The Big Three Bluegill Flies #2, the Panfish Polecat

[@MayheM_72]

My Dad was a CB radio enthusiast back in the 70s and early 80s. He worked for the telephone company as a repairman, and his CB handle was "Polecat", since he worked up on telephone poles.

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great story! And oh I remember the CB radio craze. I was a kid but I always thought truckers were the coolest.

[@jimholland1592]

🤣🤣🤣ya old polecat good morning Matt ☕️☕️, if I was home I would spin this one up for a pond I am at. These are the first picky panfish I have seen. Woke up at 36° this morning and I love it👍

[@SavageFlies]

Oh wow, fall is almost here! We had a couple days in the upper 80s this week but this morning was in the 50s. I can feel it... the leaves are changing and the waters are going to cool and we're going to have some great Maryland weather! But I'm heading up to Boston next week for work and will be trying to find a few rivers to fish in the evenings. We'll see. :-)

[@epsieblaine7968]

Pole cat what we call skunks.Hey you going to the symposium this year,hope to see you there. Ken and Linda

[@SavageFlies]

Yep, I'm probably going on Sunday only but if you're there it would be great to finally meet!

[@edherrmann182]

We always called a skunk a polecat. We have a deadman’s curve where many people met their end polecat hollow. It was named appropriately since many skunk cross the road there.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh man, that sounds like a cool name for a place Ed! If it's in the south, they'd pronounce it "Polecat Holler." Now that would be a great name for a fly pattern. :-)

[@edherrmann182]

@@SavageFlies the polecat Hollar would need some black fur. Preferably from a skunk, but other option are good too! The head and back would need a stripe. Black round rubber legs, black buck tail with some white for the tail and the head section with a white hackle and small red beady eyes from a plastic so as to keep the weight down. It would probably work since dark colors are producers. Another option would be a streamer or a large nymph. Oh the possibilities in a name- - -

[@ybarrajc]

That’s a pretty cool looking fly and I was born in South Texas and I kind of chuckled at the polecat. Have a blessed day my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! You've probably heard your share of people calling a skunk a polecat. :-)

[@jamesvatter5729]

Interesring. Never knew the origin of the term "Polecat", but have heard and used it all of my life.

[@SavageFlies]

Same here Jim! Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@MyItalians]

Morning Matt. Polecats are professional pole dancers in the west. JK. Simple fly today. As said before, simple is better most of the time. Like the tail trick.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Appreciate it Nich. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@bigdaddy99929]

Nice looking ‘polecat’. 😊 love your backstory. Thx Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Clyde! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@johnnylightning1491]

No yellow marabou? I guess it's time to hit the local fly shop, although the schlappen did work. Neat easy fly Matt. Keep the good stuff coming.

[@SavageFlies]

No kidding Dave! I thought I had everything but just discovered I'm also out of brown chenille. I need to get busy. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

I showed that fly to Yosemite Sam and he said "that's a yallar bellied polecat ya varmint!" 🦨🤣OK, that is a cool pattern. That black and yellow with those rubber legs tied on a jig would be awesome for walleye. I like the hackle "fluff" tail too, waste not want not. Well fall arrived with cold wind and rain. Maybe some frost in the Catskills and Adirondacks tonight, brrrr. Thanks Matt, this was fun 👍🤓

[@SavageFlies]

Haha! You didn't mention Foghorn Leghorn, one of my favorite of the Looney Toons. And speaking of New England, I'm heading up to Massachusetts for work next week and hope to find some fishable trout water on my nights off. I'm definitely taking the GoPro but we'll see how it goes. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies cool... literally :o) Have fun and stay safe!

[@brucehaley165]

The music was appropriate for a Hillbilly fly! :) I had been wondering how the yellow was put on below the black. Nice.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Bruce! I did have to look for some fiddling music for this one. :-)

[@jeffreystone7327]

Jed !! come a runnin. “Wellll doggies, there’s a Polecat caught in the vice”. Man I loved that show as a kid. Jethro (Max Baer Jr.) is the only one left. That is a great looking fly. Love the colors. Just a little bit different to tie. Actually looks enjoyable. Thank you Matt. Have a great weekend my friend. 👋 Y’all come back now, ya hear?

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! I still love that show Jeff! And my wife still thinks I'm crazy. All the characters are so funny. I think Granny and Mr. Drysdale might be my favorites. :-)

[@jeffreystone7327]

@@SavageFlies As I’m getting older, I sure could use some of Granny’s rheumatism medicine.

[@SavageFlies]

Haha!!

[@pc5439]

Nice fly Matt, I have always heard the term polecat, being born in L. A., Lower Arkansas, they used to be all around. Didn't hear anything about "Polecat Stew", you had to be pretty careful when you prepared the meat, one wrong slip of the knife blade and you would taint the meat, like Jed and Granny used to try and invite the Drysdale's to have supper with possum innards, leftovers always better the next day. Like always, keep your head dry and your flies wet. Good fishing my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Great story Phil! Where I grew up the people who claimed they were from LA meant Lower Alabama. :-) I can't imagine hunting or trapping skunks for meat. I guess the meat would taste like any of the big rodents or possums but still, I'd be a little scared to dress it. :-)

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Hello Matt, never heard... Nice to know about a new pattern! All the best.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@howardmceachern6614]

Just when I thing you can't come up with more original and interesting flies, you do. Great job.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Appreciate it Howard. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@crowdaddy8355]

I rarely use skunk, I usually use polecat. This looks great for bluegill. Thanks Matt for all you do for us.

[@SavageFlies]

You know Chad, you just gave me an idea. Are there any other flies with polecat in the name? I might make a streamer out of skunk hair and call it the polecat something. Or... a skunk streamer could be a cool one for Halloween in our name-the-fly holiday series. :-)

[@Donny_Juanny]

Your technique for putting the rubber legs on is GREAT! Thanks for that.

[@burtonbrocious171]

Sweet fly matt tks for sharing it

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Burt!

[@bdickinson6751]

Old westerns, Jed Clampett, Looney toons, and I've even known a few polecats in my days.

[@SavageFlies]

Someone else mentioned Looney Toons! I watched plenty of those and can't remember anybody using that word. Maybe Elmer Fudd when he was out hunting wabbits? I might have to look that up. :-)

[@bdickinson6751]

@@SavageFlies If memory serves me well, Yosemite Sam used that phrase.

[@SavageFlies]

Okay, that does make sense. :-)

[@FlyTyer1948]

Hmm. Now you have me wondering if I learned of polecat from Beverly Hillbillies. Since this fly is for panfish, the substitution of marabou for saddle hackle should work quite well. Good job.

[@SavageFlies]

I guess growing up in New England you might have. I remember distinctly my great grandpa seeing a dead skunk and calling it a polecat. I think that was the first time I'd heard it (I was probably 6-7 years old). But I'd heard it many times since. :-)

[@jamesphillips2216]

I’ve heard a skunk called a pole cat my entire life, didn’t know there was actually an animal named pole cat!! Super cool fly that can be tied in so many different color combinations!! Thanks for tips about substituting materials!! Another great video Matt!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it James! And same here- I had no idea where the term even came from until yesterday. Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, cool video this morning, The Panfish Polecat looks like a lot of fun, tying and fishing. I will definitely give this one a go in lots of different colors. Thank you Sir. Enjoy your weekend

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Edward! I figured you'd like this in those Texas ponds. :-)

[@jimgollach6202]

Love the fly Matt! I like working with chenneal, it is so easy. About the pole cat I have them in and out of my yard, I see them all the time. That's ok as long I don't smell them. Lol 😆 very common here in the south. Some are actually very pretty, just don't make them mad. Lol 😆. Tight lines.

[@SavageFlies]

Yep, they're all over the place here in Maryland too. I just don't ever seem to see them alive!

[@paulbridgers3820]

Another great looking fly, think I will tie some up.thanks for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Paul! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@kenb4685]

Great looking fly Matt. I remember the term polecat from the Beverly Hillbillies but knew nothing about what a polecat was.

[@SavageFlies]

I didn't either until looking it up yesterday! Thanks for the note Ken.

[@davehall2160]

I've heard about polecats all my life That is a interesting fly Matt, definitely going to try this one out Hope you have a great weekend Thanks for the video

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Dave! No fishing for me this weekend but I'll get out again soon enough. You have a great weekend too my friend. :-)

[@markfritch3168]

Cool panfish fly. An old fishing buddy of mine (we teasingly called him BK for book of knowledge) told us that a polecat was a certain type of skunk variegated or spotted, not the true striper type. Interesting read about Europe not having skunks. I thought they were everywhere lol. If you ever want some funny skunk stories I have some. Back awhile you tied a pattern developed by one Cliff Stringer. It was the Black Coachman. I used to collect feathers and furs for him which he sold in his fly tying business. (One of the best skunk stories)

[@SavageFlies]

Oh man Mark, I'd love to hear your skunk stories! And speaking of Cliff Stringer, if you want to see a lot of his flies, pick up a copy of the FFF Pattern Encyclopedia as he's got several patterns in it, at least a couple dozen.

[@markfritch3168]

Will have to get that. I’ll send you my stories through your email.

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

LOL! I grew up in Southern California & never considered that the Deep South but I've known about Polecats my entire life! Gonna have to tie up a bunch of these to torment the Bluegill in my local lake. (Love the themed music too!) Thanks Matt, have a great weekend!

[@SavageFlies]

Someone else said Californians knew skunks as polecats. I would have never thought that to be the case! Interesting though. I have no idea why my wife who is FROM South Carolina didn't even know the word. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

Nice fly. Thank you Sir Matt.

[@laytonmarvin3790]

I haven't heard the name Pole cat in years, lol, my dad uses that everytime a skunk was around. Crazy looking pattern and thanks for sharing

[@SavageFlies]

I think I first heard the term from my great grandpa. A real old-timer in middle Tennessee. Thanks for the note and have a great weekend!

[@Pwrcritter]

Nice backstory brother.

[@dennismutz8221]

Yes, I knew what a polecat was. Lol. Also, I use the "Marabou" from saddle hackle quit often. The fish don't seem to care either.

[@SavageFlies]

Haha! Thanks Dennis. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. ☕️with a polecat this morning. When I was growing up I often heard people refer to people who were crooked as polecats but looking back it was another way of calling someone a skunk. I haven’t heard the term used around here for years. Neat pattern. Enjoyed the video. Have a great weekend. Safe travels and hope you get some fishing in.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it John! I do hope to find some water. It might be tough... a new area, unfamiliar rivers, I'll have from about 4pm when I get off work until dark to drive somewhere and maybe get an hour or so of fishing in. But we'll see. Even just exploring will be more fun than laying around a hotel room. :-)

[@charlieboutin3341]

Thanks for the polecat lesson, we’ve said and heard it my whole life kinda like a derogatory word, and thought it was a skunk also.😂 Like the fly also. Going fishing this afternoon and might have time to tie some up. Will be swapping to the big frog patterns around dusk though, been catching some nice bass around 3-4 lbs and lost another hawg Wednesday evening.🫤 That’s fishing..maybe land one today!🤞Thanks for all your hard work making these videos Matt. Have a great weekend buddy! 👍👍🎣

[@SavageFlies]

Holy cow Charlie, if you're catching the 3-4 pounders, I'd love to see the hogs your missing! I've still got to make my frog video. I just haven't caught a fish with it yet! I want to get *something* with it, it doesn't even have to be a hog. Just something! Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@leemowers9395]

Thanks for another nice panfish pattern. Thanks for sharing Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Lee! Have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

I like this video. A Polecat was a Skunk here in Alabama. This is a Nice fly. Thanks, Matt. I like the humor and the history. For some reason, when I first started fly fishing it was for Blue Gills on the Bed, then I ventured into Bass, then trout. Now the interesting part: Any fly, bug, or popper had to be Yellow and Black with White legs the other colors never seemed to work but I never fished below the surface it was the top water strike that made me enjoy the fly rod.

[@SavageFlies]

That is interesting Jim. Some days red and white seem to be the killer colors, particularly if you're targeting largemouth. And I'm like you in that my first fly fishing adventures were for panfish, but I did always know I wanted to graduate to trout. It was just much easier to ride my bike to the local ponds. :-)

[@martyrothman3933]

I heard it in old cowboy movies

[@BIGplanetLife]

@SavageFlies Love your videos and have learned a lot from watching them. I was watching your "The Big Three Bluegill Flies" series and I can't find the #3 for this series..Sorry if I am overlooking it.

[@tonygarrett601]

I’ve been tying these for years but I have always wrapped the yellow or chartreuse and pulled the black over the top. Doing this your way gives the fish a lot different view from underneath. I keep unweighted Montana nymphs in my panfish box and they work great. It will be interesting to see how this fly will work.

[@SavageFlies]

Yes! I forgot about the Montana nymph. That's got to be a great panfish fly. And it could be fished as a dropper if you've got a big enough top fly. Thanks for the note Tony and have a great weekend!

[@richardandrews7232]

I was wondering if you had made fly #3 in this series? Love 1 & 2.

[@juwright1949]

Have you published #3 😉

[@toddslichter7831]

Thanks for sharing Matt. Even in Idaho, people call skunks polecats...their ancestors may be from the South. 🤷‍♂️ Great little pattern.

[@SavageFlies]

Haha! Probably so Todd.

[@BM-oi1wo]

Matt. Love the fly. Probably wouldn't be an Alaskan fly I'd use but nevertheless you can't focus on everywhere in the USA. But I want to say you editing is getting better all the time. Each video is getting better and better. I'm flying out to the remote camp I work out of tonight here in Alaska. I tie most of my flies there. I'm going to tie it anyways.. Keep up the good work. It's appreciated by more people than you know. Your videos are the best! Ben

[@dontdoxmebro1780]

Can’t wait to see #3. Can’t find a good recipe or example anywhere

[@JohnHernandez-mc8kk]

Haha😎 . The video ref hahaha love it

[@jeffjackson5331]

Cool

[@janahedden9407]

Kim hedden A pole cat is common term for civet cat it is a member of the skunk family it is found throughout the southern United States.

[@SavageFlies]

That's interesting to know! Thanks for the note Jane. Have a great weekend!

[@carllaski4962]

Hmmmm...I'll have to try this fly on smallmouth bass.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah Carl, I'm sure this would work for some smallmouth. :-)

[@randymorris8740]

If you changed the yellow to white then it would look like a polecat too... LOL

[@timothymarks3286]

Her in the real Northern California, pole cat is our term for skunk also.

[@SavageFlies]

That's interesting Timothy. I would have thought that to be mostly a rural and southern word for a skunk.

[@Graham-1888]

Hi Matt, that is a nice fly and would definitely work over here in olive or black. Thanks for posting 😉 did you get the email with the cased caddis? I thought you would like the deer hair one in particular.

[@SavageFlies]

Graham- wow! I'm behind in email but am looking at it now. I'll try to catch up this weekend but man, that one you tied with chopped deer hair looks amazing. And I love it with the bead at the back. Very impressive!!

[@joutdoorsmen23]

Cool fly Matt, it should’ve ben call bumble bee, not polecat lol

[@SavageFlies]

I know, right? I wonder how this thing would do with white marabou and chenille. That would definitely look more like a skunk.

[@joutdoorsmen23]

@@SavageFlies well I guess you’ll have tie one up and let us know lol

[@jeffreystone7327]

The Big 3, The Pole Cat, The Gill Getter and The Brim Fly. I can’t find the Brim Fly? Any chance of doing that one please? I found this information in an article about Tom Lentze, The Big 3 Bluegill Flies, on Google. Thank you Matt. God bless. BRIM FLY - Hook: size 10, 2X HVY / 3X LG (Mustad 9671) - Thread: UTC 70, red - Weight: 10 wraps lead wire 0.20 - Tail: Marabou, white - Body: Chenille, medium, gray - Shellback: Chenille, medium, variegated black & brown - Legs: rubber, white Note that the original patterns all had legs made of the same round, white rubber that most bluegill spiders and panfish poppers came with back in the day. Better options (IMO) have come on the market since then. On the patterns I tied above I used MFC Centipede Legs (tan/brown) for the Pole Cat and Brim Fly. On the Gill Getter I used Hareline Crazy Legs (clear/pearl flake).

[@SavageFlies]

Great note Jeff! Funny you mentioned the Brim Fly as someone else also just asked for it. I'll put it on the list for next Tuesday's video. Thanks for the reminder!

[@MrZeagans]

Hmmm couple weeks ago #1 (of top 3) bluegill fly, today #3 bluegill fly...#2🤔... Not a criticism, anticipation 😁

[@SavageFlies]

Yep! I wondered if anybody would notice that. I skipped #2 because #3 had a cooler name. And #2 was pretty close to the first one. But I'll get to it. Thanks for the note Moshe!

[@nostrilnick]

I grew up in Ohio and know what a polecat is. Of course, my mom is from Kentucky and I think that's what they called them.

[@gregleak5134]

Oh a d yes I found out first hand about a polecat and this ain't what they look like! Brahahaha!!! But it does look like it'll catch a fish

[@SavageFlies]

Haha! Have a great weekend Greg. :-)

[@Bob-ln1jh]

😮 waste so much lead and thread

[@stevenhunt933]

My grampa told me you dont get closer than a 10 ft pole . Im 68 now . My uncle had no sense of smell ... not much of any kind really , but he ran a trap line for spendin money. He'd get sprayed then come home n waller my dad around the yard when they were younger . Cackle the whole time dad said . This was prolly in the early 30s in n e ky . Thought id share 😂