Meet the Little Precious: Lake Erie's Most Iconic Steelhead Fly
Along Lake Erie's southern shore, the stretch fly anglers call Steelhead Alley (from Buffalo, New York, to Toledo, Ohio), one fly has a big reputation. It isn't a complex, articulated pattern. It's a simple baitfish imitation called the Little Precious, and according to the man who created it, that simplicity is the point.
Carl Wexelman has been a fly fishing guide in Erie, Pennsylvania, for more than a quarter of a century, and the Little Precious is the first fly he ties when he shares the patterns he uses most.
"It's probably the most popular fly to come out of Erie, Pennsylvania," Wexelman says with quiet confidence. "I started tying these about 25 years ago to imitate the most prevalent baitfish in Lake Erie — the emerald shiner."
The Guide's Philosophy: Simple, Fast, Effective
The fly's design says a lot about how Wexelman ties.
"As a fly fishing guide, I want to be able to tie flies that are quick and simple with a small number of steps, but something that's going to be very effective in catching fish," Wexelman explains. "The less time I can spend at a fly tying vise, the better for me."
This isn't laziness — it's professionalism. Wexelman freely admits his love for intricate, ornate articulated streamers. But he's equally candid about their limitations in a guide's practical world. When you're fishing brushy tributaries and tight bankside cover, losing flies is inevitable. Losing a fly that took 20 minutes to construct stings in a way that losing a quick tie simply doesn't.
"Instead of losing an articulated fly up in a tree, I'm not losing like 15 or 20 minutes of my life," he says. "I like tying stuff that's quick, easy, and very effective."
That ethos permeates every element of the Little Precious — from its minimal material list to its straightforward construction sequence. It's a fly designed to be tied in volume, fished with confidence, and replaced without grief.
What You'll Need: A Refreshingly Short Materials List
One of the Little Precious's most appealing qualities is its accessibility. The materials are few, widely available, and forgiving in terms of substitution. Here's what Wexelman uses for the standard version:
Hook: Size 6 streamer hook
Bead: 1/8-inch bead, slid to the hook eye
Thread: Red — Wexelman's preference, though any color works
Belly material: White Finn raccoon, available in patches
Flash: Pearl KX, Crystal Flash, or any iridescent flash material — 10 to 12 fibers
Back/wing material: Olive Finn raccoon
Finish: Fast-drying nail polish or head cement; epoxy optional
The raccoon fur deserves special mention. Wexelman notes it used to be sold primarily in strips, similar to zonker strips, but is now more commonly found in patches, which yield significantly more flies per purchase. He sources some of his raccoon fur from Colin Nash in New York State, who custom-dyes the material in a wide range of colors, which lets Wexelman use a lot of customized colors.
On the subject of flash, Wexelman is refreshingly relaxed. Whatever you have on hand will likely do the job.
"I don't think it's absolutely necessary to mix a lot of different colors of Crystal Flash," he says. "Use whatever flash you've got laying around."
Tying the Little Precious: Step by Step
Setting Up the Hook
Begin by sliding your 1/8-inch bead onto the size 6 streamer hook and securing the hook upside down in your vise — belly up. This lets you tie the white belly first. Start your red thread just behind the bead, building a small bump of thread wraps that will keep the bead seated firmly at the front of the hook shank throughout the tying process. Bring the thread down to form a neat collar just behind the bead, then trim.
Building the White Belly
Take a small clump of white raccoon, about the amount Wexelman shows in the video, and thin it down if you think you have too much.
Here's where one of Wexelman's signature tying habits comes into play: he works with his fingers and his mouth constantly, wetting the material to clean it up and compress it. He pulls out stray underfur with moistened fingertips, gathers the clump cleanly, and wets the entire bunch before placing it on the hook. It sounds unconventional, but it works for him.
"I actually lick my fingers when I'm using materials like this," he says without apology. "I lick this — see how it brings the material together? You get a nice clean cut with your scissors."
Position the white raccoon so it extends slightly past the bend of the hook, place it along the underside of the shank, and begin binding it down with loose wraps first to confirm placement before tightening. Work the thread forward toward the bead, attempting to push some material up into the bead itself — this helps lock the bead in place and creates a clean, finished head. Take the hook out of the vise briefly and inspect it from the front: the hook point should emerge cleanly through the center of the white material.
Adding the Flash
Flip the hook over and re-secure it right-side up in the vise. Pull approximately 10 to 12 fibers of pearl flash material from the bundle, wet and compress them between your fingers for a clean cut, and trim them to a length slightly shorter than the Finn raccoon tail. Bind these fibers on top of the hook shank directly behind the bead, and use your thumb to center them on top of the shank before tightening the thread. Wexelman uses red thread here intentionally, reasoning that its color suggests the gills of a natural minnow just behind the head — a small detail that may or may not matter to the fish, but costs nothing to include.
Tying the Olive Back
The final major material is the olive Finn raccoon, which forms the dorsal surface — or back — of the fly. Take a clump approximately equal in size to the white belly material, thin it down as needed, and use the same wet-finger technique to remove underfur and clean up the bunch. The goal is a profile that closely mirrors the belly, creating a symmetrical, fishy silhouette when viewed from the side.
Position the olive material on top of the hook with the tips aligned at roughly the same length as the white tail below, then place a few light base wraps before tightening down. Rotating the vise to check both profiles — from above and from the side — at this stage helps catch any asymmetry before it's locked in. Work the thread forward in neat, tight wraps, binding the material all the way up behind the bead.
Finishing the Fly
Wexelman has never used a whip finish tool; maybe he should, he jokes, maybe he shouldn't. He finishes with a simple hand loop: passing thread over his finger, forming an overhand loop, drawing it snugly behind the bead, and repeating once or twice before trimming close. A drop of fast-drying nail polish or head cement over the thread collar seals the deal. Sometimes he epoxies the thread behind the bead.
The result is a quick, simple streamer that imitates an emerald shiner.
Fishing the Little Precious: Versatility Is the Name of the Game
The Little Precious isn't a one-trick pattern. When Wexelman fishes the beach, he mostly uses the standard olive-over-white version, which he calls a universal streamer pattern, and it's his favorite beach fly.
It works excellently in the tributaries too, and he fishes it every way: under an indicator, on the swing, or stripped.
"Fish it under an indicator, swing it, strip it — you really can't fish a Little Precious the wrong way," Wexelman says.
He also calls it a multi-species fly that imitates any type of minnow, and a lot of his friends catch plenty of inland trout on it.
Variations
Wexelman ties several versions for different conditions, depending on where he's fishing. One he shows is a creek version he calls the Creek Minnow Precious. Because Colin Nash dyes his own raccoon, Wexelman can work with a lot of customized colors. On flash, he used to mix different colors of Crystal Flash to give the body the iridescent look of a real baitfish, but he no longer thinks that's necessary.
Tying It Yourself: Final Tips from the Vise
For tiers new to the Little Precious, a few of Wexelman's habits are worth copying: thin the material if you have too much, wet it so it comes together for a clean cut, and build a small thread bump behind the bead to keep the bead up front.
"Quick, simple, easy — catches a lot of fish," Wexelman says of his creation. "It's really kind of a multi-species fly. You really can't fish a Little Precious the wrong way."
If you fish Steelhead Alley, the Little Precious deserves a spot in your streamer box. As Wexelman puts it, you really can't fish it the wrong way.
Based on a FishUSA video in which Carl Wexelman ties the Little Precious.
