“I worked in a fly shop in Minnesota for a bunch of years. I fished for and guided for smallmouth bass on the Mississippi River a lot back then. Most of the fishing was done with poppers, but when the fish weren't coming up you needed something to get in their face. A standard issue Clouser Minnow never really cut it for me, but I liked the Half-and -Half variation, and my versions of this were first tied with bucktail, then Finn Raccoon, then some kind of kinky fiber. When "Extra Select Craft Fur" came out it really brought the pattern together.
One year I submitted this pattern along with my cork poppers and a devious crayfish fly. I guess that the Stay Hungry Streamers looked so good that they overshadowed my other flies. Besides the color patterns in the Umpqua catalog I also tie this in chub, sculpin, and black/blue. One day while listening to "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen, the line "You say you gotta stay hungry? Hey baby, I'm just about starvin' tonight!" stuck with me, I thought how "Stay Hungry" would be a good name for a fly. I honestly don't remember if I had the name or the fly first. Stay Hungry Streamers have proven to be effective for all predatory fish--besides smallmouth I have used them successfully for stream trout and snook.”
– Signature Tyer Chris Hansen
