Jonny King's Kinky Backcountry

Big fish like little fish, and soon after the original Kinky Muddler started making the rounds and netting some monsters, those same big fish told us they needed a trimmer, smaller version as well. This pattern is a stealthy, neutrally buoyant baitfish imitation that mimics the profile of small and midsized baits. It sports a water-pushing head that makes its tail wiggle just like a real baitfish, and it calls tarpon, snook, and reds out from the mangroves. Largemouth bass love to ambush it as it hovers near lily pads, and it’s also a killer baitfish imitation in clear water flats and bays, when you need something subtle that can be inched and scooted along in shallow water for stripers and blues. And yet, despite its backcountry pedigree, raging albies and small tuna in the rips also love to hammer it, because it swims so naturally.