Simple as child’s play!

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UNI Products Fly Tiers Corner

UNI PRODUCTS

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SALTWATER

November 2025

Article and photos by Craig Riendeau

In my article about fishing in the Apalachicola Bay area of Florida, my most productive fly pattern was the Split-tail Wiggler. To me this was no surprise as this pattern catches me fish wherever I fish it and for pretty much all species.

It’s the flyrod equivalent of a gear guys jig head minnow or swimbait. It can be tied in just about any color you could want and can imitate a variety of things a fish may want to eat. The tail section being made from a child’s rubber toy that floats, causes the fly to stand on its head at rest. This helps keep it snag free if you drag it along the bottom like a jig or worm. Its main attraction is its seductive swimming action. With nothing more than a simple stripping retrieve, this fly comes alive. There really is no wrong way to fish it other than to not use it. With either a floating or sinking line, anywhere in the water column this fly looks like something to eat.

There are multiple variations of this pattern. You can two-tone the tail.  You could add flash to the body or two-tone the body hackle. The weight can be made interchangeable, or you can add a weed guard to the fly. In the space available for this article, I’ll just give you the basics of making one.

Large Stretchy Noodle Yo=Yo.

1. Cut a 2 3/4-inch length tentacle off the Large Stretchy Noodle Yo-Yo toy.
2. From the round end, make a 5/8-inch split in the tentacle following the seam line on the tentacle itself. Use an Exacto knife or a utility knife for a clean cut edge. Scissors will work but don’t always give the cleanest cut.
3. If you choose to create a custom-colored body, now is the time to dip the tentacle into the Spike-It Plastic Worm Dye to achieve your desired color.
4. Apply a small amount of Super Glue to the outside of the tentacle right where your cut into it ended. Fold one end of the split back onto itself glueing about 1/8-inch of the split portion to the rest of the body. Repeat this with the other side of the split. Both sides of the split should now be facing 180 degrees from the direction they started.
5. One side at a time, slowly pull the glued section of the tentacle back towards where it originally was. You want to loosen the glue’s grip just enough, so the cut section is now at about a 45-degree angle from the rest of the body. After pulling both sections backwards, the tentacle should form a “Y” creating the split-tail. If you loosen it too much you can re-glue it and try again.
6. Lay the newly made tail section flat on the bench so that the blunt side is on the edge.
7. Heat a bodkin with a lighter or torch. Press it into the length of the tentacle so you create a ½-inch long groove, halfway through the body.
8. Put the jig hook in your vise and attach a small dumbbell eye to the bottom of the hook shank directly under the eye stem.
9. Lay a base of thread down the length of the hook shank then return the thread to just behind the dumbbell.
10. On the backside of the hook shank, apply some Super Glue to the back 1/2 inch of the shank.
11. Invert the hook in the vise so that the glued section is facing downward.
12. Take the tail section and line the melted groove up with the hook shank. Press it up onto the shank and hold it in place for a few seconds. Squeeze close the groove section above the hook shank until the glue holds and the plastic body envelopes the hook shank.
13. Attach a section of Large Krystal Hackle to the back of the hook shank just behind the dumbbell eyes. Secure it to the shank to right against the plastic body.
14. Palmer the Krystal Hackle forward for eight wraps with each wrap just touching the other.  If your spacing is a little off just wrap until tight to the back of the dumbbell.
15. Tie the thread off behind the dumbbell eye with several half hitches and you are done.

The finished product.