The Quilby Minnow

The Quilby Minnow

Unusual fly From an Unusual Material

David Hutton, Mar 24, 2019

Update: Jan 2022

Straight Face Quilby

If you've been around fishing for awhile, you have probably heard that all lures are made to catch fishermen..., and some eventually catch fish.  

The latter types are the result of ideas, trial and error, and hard work by craftsmen who know fishing. 

Finding one of these that catches consistently, however, can take some searching.

I know this because I have boxes full of hooks, lures, fur and feathers.... and I've tried the lot of them in search of good, fish catching lures.
So, by now, I take with a grain of salt the claims of anglers and manufacturers that THEIR gadget or fly is the magic answer to fishing. 

But now and then, a good, fish-catching pattern emerges, one you can turn to often. 

Such is the Quilby Minnow.

The Lawyers Fly

The Quilby Minnow was created just after WWII, the brainchild of William Miles, a patent lawyer and angler from Pennsylvania.

The Quilby was available in large and small versions, both weighted for spinning, and unweighted for fly casting. 

He made the tools, and the lure, himself, in a home workshop. 
But, Fortune smiled on William, and demand exceeded his small-shop output.

He then turned over construction to The Pequa Works, Inc., of Strasburg, PA; they made more leaders and snelled hooks than anyone at the time. 
The production of William's Quilby Minnow was assured.

Mr. Miles had the design locked up for several years, and it became fairly popular in the 50's and 60's. But as often happens, the lure faded from the scene and few today have ever heard of it. 

One imagines Mr. Miles made vast riches with his Quilby Minnow, and went back to the law, and his fishing. 

I don't know if it happened that way, but I certainly hope so.

Its All In The Quill

But, it's the construction of the Quilby Minnow that is the most interesting part of this pattern. 

Because, you see, the Quilby Minnow is made from a turkey's primary wing feather quill - the, horn-like, pointy end, to be exact. 

It's an unusual material for a fly, to say the least.

Naturally, any large bird feather quill can work. So, if you have a supply of ostrich quills, for example, you should be good to go. Goose quills are another good substitute.
All that is needed is they be of adequate length and girth to do the job.

These quill ends are not usually given much thought among fly tyers, although flies tied from them have been around for some time... I've seen them in old books that predate Mr. Miles's fly.
And I'm pretty sure they inspired him to start making his own Quilby Minnows.
But for the most part, your average fly tyer is unlikely to see the quills as fly material. Most often, he tosses the quills in the waste bin.

However, they are really just a hollow tube, and that's a useful thing.
They are hard as horn, too, made of a similar material.
So they can be knocked around without much worry. 

It is these qualities - hollow and tough -  that we take advantage of in the Quilby Minnow.

What we do is plug them, to trap air inside and this make an almost bullet-proof floating lure. 
Think of it as a turkey quill popper, if you will.

Construction details

1. First, select a quill to match the length of your hook.

I use cricket hooks for this, aka, Carlisle hooks.  I just cut the quill to match the hook length.
But, most any long-ish hook might work.
Longer hooks yield a fly like a pencil popper; shorter ones give you a small, froggy-like bug.

2. The rear end of the hook is tied up with a tail of hair, or feather. 
I prefer to dress the hook once it is secured in the quill, as a final step in construction.

3. A hole is poked into the pointy end of the clean quill with a needle, and the hooks eye inserted. 

The hook is pushed all the way forward so the eye comes out the open front.

Some super glue holds it in place.

4. Once the hook is cemented inside the quill, you might stuff the translucent body's interior with sparkly Mylar, colored chenille, wool - what have you. 

This gives it some color, and makes it "pop." 

My favorite thing to fill the quill with is colored craft foam. I just stuff it in, all the way to the top, giving the fly extra flotation. You can see this in my lead photo. 

5. Once the body is filled with whatever you want, you cap it's open end. 

I use the craft foam as a plug, then add more super glue to seal it. Some head cement or a light dressing of epoxy finishes it off. 

I've also made them hollow, and used dimensional fabric paint to plug the thing, which works quite well.

6. Decorating is endless.
The head can be painted red, with a white body - a classic pattern like the originals.
I imagine you could embellish it with nail polish or enamels.
Eyes can be added, as I've done here. 

Really, just about any decorating you think would help is possible. 

Angle The Face

The original Quilby Minnow had its face cut at an angle to give it a darting action in the water. I didn't do that on this one, but I recommend it. 

Just use a VERY sharp X-Acto blade or micro-saw to make the cut, before you glue in the hook and start "stuffing" the body. 

Fishing The Quilby

The Quilby Minnow, as I use it, is a surface, to near-surface, fly. I think of it as popping slider. 

I twitch it on the surface, in small movements. 
I let it sit. 
Once in a while I give it a hard strip, and move it a foot or so. As with most flies of this type, you vary the retrieve until you find what the fish like. 

Usually its a combination of movements.

With most of the flotation forward, it tends to hang tail down, which is a good thing, too. 

Once moving, it will submerge slightly and fish just below the surface film. 
Then, when you stop it, the fly will rise back to the surface.

I suppose you could also add a little weight to the leader and submerge it, so it will fish like a streamer.

Its quill body is shiny, a bit iridescent, and juicy looking. 

I tie it on with a no-slip loop knot, so it almost fishes itself as I twitch it. 

If you cut the head at an angle, it gets a darting action, something like the popular Spook lures. 

Bass On Boot

Notes

Its a little challenging to make a Quilby, as you first need to source the unique material for the body.

It is maybe a little fiddly, since feather quills aren't all that big, and it ends up as much a craft project as fly tying.

But the end result is gratifying, as it looks, well, "fishy."

It is also tough and can take a lot of punishment. 
For example, I have a Quilby Minnow from a chartreuse-dyed quill that has been in my stash for at least 2 seasons. Its one of the hollow ones I plugged with fabric paint. 
I refurbish the dressing once in a while, make sure it is solid....and back into use it goes.

The Quilby is kinda old-fashioned. But the target of our efforts, the fish, they don't know that.

They take it readily, if they will take any surface fly at all.

Which is really the point after all, isn't it?

So while the Quilby Minnow definitely attracts the angler, it also has the desirable quality of catching fish.
And that's worth giving it a go.

The Quilby Minnow

Hook - Long shank light wire... mine is a #6

Body  - Clean and dry turkey (or goose) primary wing-feather quill tip

Stuffing - any mix of materials, but I prefer craft foam.

I hope you liked this, that you learned something, and that you’ll share it with your friends.

Thanks and Tight Lines,

David

Palmetto Fly n Fish

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