modern Michigan wet fly · by 2022
Feenstra's Code Breaker
Also called Codebreaker, Code Breaker Shiner
Likely origin Anchored Outdoors (with Feenstra tying) and Nomad Anglers both credit Feenstra; no date or place of first use is given.
History
Kevin Feenstra designed the Code Breaker as a swung shiner imitation; it can also pass for a chub or for spring steelhead fry. He teaches it in a video for April Vokey's Anchored Outdoors, which pitches it for both steelhead and smallmouth.
Nomad Anglers published it in 2022 as Feenstra's Code Breaker shiner, with a lighter body color for low, clear water.
Materials
| Hook | Shank with a trailer hook (size 4 octopus), or a size 10 Daiichi 2461 on a short shank |
|---|---|
| Thread | To match |
| Eyes | Bead chain |
| Tail | Grey-olive craft fur |
| Body | Yellow Ice Dub (with a touch of shrimp-pink) |
| Shoulders / collar | Large mallard flank or other spey hackle |
| Wing | Blue ripple ice fiber and Kreelex |
| Flash | Pearl and blue flash, plus lateral-scale strands |
| Head | Ice Dub over the bead chain |
Tying video
Kevin Feenstra Teaches the Code Breaker by Anchored with April Vokey
Sources
- "How to Tie Kevin Feenstra's Code Breaker Fly for Steelhead and Smallmouth." Anchored Outdoors, September 7, 2025.
- "Kevin Feenstra's Code Breaker Swing Fly." Nomad Anglers, March 12, 2022.
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No photo yet. Every photo on michfly is of a fly tied for the site, so they're added a few at a time.
Original recipe cards for many Michigan patterns are kept at the Michigan Dry Flies archive, built by the late Tom Deschaine.