Way back in 2009 I was headed up to the Quetico provincial park in Ontario for a early season Northern Pike trip with some friends. I had canoed the park many times in my youth but never fished it with a fly rod so I was very excited to see how I would fare compared to conventional tackle. In doing some research for various pike flies to tie in preparation for the trip I ran across the Blanton’s Whistler. I think it is now referred to as the Flashtail Whistler or the Blanton’s Flashtail Whistler. Back then it was the Blanton’s Whistler and I thought it would make great Northern Pike fly as well as it was a fairly simple pattern to tie. So I tied about a dozen on some size 2/0 hooks and took them to pike country. Needless to say, they did not disappoint. The trip was the first week in May and the outfitter could not even guarantee the ice was out of the location we were going. Luck for us it was and the next seven days were some amazing fishing. That time of year the big pike are still in the shallows due to spawning season. The Whistler, even with it’s lead wraps, does not sink that far but it would go down to about 6 to 12 inches and dart all over the place when retrieved. 
The Northern Pike loved it. However, I also discovered the Smallmouth Bass loved it. Because pike and bass are not [generally] leader shy I would fish a short 3 foot 30lb leader with a 12″ wire bite tippet and a snap swivel on the end. The snap made it easy to change flies and the wire kept the pike from cutting my leader. This rig worked great. However, if I removed the fly and leader rig from the loop on the end of my fly line and added about 6 feet of some T-11 (tungsten leader) and then replaced my rig I could get the fly down to 8 – 10 feet and pick up four and five pound Smallies. Needless to say, I tied a couple of boxes of flies that winter in preparation for the trip and only needed ONE. Plus, I only lost a couple flies the entire trip!
The Blanton’s Whistler is a pretty straight forward fly to tie. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, go read the original article Don Blanton wrote about the Flashtail Whistler. I mention ‘Flashtail’ because the original Whistler did not have any flash. When he started adding the flash to the fly it was a major improvement. From then on he called it the ‘Flashtail Whistler’. Anyway, click here to ready his article, it will give you some background and there is a link to some step by step instructions he did on tying the fly. My version deviates just a little but for all intent and purpose is just as good. The other item to remember is the fly is tied on the front half of the hook shank. I explain this in the video but it is worth mentioning here. Most people will start to tie the tail in at the end of the hook shank and then build forward. 
The resulting body ends up being too long. Otherwise, the fly is pretty simple. The video shows a couple tips on tying the lateral hackles that might help with feathers twisting. Keep in mind that just because this is tied on a large hook does not mean that you can not go down to say a #4 or #6 and shorten up the fly for a nice 1 to 2 inch baitfish fly. But, if you are headed anywhere this next fishing season where there are big Pike, Musky, Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass I would take along a couple Blanton’s [Flashtail] Whistler with you! Hope you like it.
| Hook: | Mustad C52S, #4/0 – #4 |
| Thread: | Wapsi UTC Ultra Thread 70 Denier Red |
| Tail: | Bucktail, White, Pearl Flash Accent, Holographic Silver Flashabou, Grizzly Rooster Saddle Hackle |
| Body: | Medium Chenille, Red |
| Collar: | Schlappen or Rooster Saddle Hackle, Red |
| Head/Weight: | Silver Beadchain eyes, Large & 10 – 12 wraps of .030 Lead |
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If you would like to purchase some Blanton Whistler streamers there are a number for sale (while supplies last).
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As always, if you have any questions about this fly (or any other) you can leave a comment on Dressed Irons or any of the videos I have produced and I will help in anyway I can. Enjoy!
Remember….. It’s Fly tying….. If you’re not having fun, You’re Doin’ It Wrong.