Egan’s Poacher: Tying and Fishing Tips

0:00 Intro
0:32 Hook, Bead and Thread
1:23 Adding Extra Weight
2:25 Tying the Zonker Tail
4:22 Adding Sculpin Detail
5:27 Building the Dubbing Loop
7:13 Spinning the Olive Body
9:05 Creating the Sculpin Profile
12:16 Partridge Pectoral Fins
14:21 Finishing the Head
15:34 Fishing the Poacher

This fly-tying tutorial shows how to tie Lance Egan’s Poacher, a jig-style micro streamer designed as a sculpin imitation for trout and grayling.

The video follows a step-by-step version of the Poacher using a heavy jig hook, black tungsten bead, zonker-style tail, olive dubbing body and English partridge to suggest the prominent pectoral fins of a sculpin. This version keeps the original idea of Lance Egan’s pattern but includes a few practical adjustments for quicker tying and river fishing. The tutorial also explains how to fish the pattern on a conventional pulling setup or as part of a Euro nymphing approach.

### What’s covered in this video

* Lindsay introduces his version of Lance Egan’s Poacher as a sculpin-style micro streamer and explains why streamer patterns have a place in a river fly box.

* The fly is tied on a size 10 Hanak 480 barbless jig hook, finished in black nickel and built on a heavy wire frame.

* A 4 mm black tungsten bead is used to give the pattern weight, profile and a point-up jigging action.

* Troutline Sumo Thread in black, 50 denier, is secured over a small amount of super glue to create a strong GSP-style thread base.

* Siemperfli lead-free wire in 0.9 mm is pushed into the back of the bead rather than wrapped around the shank, creating a quick weighted foundation.

* An olive Troutline strip is used for the tail, with the fur removed at the tying-in point and the skin tied facing upwards.

* The tail is positioned just below the bend of the hook to reduce tail fouling when the fly is retrieved or jigged through the water.

* The zonker-style tail is cut into a V shape to create a finer end and improve movement.

* Black marker pen is used to add barred detail to the olive tail strip, following a tip from Lance Egan’s own tying approach.

* A small amount of light, pearl-style material is added to suggest the pale belly often seen on sculpins.

* Lindsay discusses other effective river patterns, including squirmy worms, while explaining why he is less fond of mop flies.

* A full dubbing loop is created instead of a split thread loop to build a substantial olive body and head.

* Hends Hare Dubbing NC16, an olive hybrid dubbing with sparkle, is prepared in small pinches and placed into a materials clip before being spun in the loop.

* The dubbing is brushed out with a wire brush and wrapped forward while being stroked back like a hackle.

* The body is shaped to imitate a sculpin profile, with a heavier front end and a slimmer rear section that will reduce in bulk once wet.

* A dyed olive English partridge feather from Veniard is tied in and wrapped to represent the sculpin’s pectoral fins.

* Lindsay notes that English partridge can be delicate at the tip and needs careful handling when winding.

* Howard Croston is mentioned as another fly tier with a sculpin pattern worth looking at for future additions to the fly box.

* A final generous pinch of olive dubbing is added at the head, brushed out and secured before the fly is whip finished with varnish on the thread.

* The finished fly is teased and parted so the head, belly and partridge fibres sit correctly when the jig hook fishes point-up.

* Fishing advice covers using the Poacher on an intermediate line with a normal pull and retrieve, especially through canal-like river stretches.

* The pattern can also be fished using a Euro nymphing technique, where it can be jigged back through likely lies to target better fish.

Mentioned in this video: Lance Egan, Lance Egan’s Poacher, Poacher, sculpin, sculpin imitation, micro streamer, streamer fishing, Hanak 480, Hanak, barbless jig hook, size 10 hook, black nickel, heavy wire hook, 4 mm tungsten bead, black tungsten bead, Troutline, Troutline Sumo Thread, black 50 denier thread, GSP thread, super glue, lead-free wire, Simplified lead-free wire, 0.9 mm wire, Trout Line, olive strip, rabbit strip, zonker strip, marabou, tail fouling, marker pen, pearl belly, mop fly, steelhead fishing, squirmy worms, trout, grayling, dubbing loop, split thread, dubbing twister, Hends Hare Dubbing NC16, olive hybrid dubbing, materials clip, wire brush, sculpin profile, Veniard, English partridge, dyed olive partridge, pectoral fins, Howard Croston, varnish, whip finish tool, jig hook, intermediate line, pulling rig, canal stretches, Euro nymphing technique, river fly box.