FLY BOX: Bennett's Lunch Money

October 5, 2020 Larkin Wilson

IMAGE: Davis James

Intro

Like the majority of Matt Bennett’s patterns, the Lunch Money was designed with purpose and refined for perfection. While I could drone on at length about the No Kype team’s thoughts on the streamer, no one can describe this translucent titan better that its creator. Check out the following excerpt from blog post from December 2015 on The Fiberglass Manifesto’s website:

The Lunch Money was created out of need for a bite-sized baitfish streamer for the Texas Hill Country. Most of our baitfish are in the 2-3" range and due to our normally ultra-clear water, our bass can be fairly finicky, which meant it needed to both look realistic and have the right amount of movement to work correctly. The original iteration was named the 'Llano Critter' after the Llano River west of here, where it produced very well. I based the original fly off of Charlie Craven’s Gonga streamer, with a few changes. It was originally tied hook-down with larger legs, spun craft fur head, and just a tail (no wrapping for a profile transition) on a TMC 8089 #12. After coming across Laser Dub after coming up with the initial design, I incorporated that to give it a nice, translucent profile in the water with just the right amount of sheen. I also flipped the fly to ride hook up at that time, as I'd often get fish following the fly and wanted to be able to retrieve slower without hanging up on the bottom. Originally, I trimmed the head to shape but after brushing the Laser Dub back instead, I ended up with a similar shape with more water-pushing bulk. After the TMC 8089 #12 was discontinued, I moved to a Gamakatsu B10S, which has allowed me to tie it in a few more sizes and have since moved to an Ahrex NS122 for a better saltwater finish to the hook.

Matt Bennett, Fly Geek Custom Flies

IMAGE: Weekender Media

Applications

CATEGORY: Streamer

TARGET SPECIES: Bass & Trout

In our opinion, the Lunch Money is a do-it-all streamer. It can be used to target trout in the freestone rivers and tailwaters, but can also work for targeting smallmouth and largemouth bass. The Senyo's Laser Dub body moves a ton of water and behaves almost like a weed guard, keeping all those potential snags at bay when fishing areas with lots of cover. This streamer is also tied to ride hook-up, making it even easier to stay away from those pesky hang-ups when fishing it low and slow.

For me, this pattern is best used when fishing small creeks. Yes, small creeks… doesn’t everyone use streamers to fish the blue lines?

NOTE: See the brook trout in the shadows up in the top left side of the image? He’s in a prime position to ambush a baitfish and ate the tan Lunch Money.

A little sarcastic there, but seriously, fishing little streamers in skinny water can be super effective with the right timing. Trout get more territorial when they can’t spread out as much and will chase off other fish regularly.

Using an 8’ 4wt or 5wt, stand upstream of the trout you’re targeting, utilizing some sort of brush as cover. (This tactic does not work as well on bright, sunny days.) Pitch this streamer to the opposite bank, a few feet up in front of your target. Let it sink for a second, then use the current to allow it to swing in front of the trout. If they aren’t feeling the swing by itself, add in some twitches and jerks to set off those predatory instincts.

Disclaimer: This pattern is probably incredible at catching bass. Whether it’s sticking largemouths in a lake, or targeting smallies in a river, the Lunch Money likely slays on the regular. But to be honest, I’ve only ever used it to fish for trout… So if you’ve used this pattern for bass, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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About the Tyer

Matt Bennett, Umpqua Feather Merchants / Fly Geek

Matt Bennett is a full-time commercial fly tyer and the owner of Fly Geek Custom Flies. While having a varied interest in many different types of fly fishing, Matt most enjoys both tying flies and fishing for the native bass species of the Texas Hill Country. Matt's patterns have a broad universal appeal to fish species all over, and he very much enjoys sharing his tying and fishing knowledge with others. Matt has fished the waters of southwestern Colorado since he was a teenager and especially enjoys chasing native Cutthroat trout in creeks throughout the San Juans.

(via Umpqua Feather Merchants)

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Material List - Lunch Money

HOOK: Gamakatsu B10S
BEAD: Double Pupil Lead Eyes (Medium)
HEAD: Senyo’s Laser Dub
THREAD: UTC 140 or Veevus 140
TAIL: Barred Rabbit Strips
LEGS: Chicone Crusher Legs
ACCENT: Prismacolor Marker