I’ve fly fished in many places around the world, from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, and I love it all. But when it comes to my favorite place to fly fish, it would be, hands down, the Everglades.

It’s not just about the snook, the redfish, and all the other wonderful fish that live there. It’s also about the wading birds, the beautiful shallow flats with the fluctuating tides, the red mangrove trees along most of the shorelines, the other menagerie of trees, plants, and flowers, and so much more. I love that world. I love brackish water—I feel it runs through my veins.

It’s no coincidence that today I live about 90 minutes from the Everglades—and go as often as I can.

After spending so much time in that world through the years, I have accumulated a large collection of brackish water flies. And I’m often experimenting with some new fly in an effort to learn more. To me that is very exciting.

But as much as I love trying different flies, the truth is that I only use a handful most of the time. And these favorite flies were not chosen just because fish like to eat them; other conditions requiring certain qualities are even more important.

A fly that is lighter and or more aerodynamic, for example, is usually easier to cast, which makes it easier to make accurate casts to tailing fish or long casts when necessary. 

Trout on Chernobyl Crab

Certain areas in the southern part of the Everglades, like Flamingo, often have a lot of floating grass. In those conditions, a fly with a weed guard is of the essence. When fishing a shoreline, a weedless fly also does not get caught as often on branches when we miss. You just slowly retrieve your fly, jumping it from branch to branch, and then softly drop it on the water. It works quite often. So even in areas that do not have as much problem with floating grass, such as Chokoloskee in the north, I still use weed guards. Actually, most of my brackish water flies have weed guards. And if I encounter situations in which I don’t want the weed- guard, I just cut it off.

Muddy waters reduce a fish’s visibility to see prey (or a fly), so it’s important to use a fly that the fish can see or feel. For fish to see it better, a dark color or black fly can make a big difference. To help the fish feel it, a bulky fly that pushes water as it’s retrieved is easier for a fish to sense through its lateral line. A bulky black fly is a great choice in muddy waters. I like to add a bit of flash to these dark flies, preferably in gold, purple, and green, saving silver flash for light-colored fish patterns.

Often when fishing shorelines, you’ll get 99 percent of the strikes within a short distance from the edge. You want to retrieve slowly for the fly to stay in the hot zone as long as possible. The fly I often prefer here is one that breathes and wiggles at the slightest movement from your stripping hand or rod tip. And while there are several materials that will accomplish this very well, my preference usually is marabou. 

As a rule, the snook and redfish run bigger in the northern portion of the Everglades than in the southern portion. For southern areas such as Flamingo, my flies run about 3 inches or smaller—unless I’m blind casting in off-color water, when I’ll go with a bigger fly. Up north, my flies run from 3.75 to more than 4 inches.

These scenarios, however, are generalizations; there are always exceptions. But these rules work well for me—not only in the Glades, but also in similar conditions further north in Florida, and anywhere else redfish live.

Marabou Madness

For a long time, I had an idea for tying an all-marabou Sea-Ducer. Then, while working on my redfish book around 2011, I finally put a No. 1 hook in the vise and started to tie one. After a few weeks of trial and error, I had a fly I liked. The tail was a whole marabou feather, stem and all, with a bit of flash. The head was marabou feathers wrapped around the shank.

In the water, the fly breathes—even standing still. Indeed, I’ve taken many fish that ate the fly when I wasn’t moving it. When stripping it straight, with no action, it’s alive as it moves. And when working a shoreline, I can keep the fly breathing, wiggling, acting alive, while moving it very slowly, thus staying in the zone close to the mangrove roots longer than with many other flies.

For a while, I only fished it in all black, and caught all the gamefish in the Glades. I loved it. Then I went to other colors, like white with a red head, all chartreuse, and more. The black pattern now has a purple hackle. Another great color combo has been all tan with a pink hackle. Last year, fishing with Captain Steve Huff, I sight casted and landed a 20-pound snook with that color. I had tears in my eyes when I held him for Steve to take a photo. I was that excited.

Today, my friend Chris Dean ties them for me—from small ones just over 2.5 inches on a No. 2 hook to more than 4 inches on 1/0 hook. He ties them in a variety of colors, mostly with a bead chain, but sometimes with lead eyes. The small sizes are also great for baby tarpon. The Marabou Madness is my favorite fly for the Everglades.

Borski’s Chernobyl Crab

For many years I have been using Borski’s Chernobyl Crab to fish the Glades. The deer belly hair on the head does two things that I love: It lands quite softly on the water—in spite of the fact that I use large bead chain on this pattern—and the deer hair pushes water that the fish can feel as you retrieve the fly. It was designed to ride inverted, with the point of the hook up. And using mono for a weed guard is perfect for an inverted fly. For me, the fly imitates a shrimp hopping. I don’t know what redfish think it is, but they love it. I use the fly in all tan or all orange, which is my favorite. If you want to fish the fly deeper, it works great with lead eyes. There are always a few Chernobyl flies in one of my Everglades fly boxes.

Puglisi baitfish patterns

I’ve used these patterns to catch fish in fresh water, brackish water, and blue water—from black bass to snook to blackfin tuna. As you retrieve it, the combination of a great translucent silhouette and the large eyes makes it look very realistic. In the Everglades I use the white body with a green or brown back when the water is very clear, and the purple and black pattern in muddy or low-visibility water. The sizes I use most are from 2.5 inches to 4 inches. In areas where the water is very clear and the snook and baby tarpon are spooky, I generally pull out a small Puglisi baitfish pattern in white with a green or tan back, and use a 12-foot leader and a 6-weight clear floating fly line. This combo is deadly in those conditions.

Clouser Minnow

Designed by Bob Clouser, this fly can do almost anything, but I generally use the fly when I want it to go down. It is great with big bead-chain eyes. And if I need to go deeper, I use lead eyes. I also use this fly when fishing a sinking line. The classic pattern was tied with bucktail in white and chartreuse, and I like it just fine that way. It’s an excellent imitation of a minnow and many other juvenile fish. In the Everglades I use a Clouser to fish deep shorelines, potholes, and the mouths of creeks and rivers— often with a sinking fly line. Bouncing the heavy Clouser on the sandy bottom of beaches can be deadly.

The Sea-Ducer (and his cousin the Crystal Shrimp)

The hackle body and tail of a Sea-Ducer are constantly moving and breathing, whether you retrieve it or let it sit still for a second or two. The bulk of the hackle pushes water when retrieved, helping attract predators when they feel its presence. The fly is always seducing, always working for you. I’ve caught big snook in the Glades and big dolphin in the ocean with it. 

Around 1995 or so, my son Stephen, who tied lots of my flies until he went to college, came up with a variation of the Sea-Ducer that I ended up calling the Crystal Shrimp. He wrapped heavy cactus chenille on the shank of the hook before wrapping the feathers. The result was a fly that has a bulkier body to push water and more flash on the head. It also sinks a bit faster. The fly has produced lots of fish when you need the fly to sink more in the flats but you don’t want it to sink head first.

Dave Denkert Shrimp

Dave’s Little Tan Shrimp

Every time I go fishing with Captain Dave Denkert, this little tan fly is on at least one of his fly rods. Dave says he and his clients have caught every gamefish in the Glades with it, and it’s mostly what he uses. I’ve caught many fish myself. You watch it moving through the water, and it’s a very good imitation of a small shrimp.

The fly is small, with a No. 4 hook, all tan with painted bars and a little bead chain. It weighs nothing, and it’s very aerodynamic, so it’s easy to cast, even with your lightest rods. It’s perfect for tailing fish in shallow water. And yes, it’s very simple, but sometimes those are the best flies.

Hot Lips Snook Fly

Hot Lips

Nothing is more exciting to a fly fisher than the surface strike on a loud popper. But when fishing the flats, and especially in clear water, a popper would scare fish right and left. It’s too loud. And even if you retrieve it slowly, it still scares fish. It doesn’t belong there. But don’t despair; there is a great fly for those conditions.

The Hot Lips, created by Captain Steve Huff, is such a fly. Made with feathers and bucktail for a tail, and a foam body, this fly lands softly on the water, so it doesn’t spook fish as heavier surface flies often do. And it’s not hard to cast. 

When retrieved, the little mouth up front makes just the right amount of noise. It’s like a shrimp on the surface. When a fish takes it, the soft foam feels more realistic than most flies. It’s chewable. I find fish keep it in their mouths much longer than a popper, so you have a better chance of hooking up. The Hot Lips is also quite durable. I’ve caught many snook, baby tarpon, and redfish with the same fly. And after a good rinse with fresh water, the fly is still in my fly box waiting to fish again.

Just remember to use monofilament leader and especially mono bite tippets with this pattern. Fluorocarbon, with a much higher density than mono, will pull the surface fly down and ruin the action.

Snook on Hot Lips fly

Worm Hatch – Northeast – Striped Bass

Tarpon Cockroach – One of the Best Tarpon Flies of All-Time

10 must have flies for saltwater fly fishing

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The post Go-to Flies for the Everglades by Chico Fernandez first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Go-to Flies for the Everglades by Chico Fernandez appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

From the Ten Year Anniversary Issue of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine: Ten Flies We should always have.

by Joseph Ballarini

Tail Fly Fishing Magazine’s ten-year anniversary calls for something more extensive than a tutorial or pictures of destination boxes. So I’ve made a list of ten flies for ten years, and these selections should always be inside your fly box.

I’ve fished a lot of flies over the years, and I’ve also gained insight from thousands of anglers, hundreds of guides, and dozens of lodge owners. Over the last decade of publishing this magazine, I’ve pooled that information into an extensive meta analysis of fly success. Is it absolute? No. It’s simply a salty fly guy sharing ten years of his observations—and the observations and experiences of others—to try to make everyone’s fishing better.

I’m sure this list will generate debate and maybe a few arguments; I argued with myself while compiling it. I considered dozens of other flies. I didn’t include the EP Spawning Shrimp, Deceiver, Half and Half, Slider, M.O.E., Strong Arm Crab, or Aflexo. Nor did the Chernobyl Crab or Borski Slider make the cut—despite the fact Tim Borski was a major influence on my early fly tying.

You’ll likely have strong opinions about your own favorite producers, and we’d like to hear about it. Send us an email or letter, or follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to weigh in on our digital platforms.

EP Peanut Butter

White EP Peanut Butter

If you aren’t familiar with Enrico Puglisi’s Peanut Butter, you either haven’t been fly fishing long or you’re not paying attention. It’s probably one of the most common baitfish patterns in use, sold by almost every fly shop, and has a profile that catches fish in both fresh and salt water. It’s lightweight and easy to cast, swims well, and can be tied in any color combination. I’ve used it to catch striped bass, peacock bass, bluefish, mahi-mahi, marlin, tarpon, redfish, and snook, as well as various shark and trevally species. Solid white is the most versatile, fished as is, or colored with Sharpies to mimic local prey. Other favorite colors are black and purple, and the white belly with blue, green, or tan on top.

Pop’s Bonefish Bitter’s

Pop’s Bonefish Bitters

Pop’s Bitters is a time-tested and proven flats fly. It’s a little crabby and a little shrimpy, which is why both bonefish and permit like it. It’s a great pattern for Turneffe in Belize and is comparable to the crab named after the atoll. They’re similar—both have a small tuft of deer hair, a design element that usually makes them land hook up—but one slight difference gives the edge to the Bitters—the little bead of epoxy on the body/head gives the fly additional weight, more effectively getting it to the bottom. The Bitters also lands slightly softer, and I like the way it wobbles as it makes little sand puffs with each bounce. You can take permit, bones, and even redfish on it, and it’s also great for triggerfish and sheepshead.

Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp

Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp

I interviewed the late Bob Veverka about nine years ago and asked him about his most widely known fly; his answer kind of surprised me. I’m paraphrasing, but he basically said that he didn’t like tying a bunch of shrimp variations and just wanted one that would work everywhere. He also laughed and said it was just luck. Anyone who has ever fished for bonefish has probably used his Mantis. It’s usually the first fly that a guide will select from your box. Permit eat it, too. I’ve taken bonefish on three continents with it, and it’s usually the first fly that I’ll try on flats in new destinations. I’ve caught fish with it in Indonesia, Maldives, and Australia—on unknown flats, without a guide. Ververka’s shrimp is lightweight, lands softly, and fish go crazy for the front-focused rubber legs. My favorite variation is the “ghost” version, a very light tan with light barring.

The raghead crab

Raghead Crab

I hate crab flies. I tie them because they’re necessary, and because managing editor Trey Reid almost exclusively fishes them for permit. The Raghead edged out the Chernobyl Crab and the Merkin mainly because it’s so popular in Belize and Mexico. If you show up without a selection of Ragheads in your box, your guide won’t be happy. The Raghead gets the edge based on its natural materials, including marabou, which makes everything better. You can’t effectively strip crabs—the reason for my disdain—so the fly has to move when it’s stationary. But even when it’s static, the Raghead’s puffy marabou tail (the head of the crab but the tail of the fly) sways and undulates, which is likely why they’re the most common selection—and one of the biggest producers—for Caribbean permit.

Chico’s Marabou Madness

Marabou Madness

Speaking of marabou, Chico Fernandez’s Marabou Madness is another incredibly versatile pattern. It’s a simple fly made entirely of marabou with a couple of strands of gold flash. It’s the marabou version of the Clouser Minnow and EP Peanut Butter—versatile, productive, easy to tie and cast. It undulates in the water when stationary and will take tarpon, snook, and tripletail. I’ve also used a tan version to hook bonefish and a blue-and-white version for trevally, but my go-to colors are black and purple. I’ve always assumed the flash added detail, so while recently fishing with Chico, who was throwing a Madness for snook at Ascension Bay, I asked him about it. “I just like it,” he said, looking over his shoulder from the bow and grinning widely. “It serves no real purpose.” Then he turned around and made another cast.

The Clouser Minnow

Clouser Minnow

My home state of Pennsylvania has made many iconic contributions to culture. One area in central PA has given us Hershey Bars, York Peppermint Patties, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels … and Bob Clouser. The Clouser Minnow is the undisputed heavyweight champion of flies. It’s arguably the most productive fly in history and can be used successfully on almost every species. Not having Clousers in your box is like not having line on your reel. Enough said.

the Gurgler

Gartside Gurgler

The Gartside Gurgler, developed by Jack Gartside in 1988 for striped bass in Massachusetts, is the quintessential topwater fly. According to legend, Gartside’s original intent was creating a variation of a grasshopper or beetle fly for trout. But its effectiveness on striped bass couldn’t be ignored, and although it’s still useful for many freshwater species, its versatility has made it an integral part of the saltwater fly arsenal. Unlike a popper, the slow-strip retrieve often employed with the Gurgler can mimic shrimp, squid, baitfish, and worms. It can be tied in varying sizes and colors, and varying the tail’s length changes its appearance and action for different presentations. I tie it with a marabou tail, exaggerate the big fold of foam body, and minimize the lip at the hook eye for smoother movement.

Gary Merriman’s Tarpon Toad

Tarpon Toad

Gary Merriman’s Tarpon Toad is the fly that led Andy Mill to five Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament wins, cementing his legend in tarpon fly fishing. He still uses them today, and so do a lot of other people. The Toad has taken more tarpon in more places than any tarpon fly in my box. It originally was tied with a bunny strip, but that can get heavy to cast and land hard when wet. Today, both Merriman and Mill prefer the marabou tail, although the rabbit strip is still common, and most commercially produced Toads use the bunny strip. It catches fish everywhere: open water, mangroves, stained water, clear water. It can be tied in various color combinations to mimic shrimp, baitfish, worms, juvenile squid, and jellyfish.

Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp

Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp

This is one of my all-time favorite flies and a terrific example of how natural materials and inherent movement can create magic. It’s one of three flies that I use in unexplored or unknown destinations. It’s also my favorite shrimp pattern to tie (and the front half of my own Evolution Shrimp). Design is the key to this producer. The action comes mostly from the front portion, enhanced by the natural movement of the fur used for the top of the body. Like many flies on this list, it moves even when stationary. It’s great for bonefish and permit, but I also tie it on big long-shank hooks in lighter colors to use for striped bass and redfish—and for winter tarpon during shrimp runs.  With bead chain or other lighter weights, its buoyant materials make it an intermediate fly that sits in the middle of the water column. I use foxtail for both the egg sac and tail, and either foxtail or rabbit for the body.

Waldner’s Spoon Fly

Spoon Fly

In my youth I used a conventional lure called a Kastmaster—a silver oblong ellipse, polished on both sides, with a trailing treble hook. It came in numerous sizes, and fancy versions came with a small clump of white bucktail on the treble. We used them like jerkbaits, reeling it both fast and slow, and something always tried to eat it. The Spoon fly, in my opinion, is the Kastmaster of the fly world. It sinks, it wobbles, and it does everything possible to get a fish’s attention. It’s a go-to fly for redfish along the Gulf Coast, but it’s also effective for northern species like striped bass and bluefish—as well as ambush predators like snook and jacks. The wobble mimics a wounded baitfish when stripped fast and erratically, and it looks crabby when stripped slow.
The Spoon is what I reach for when they aren’t eating anything else, regardless of location or species.

Tying Drew Chicone’s Contraband Crab

Characteristics of a Great Bonefish Fly

The Evolution Shrimp Fly

Go-to Flies for the Everglades by Chico Fernandez

The post 10 must have flies for saltwater fly fishing first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post 10 must have flies for saltwater fly fishing appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

Material list:

Hook: AHREX NS 122 Light Stinger  or NS 172 Curved Gammarus.

Thread: UNI 8/0 o Veevus 8/0

Weight: bead chains

Antennas: 0X  monofilament

Rostrum: Rabbit hair

Eyes: Monofilament or similar

Claws and legs:  ultra chenille

Shell: Hard plastic material curved

——————————————

Step 1 : Tie in pair of bead chain eyes.

Step 2: Tie in a second pair of bead chain eyes.

Step 3:  Attach two pieces of monofilament as antennas, and paint it with permanent marker of brown color with black dots. This step can be skipped if you don’t want antennas.

Step 4: Tie in a small tuft of tan colored rabbit hair.

Step 5 :Make two monofilament eyes, burning the tip with a lighter.

Step 6: Cut off excess monofilament and secure with thread wraps.

Step 7: With a piece of Ultra Chenille build the claws, for this we only have to take the Chenille and make a simple knot, then we cut the desired length. Then, carefully burn the tips with a lighter.

Step 8:  Prepare a little quick-drying epoxy glue ( I use Poxipol because it has the ability to remain in place because of its consistency).

Step 9: With the same Vernille or Ultra Chenille of tan color, prepare the legs, cutting six small pieces and burning a tip of each piece with the lighter.

Step 10: Put glue on the bottom of the hook.

Step 11:  Add the shell- a small piece of semi-curvoid plastic that shaped with scissors. I use plastic spangles that are available in craft houses.

Step 12: Once the glue is dry and the parts are affixed, paint the shell and the top parts of the claws and paws.

Step 13: On the bottom,  paint the glue with some glaze or lacquer with glitter.

Materials used, Lacquers and permanent markers used to color the imitation.

Tarpon Cockroach – One of the Best Tarpon Flies of All-Time

The Evolution Shrimp Fly

Characteristics of a Great Bonefish Fly

Go-to Flies for the Everglades by Chico Fernandez

The post Ruben Martin’s Epoxy Crab: Permit Fly first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Ruben Martin’s Epoxy Crab: Permit Fly appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The Bauer Crab is a fly box staple since the 1970s. Its iconic, knotted square rubber legs allow the segment below the knot to be positioned in a rearward-facing direction giving this pattern a very realistic silhouette. When purchasing this pattern from your local fly shop, you will find that the cheap (usually dull) hook is bent to create a larger hook-gape. This weakens the integrity of the hook—not to mention altering its effectiveness. If the eyes are inserted into the wool with too much glue, the wool fibers wick the glue and stiffen as the glue cures, leaving you with a great looking “teaser” with insufficient gape.

The Scotch-Brite pattern is my variation on the Raghead Crab. I did not like the flat, unrealistic look of felt, so I searched for years to replace the material with something that was thicker, more durable and also provided a more mottled look. After a little experimentation, I found that Scotch-Brite pads can be stamped to shape and cut in half to sandwich the hook. This provided the look I was after. But the feather claws were on the rear of the fly, not the front, and the splayed round rubber legs shooting in every direction looked like a spider that was smacked with a flip-flop. Although the round rubber legs were excellent for movement, they were not durable. And they were terrible for holding the color applied with a permanent marker. After being exposed to salt water for a few hours, the color either faded away or smeared everywhere. 

The McFly Foam Crab was my fix to the majority of these issues. Yet I ran into some new problems when I tried to scale the pattern down to extremely small sizes. The pattern utilizes a Mustad C68SNP-DT, which is perfect if you are looking for a nickel-sized crab, but this hook was not as effective for matching dime-size crabs or smaller due to the wire thickness in the smaller-sized hooks. 

As a commercial fly tier, you can gather a lot of info from the orders that you get based on the location or species the anglers intend to fish. Each year it seems that the flies for all species (especially tarpon and permit) get smaller and smaller as these fish become more pressured and in turn more wary. Matching custom requests is typically not a problem. However, some materials are simply not scalable or available in smaller sizes or colors. With materials such as McFly Foam, using less to create a smaller fly does not respond the same as the original recipe—so you risk losing the realistic look or the functionality for which you picked the material in the first place. As the hook size decreases, so does the hook gape, wire and strength, which becomes a huge issue, especially when it comes to crab patterns for plus-sized permit. The obvious fix would be to go to a larger or wider-gape hook. But this is no improvement if the fly doesn’t look natural and the fish refuse it. 

In order for your fly to mimic the intended prey, it must sink at the same speed as a natural. A fly that moves too slowly or too quickly through the water column is a red flag to permit. A refusal usually follows.

Permit have huge eyes for acute vision. They often follow a fly and examine it as it is stripped all the way back to the boat. In the past, I have talked about the idea of black hooks having a tendency to silhouette over white sand and become potentially more visible in clear water. However, over the last few years this hypothesis is believed by many—including me—to be untrue. Larger fish or fish that experience a lot of pressure seem to be more spooked by the glint from a silver hook. Now I tend to tie with both black and silver hooks to hedge for any situation.

When choosing crab patterns to fill your box, I like patterns that can be easily modified on the water and fished effectively anywhere.   The materials utilized in the Contraband Crab pattern all hold color well and can be easily modified markers to mimic a unique prey’s colorations that you may encounter on the water.

Materials

Hook: Black Gamakatsu L11s-3H, size 6

Thread: Olive Danville 210 denier Flat Waxed Nylon

Eyes: 5/32nd black nickel brass dumbbell; large black EP Shrimp & Crab Eyes

Legs: Large gray square rubber

Claws: Olive Micro Chenille

Body: Tan Scotch-Brite, Greener Clean Non-Scratch Scour Pad

Adhesive: Clear e6000 Glue; White Tulip Fabric Paint

Marker: Copic YG95 Pale Olive for body; Copic E57 Light Walnut for claws

Tying Steps

STEP 1: Start the thread at the eye of the hook and wrap backward, creating an even thread layer ending in the middle of the hook shank.

STEP 2: Tie in the dumbbell eyes with a series of tight figure-eight and doughnut wraps.

STEP 3: Continue wrapping toward the bend, covering the entire hook shank with an even layer of thread. Once you reach the bend of the hook, advance the thread back to the eye. This layer of thread will provide a better bond when gluing the body of the crab to the hook assembly.

STEP 4: Whip finish at the eye of the hook, cut away the thread and set the prepped hook aside.

STEP 5:  I like to tie up several of these in advance to save time.

STEP 6: Fold two three-inch pieces of chenille in half and tie a knot about a quarter-inch from the folded end. Cut the loops to create claws. Mark with a brown or olive permanent marker for a mottled look.

STEP 7: Cut a two-and-a-quarter-inch section of square rubber legs. Separate two legs from the strip.

STEP 8: Tie an overhand knot approximately three-quarters of an inch from one end.

STEP 9: Tie a second knot on the other side of the leg, approximately three-quarters of an inch from the other end. More than likely, the segmented portions of the leg beyond the knot will be facing in different directions, and that is okay.

STEP 10: Roll one or both of the knots until the segmented portions of the legs are approximately the same length and are pointing in the same direction. Repeat on the second leg. Do your best to make the knots on the second leg slightly closer together than the first. This is very difficult to achieve and maintain with any kind of consistency using a round rubber leg or thinner flat silicone leg. This is why the square rubber legs are so important.

STEP 11: Using a crab-shaped cutter, stamp out the shell of the crab from a sheet of Scotch-Brite, Greener Clean Non-Scratch Scour Pad. If you do not have a crab-shaped cutter, simply trace a dime on the pad and cut it with scissors.

STEP 12: Using a serrated knife or micro-serrated scissors, carefully cut the pad in half from end to end.

STEP 13: When you are finished, you should have two matching crab bodies, half the width of the original pad. This is essential, because the original pad is too thick and will impede the gape of the hook when the Crab is assembled.

STEP 14: Lay out all the parts of the crab to be assembled. The rubber leg with the knots closer together will be positioned below the other leg. Trim the longer portions of the claws slightly, so they will fit onto the body of the crab.

STEP 15: E6000 is the best glue I have found for assembling the crab bodies. If you are tying up multiple bodies at the same time, however, you can substitute the E6000 for fabric paint that matches the desired color of the finished crab. The thinner paint has a tendency to wick through the body material, but it works well to glue the appendages to the body.

STEP 16: Begin assembly by laying the pair of EP Shrimp & Crab Eyes in to the glue. Cut away the portion of the mono post that sticks out beyond the Scotch-Brite Pad. The black eye should stick out slightly, beyond the body. The butts of the mono post should be angled to create a V shape. Next, place the legs into the glue so that the segmented portions beyond the knots point backward in the same direction. Complete the assembly by placing the claws at a 45-degree angle. The knots of the claws should stick out beyond the Scotch-Brite Pad and line up approximately with the eyes. Set aside to dry.

STEP 17: After the body assembly is completely dry, place the hook in the vise, point up. Place a pea-sized bead of glue on top of the hook and above the dumbbell eyes.

STEP 18: Center the body of the crab on top of the dumbbell eye.

STEP 19: Using a bodkin, spread the glue evenly on the exposed thread wraps and dumbbell eyes. This will create a much better bond between the body and the hook.

STEP 20: With your index finger, press and hold the body in place for 20 to 30 seconds until the glue starts to set up. Make sure that the body does not cover the eye of the hook.

STEP 21: Once the glue is thoroughly dry, trim the segmented portions of the leg to approximately half an inch.

STEP 22: Place a loop of blue painters tape on an index card and stick the crab to the tape on top. This will keep the fly from blowing away when coloring it with the Copic airbrush or markers.

STEP 23: Select your color of choice, and spray the shell and legs of the crab. If you do not have an airbrush, mark these portions with a permanent marker.

STEP 24: Allow ample time to dry, then turn the fly over and color the underside of the crab. (If using a Copic airbrush, you must spray the fly with a layer of clear coat to insure that the ink does not fade.)

STEP 25: Cover the exposed thread wraps and dumbbell eyes with a thin layer of fabric paint. Most crabs are white on the underside, but feel free to match the fabric paint color to the crabs you are trying to imitate.

see more from Drew Chicone at: saltyflytying.com

Dangermuffin Crab

Soft Chew Wiggler 2.0

Candy Corn Crawler

Boogie Crab Number 9

The post Tying Drew Chicone’s Contraband Crab first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Tying Drew Chicone’s Contraband Crab appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

Tying and Fishing The Everglades Seven

Go-to patterns for the Glades

by Chico Fernandez 

I’ve fly fished in many places around the world, from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, and I love it all. But when it comes to my favorite place to fly fish, it would be, hands down, the Everglades.

It’s not just about the snook, the redfish, and all the other wonderful fish that live there. It’s also about the wading birds, the beautiful shallow flats with the fluctuating tides, the red mangrove trees along most of the shorelines, the other menagerie of trees, plants, and flowers, and so much more. I love that world. I love brackish water—I feel it runs through my veins.

It’s no coincidence that today I live about 90 minutes from the Everglades—and go as often as I can.   Learn more about fishing the Everglades Click Here to Subscribe or Pick Up the Latest Issue

Chico’s First Fly Pick is Marabou Madness

For a long time, I had an idea for tying an all-marabou Sea-Ducer. Then, while working on my redfish book around 2011, I finally put a No. 1 hook in the vise and started to tie one. After a few weeks of trial and error, I had a fly I liked. The tail was a whole marabou feather, stem and all, with a bit of flash. The head was marabou feathers wrapped around the shank.

Learn tie and fish The Seven Everglades Patterns  Click Here to Subscribe or Pick Up the Latest Issue

The post The Everglades Seven first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post The Everglades Seven appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

by Joseph Ballarini

It was perhaps legendary Keys guide Harry Spear who originated the very effective style of fly that sports a flat body, allowing for linear movement without spinning. Spear used his Tasty Toad to target the large, spooky bonefish off Islamorada. The Toad landed softly, sank quickly, and refused to spin even when stripped aggressively.

You’ll see this same concept manifest in a number of subsequent flats flies, including Del Brown’s Merkin, the Tarpon Toad (with which Andy Mill has won five Gold Cups), the Kwan Fly (for redfish), and most recently, Dave Skok’s Merkin Shrimp. This concept is also the basis for the Bob Branham’s M. O. E. (Mother of Epoxy) Fly, which has proved itself deadly on permit.

One of my favorite pattens for bonefish and permit is Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp. However, this fly does spin if stripped aggressively, so I stopped using it in Biscayne Bay in favor of Branham’s M. O. E.

Eventually I got the idea to combine the best aspects of Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp with the technical aspects of Branham’s fly—with a few personal touches. I thought the Evolution was an appropriate name, since it’s best described as a mashup of two existing patterns.

The Evolution has superb action, is effective, and is relatively easy to tie. I’ve tested it everywhere I’ve fished, and it seldom fails to produce. In green, the Evolution is my go-to fly in Mexico and Belize. In Florida I prefer pink and ginger; in the Bahamas, pink and tan.  But you can tie it in any color combination and with any head color. Frankly, I don’t think the colored head really matters much for fishing, but they sure do look nice in the box.

If you have any questions, you can email me at admin@tailflyfishing.com.

Materials

Hook: Mustad S74SNP-DT 2XH/4XL size 6 long shank
Thread: Danville flat waxed nylon, 210 denier, pink
Tail: Orange fox and tan Craft Fur (alternatively, I use golden doodle fur after our dog is groomed), flanked at each side with a thin barred ginger hackle tied splayed
Antennae: Black Krystal Flash (optional)
Legs: Tan barred silicone ( I color mine by hand with brown and black markers Borski-style, but the commercial versions work well also)
Eyes: small red shrimp eyes
Flash: Tan Krystal Flash
Wing: Barred tan rabbit fur
Weight: I-Balz
Head: 5-minute epoxy tinted with fine orange glitter

Step 1: Tie in a base of thread on the hook shank above the point.
Tie in orange fox fur, leaving about 1/4 inch beyond the bend of the hook.

Step 2: Measure and trim the trailing portion of fur to bend back over the the bend of the hook and tie in creating a slight bulge for the legs and eyes in the upcoming steps.

Step 3: Tie in craft fur (or dog fur) that should be about twice the length of the fox fur.

Step 4: Tie in two small barred ginger hackles, splayed and extending to approximately the length of the Craft Fur.

Step 5: Tie in black Krystal Flash so it extends slightly beyond the tan Craft Fur (optional, not shown).
Tie in one of the silicone legs so that it extends the length of the Craft Fur (you can trim the legs later, if you wish).

Step 6: Tie in another silicone leg on the other side of the tail. Tie in one of the shrimp eyes to flank the tail. 

Step 7: Tie in the the other eye. The shrimp eyes should extend beyond the bend of the hook by about 1/8 inch.

Step 8: Tie in tan Krystal Flash on the underside of the tail.

Step 9: Tie in the weighted eyes. I-Balz have a wider gap and result in a flatter head on the finished fly.

Step 10: Tie in the first section of barred rabbit for the wing on the underside of the shank.

Step 11: Tie in the second section of wing, just in front of the first and behind the weighted eyes.

Step 12: Wrap the thread to just behind the eye of the hook and whip finish.

Step 13: Mix the two parts of 5-minute epoxy along with the glitter. 

Step 14: When the epoxy is mixed, place a small amount on the eyes. You will need much less epoxy than you think.
The big mistake here is adding too much epoxy and not leaving enough space for a flat, lightweight head.

Step 15: As the epoxy begins to firm, wet your fingers and shape the head using your thumb and index finger to flatten and smooth the epoxy. The key is wet fingers so the epoxy does not stick to your hands. Shape and smooth the head until it’s flat, smooth, and symmetrical.

Heres a quick smart phone video showing how to make the head

Subscribe to Tail Fly Fishing Magazine for the great features, the unique and effective saltwater fly tying and other information that will undoubtedly make you a better angler.  Here are some links to more great fly tying features…

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Characteristics of a Great Bonefish Fly

The post The Evolution Shrimp Fly first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post The Evolution Shrimp Fly appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

Step by step fly tying instructions

Materials list:

• Medium Double Barrel Popper and Slider Bodies from Flymen Fishing Company
• Surface Seducer Popper hook #2
• White Marabou
• Pearl Crystal Flash
• Red MFC Bunny Brush
• Living eyes from Flymen Fishing Company
• White flat waxed nylon thread

Step 1

Use a bodkin or a large needle to create the hole for the hook shank to slide through. Be sure to start at the rear of the popper head and gently push straight thru to the front of the popper head.

Step 2

Place the hook in the vise and slide the popper head onto the shank of the hook to ensure proper fit.

Step 3

Begin the thread wraps just behind the hook eye and wrap evenly back to just before the bend of the hook.

Step 4

Tie in the Marabou tail and secure evenly. I personally like to parachute post the tail once tied in to help prevent fouling. Once posted I secure the tail lightly back towards the hook shank.

Step 5

Tie in a few strands of pearl crystal flash on each side of the marabou.

Step 6

Tie in the bunny brush just in front of the marabou and secure evenly.

Step 7

advance the thread forward to where the back of the popper will be. Then palmer the bunny brush forward using caution not to trap the fibers while palmering forward. Once palmered all the way to the thread secure the brush and trim off excess.

Step 8

Whip finish and trim off the thread. Add a small amount of super glue to the thread wraps and attach popper head ensuring a proper fit.

Step 9

Glue in desired eyes to recessed eye socket.

Step 10

GO FISH

All Photos by: Michael Klein

Fly tied by Capt. Rick Worman of Flatline Guide Service located in Merritt Island FL,  Special thanks to Harry Goodes Outdoor shop located in Melbourne Fl.

Saltwater Fly Tying – The Salty Stripper

Flat-Wing Sand Eel | Barry Ord Clarke

Candy Corn Crawler

The post Saltwater Popper first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Saltwater Popper appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

My good friend E. J. Sigety is a very skilled fly angler, creative fly tier, and a wealth of fly fishing knowledge. One of his favorite smallmouth bass patterns is the Lazy Stripper SBS. In this feature we’re going to put a salty twist on the pattern. We’ve dubbed this fly the Salty Stripper SBS. It’s an effective pattern to throw into the mangroves for snook and baby tarpon. You can also tie it larger to throw at big laid-up tarpon using an 11- weight. The marabou tail gives this fly amazing action even at a standstill, while the synthetic EP fiber head and body make it very functional and durable.

Materials:

• Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 or similar, 2/0
• Threads: Danville 210 Denier Thread (any color); Danville Monofilament Thread (.006 diameter)
• Adhesive:  Zap Goo   
• Tail: Marabou, white and olive
• Flash: Gold Flashabou and gold Krystal Flash
• Gills: Red EP Silky Fibers
• Body and Head: EP Sculpt-A-Fly Fibers, sand and white
• Eyes: EP Plastic Eyes, 5.5 millimeters

Step 1. Start with any color of Danville 210 thread. We’ll eventually switch to mono, but standard thread makes tying in the first materials much easier. Attach your thread on the shank above the hook point and wrap back to above the barb. Trim off the tag end.

Step 2. Take one white marabou feather and measure your tail length. For a 2/0 fly we normally use about a 2-inch section. secure that tightly to the top of the shank with thread wraps.

Step 3. Measure your olive marabou feather. You want this to be just a bit longer than the white marabou. Secure this on top of the white marabou and trim the excess.

Step 4. Take several stands of gold Flashabou and V-wrap it along both sides of the tail so that it runs down the middle of the olive marabou feather. Trim the strands so that they’re about a half-inch longer than the marabou. After that’s secure, take about five strands of gold Krystal Flash and tie them in so they rest directly on top of the marabou.

Step 5. Move your thread in front of where the feathers are secured, whip finish, and cut your thread. Attach your monofilament thread where you left off and hit it with a dab of Zap Goo. Next, take a 2-inch length of red EP Silky Fibers and V-wrap on the bottom 2 quarters of the hook shank. These are going to suggest the fish’s gills. Once secure, press the fibers up and trim them at an angle.

Step 6. Take your sand-colored EP Sculpt-A-Fly Fibers and prepare the three pieces you’ll need to make the body and head of the fly. (You’ll also do the same with the white fibers.) Each piece you tie in will get progressively shorter. Begin with a bunch that’s about 50 fibers thick. When you twist them to compress them, they should be about the same thickness as a toothpick (always err on the side of fewer fibers). Prepare by cutting a sand-colored section that’s 3 inches long, a section that’s 2 1/2 inches long, and a section that’s 2 inches long. Then prepare three sections of white fibers as well in the same lengths as above. Once all six sections are measured and cut, put a taper on each end of all sections. Doing this before you tie them in will help with post-production trimming and avoid creating a fly that looks like a paintbrush. Take your 3-inch section of sand-colored fibers and secure them at midpoint with several wraps of mono to the top left quarter of the hook shank. Bend the other half of the fibers around and tie them down the top right quarter. The result should look like Image 6a.

Step 7. Rotate the head of the vise or invert the hook and tie in the 3-inch section of white fibers along the bottom of the hook shank in the same manner. The result should look like Image 7a.

Step 8. Move your thread forward and repeat the above instructions with both of your 2 1/2-inch sections, and then again with your 2-inch sections. If, along the way, the fibers start to puff out or get tangled, combing them with a lice brush should fix things. When you’ve fastened all sections, your fly will resemble that in Image 8.

Step 9. Because you took the time to taper the ends of the fiber sections before you tied them in, your trimming time should now be significantly less. Take your scissors and simply clean up the fly a bit to suggest a baitfish form. (I highly recommend the EP 4 1/2-inch scissors, which are excellent for trimming synthetics).

Step 10. Use a cautery pen to burn two small holes in the fibers to place the eyes. These holes should be burned even with the point of the hook. Use flush cutters to snip off most of the posts of the plastic eyes. Use a bodkin to place a generous amount of Zap Goo in one of the eye holes. Place a plastic eye into the glue-filled hole so that the post is both covered with glue and touching the shank of the hook. Repeat on the opposite side of the fly. If you do this correctly the eyes will be bulletproof.

Bio: Nick Davis is the co-owner of 239 Flies & Outfitter in Bonita Beach, Florida, which began as an online retailer selling one-off fly patterns and now occupies 2,600 feet of retail space. You can learn more about Nick and 239 Flies by visiting his website (239flies.com) or his Instagram (#BuildingFuzzyEmpires).

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Flat-Wing Sand Eel | Barry Ord Clarke

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Candy Corn Crawler

The post Saltwater Fly Tying – The Salty Stripper first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Saltwater Fly Tying – The Salty Stripper appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.