
15 strands of orange and 5 strands of red.

Although the name of his website is Salty Fly Tying, Drew Chicone is also an expert at designing terrific freshwater bass patterns. To learn more about his books, videos, hosted trips, and a ton more, go to his website, www.saltyflytying.com. Drew and his growing family live in Florida.

SUNNY CORLEONE

Hook: Mustad C68SNP-DT, size 2/0.
Thread: Clear monofilament.
Belly: White, yellow, tan, and orange saltwater yak hair.
Back: Olive, chartreuse, tan olive, root beer, and black saltwater yak hair.
Throat: Orange and red saltwater yak hair. Eyes: Orange or yellow doll eyes with posts.
Adhesive: Loon Outdoors Fly Finish Flow.
Important tying note: This pattern calls for a wide variety of colors of yak hair. If you do not have or are not interested in purchasing all this material, try substituting your favorite brand of synthetic hair. Also, there is no rule demanding that you use all the colors specified in the recipe. Your finished fly might not look exactly like the author’s, but the fish won’t know the difference. —DK

Tutorials

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Tutorials

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 1/14

Place the hook in your vise and start the thread opposite the point.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 2/14

Cut 4½-inch-long pieces of Back Blend #1 (olive, chartreuse, and tan yak hair or a substitute). I measure the hair using the first line on my palm so all my flies are uniform in length and shape. Blend the hairs until the bunch measures between 7½ and 8 inches long.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 3/14

Tie the middle of the tapered bunch of hair to the hook using eight thread wraps.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 4/14

Fold back and tie down all the hair. Wrap the thread forward to tie on the next bunch of hair. Cut a 4½-inch-long piece of the Belly Blend #1 (white and tan). Blend and taper the hairs so the bunch is approximately 6 inches long. Tie the middle of the bunch to the side of the hook nearest you.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 5/14

Fold all the hair under the hook and back onto itself. Tie half the hair onto the far side of the hook; both sides of the fly should appear symmetrical, and there should be small gaps where the bare hook shank peeks through the hair. Tying the hair at a downward angle instead of straight back builds the profile of the fly.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 6/14

Cut a 4-inch-long piece of the Back Blend #1. Blend and taper the hairs until the bunch is approximately 6 to 6½ inches long. Tie the middle of the tapered bunch to the top of the hook, wrapping the thread back toward the light-colored belly hair.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 7/14

Fold back all the hair. This time, instead of tying down the material onto itself, fold the bunches so they form a V shape over the back of the fly.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 8/14

Cut a 3½-inch-long bunch of Belly Blend #1. Divide the hair into two bunches, one for each side of the fly. Taper each bunch until it is about 5 inches long. Tie one bunch onto the near side of hook so that it extends slightly beyond the tail of the fly. This piece of hair hides the exposed hook.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 9/14

Fold the forward-facing hair back and angling downward to cover the hook gap.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 10/14

Tie the second bundle of belly hair to the far side of the hook.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 11/14

Cut a 3½-inch-long piece of the Back Blend #2 (olive and brown). Blend the hairs until the bunch measures between 5 and 5½ inches long. Tie the middle of the bunch to the top of the hook; stack these thread wraps behind the previous wraps.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 12/14

Brush back all the hair. Secure the hair to the top of the hook so it forms a V shape; this creates shoulders and adds width to the body.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 13/14

Cut a 3-inch-long piece of the Belly Blend #2 (white, yellow, and orange). Blend and slightly taper this bunch. Tie the middle of the hair to the underside of the fly with the forwardfacing portion slightly shorter than the rear-facing bunch.

STARTING THE BODY OF THE FLY

Step 14/14

Fold back and secure all the belly hair together. Next, using your thumbnail, distribute the material evenly around the bottom and sides of the hook to cover any spots where the hook is exposed. We’ve been tying for a while; this is a good time to stand and stretch our legs!

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Tutorials

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 1/14

We have to add one more bunch of hair to the body of the fly. Cut a 2½-inch section of the Back Blend #2. Taper the hairs to measure approximately 3½ inches long. Tie the middle of the bunch to the top of the hook.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 2/14

Brush back all the hair. Secure the material to the top of the hook so it forms a V shape over the back of the fly. Next, cut a 1-inch-long bunch of the Throat Blend (orange and red). Blend and slightly taper the bunch. Turn the fly over in the vise, and tie the middle of the material to the bottom of the hook; the forwardfacing half is slightly shorter than the back half.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 3/14

Fold back and secure the throat hair with eight thread wraps. Disperse the material evenly around the bottom and sides of the hook using your thumbnail.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 4/14

Make two or three whip finishes. Monofilament thread is slippery, and the extra knots help secure the nose of the fly. Snip the thread.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 5/14

I coat the nose of the fly using light-activated adhesive, but you may use whatever glue you wish.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 6/14

Remove the fly from the vise. Comb out any tangles and blend all the colors of hair using a dog brush or largetoothed comb.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 7/14

Trim the back and belly of the fly to create a wide, flat leaf shape. Important tip: In order to keep the fly from spinning when it’s stripped through the water, leave more material on top of the hook.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 8/14

Trim the front profile into the shape of a tall snow cone. This maintains the side profile while reducing material from around the hook point, which will improve hook sets and reduce the number of missed fish.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 9/14

Turn the fly over with the hook pointing down. Fan out the material from the hook eye to the tip of the tail. Clip the profile—viewed from the top and bottom of the fly—to shape. Be careful not to cut off the tail; you want to maintain as much length as possible.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 10/14

Add bars and other features to the body using black and brown permanent markers. Press and hold the markers against the hair for a couple of seconds to ensure the ink penetrates to the middle of the body.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 11/14

Return the fly to the vise. Apply liberal amounts of E6000 or a similar glue on the sides of the head where you will place the eyes. Spread the hair apart and work the glue into the material to the hook shank.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 12/14

Press an eye into the glue on both sides of the head.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 13/14

Quickly examine the position of the eyes from the top and front of the fly. If the eyes are out of alignment, the fly might spin when stripped through the water. Adjust the eyes so they are aligned, and allow the glue to dry.

COMPLETING THE SUNNY CORLEONE

Step 14/14

Remove the fly from the vise. Clip away any stray hairs and refine the baitfish profile. The Sunny Corleone is a great baitfish imitation few trophy bass can resist!