A guide once told me, "Ain't nothin' like the real thang, baby." Well, I know he's right about that but we can still fool a lot of fish using fly patterns like the one above. I've been tying up a number of simple variations aimed at imitating those oily little baitfish like bunker, LY, or small menhaden. These are a favorite meal for many saltwater species and they catch just about anything that swims.
In my experience, there is no better live bait than an LY free lined on the edge of a channel or bayou. They usually produce strikes within 10-20 seconds of hitting the water when you're on fish. If not, then chances are pretty good you aren't where the fish are. I'm hoping fly imitations like this one will produce fish, although it will be important to use a sinking line in deeper water.
The recipe for the simple fly above:
- Gamakatsu SL-12S in sizes 2 - 2/0
- White Enrico Puglisi EP Fibers tied in a sparse patch on top and bottom of shank then flared and trimmed to shape
- Flash of choice
- Sharpie Permanent Markers for custom color
- Holographic or Jurassic Decal Eyes
- Clear Cure Goo or Epoxy to secure head and eyes
Great pattern. White can be a huge attraction to big predator fish in both salt and fresh water. Good write up on this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Matt. I have a lot more patterns I'd like to post but I'm trying to save my really good stuff for issue #4 of the magazine.
ReplyDeleteI fish a lot of peanut flies in the fall, and that one looks great. You will have no problem getting an angry sea creature to unload on it. thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDelete