Umpqua Maldonado's Jungle Junkie Fly

Overview

The Jungle Junkie is a big predator streamer from signature tyer Steve Maldonado. It started as a pike and musky fly tied to imitate perch, a major food for those fish.

It is a flashtail streamer with bucktail, magnum Flashabou and a laser dub head. The head gives a bulky profile without much real bulk, so the fly sheds water and casts more easily than its size suggests. It has since proven itself on peacock bass on Brazil's Rio Negro.

How to Fish It

• Strip hard: long, fast strips with sudden pauses imitate a fleeing perch.
• Figure-eight: for pike and musky, finish each retrieve with a figure-eight at the rod tip.
• Structure: work weed edges, drop-offs, timber and current seams.
• Bite tippet: use wire or heavy fluorocarbon for pike and musky.

Choosing Color and Size

Fire Tiger is a bright chartreuse, orange and barred pattern that suggests perch and shows up in stained water. Size 4/0 is a full-size predator fly for pike, musky and peacock bass.