The Foxy Minnow
By Robert Thomas

At right: Disguised outdoor writer Beau Beasley with a striper caught on the MattyJ Foxy Minnow.

If you take a good look at his hands (check them out in the tying photos below) you will realize that Capt. Tommy Mattioli must have magic fingers. I don't know how else to explain the works of art that spring from his Renzetti vise. I know it's not the vise because I use an identical one and my flies, though very fishable, are nowhere near the same league as his. Even his rejects are better than ninety percent of the commercially tied flies I see. As manager of Fly Fish The World I see thousands of flies every year. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also very durable. We usually average about fifty fish per fly. It would be higher if we didn't lose a few in the rocks at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel or have a bluefish bite us off. Very seldom do we have to retire a fly because it is just plain worn out.

Tommy's latest creation is the MattyJ Foxy Minnow. The fly is a paragon of simplicity, but is it ever so effective. The Artic Fox fur gives this fly incredible action in the water.

The first test of the Foxy Minnow came this fall when Larry Baron and I made what has become an annual pilgrimage to Harkers Island, NC. to fish with Capt. Ronnie Sides for false albacore. The Foxy Minnow passed with flying colors. Bluefish as well as false albacore ripped into them with abandon.

Closer to home Tommy and I took friend and fellow outdoor writer Beau Beasley out to try for some striped bass. We departed Sunset Marina in Hampton aboard Tommy's center console Grady White. The conditions weren't ideal for flyfishing. A moderate breeze and slight chop greeted us as we cleared the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, but with its high sides and ample beam the MattyJ is a great fishing platform. The Foxy Minnow again proved that it deserved a respected place in the flybox. It went fish to fish with the great Half&Half. Even the infamous "outdoor writers curse" didn't seem to affect it, although I will have to admit Beau did come in disguise (see photo above).

The MattyJ Foxy Minnow is a very easy fly to tie and even rank beginners should be able to turn out very fishable ones. The included photo instructions should get you started in the right direction. If have any questions please contact Tommy or myself.