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…

Candy Corn Crawler

Soft Chew Wiggler 2.0

Saltwater Fly Fishing: Saltwater flies – Hammerhead Crab

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.

Picture this, you are stuck in your office dreaming of warmer, exotic destinations teeming with healthy populations of wild, beautiful fish. Can you remember when the only thing you had to worry about was not dropping your cell phone into crystal clear water? Sounds pretty nice right about now, especially in the tight grip of winter that so many of us are struggling with.

The flats are calling your name, and whether you are stuck on your lunch break or at home on a snow day, try whipping up something new, crafty, and reminiscent of your bucket list vacation. This Craft Store Crab pattern is a fly I drafted to combat the expensive crab patterns that often float around in fly shops. This fly’s materials are compiled mostly from craft store purchases or household items, and can be bought in bulk for cheap. Some of the materials, such as the hook and the eyes are not to be purchased at a craft store, but because you are reading this article, I assume you have access to these fairly universal saltwater tying materials.

The first step to tying this fly is running to any craft store by you. Michael’s is the store that happens to be most convenient for me, but many stores make these basic materials readily available. Some of these items may be stashed somewhere in your house, convenience store, or fly tying boxes – don’t be afraid to take a look, there’s only a few materials.

Materials:

Hook – Saltwater Size 2-4
Thread – Heavy Brown
Dumbbell Eyes – Small/Medium (Gold)
Twine Rope – Dark Brown
Markers – Green & Black
Super Glue
Felt Square – Tan/Dark Brown/Olive

Step One:

Wrap your thread one quarter of the way down the hook shank.

Step Two:

Secure the dumbbell eyes with tight thread wraps that put the eyes in place. Mix in figure eight wraps to ensure that the eyes don’t move. This will provide weight for the fly, and drop it to the mouths of the feeding bonefish you’ve been eyeing from the edge of the skiff.

Step Three:
\

Cut three pieces of twine, chenille, or any other ropey, dark-hued material that can act as legs. Wrap one leg that parallels the hook shank, and have the other two create an X that goes across the body of the fly. It is important to remember to make the legs longer than you expect – you can always trim the legs, you can’t add more material once you are done.

Step Four:

In order to fashion the claws for this pattern, you must take a longer piece of whatever material you use for your legs and tie a non slip loop knot, or a Kreh Knot, and leave plenty of room for the claws to poke out in front of the felt body. Tie on the claws, using tight wraps to secure them to the body. Whip finish this fly and add a dot of glue to your finish. From this point on, you will only need glue.

Step Five:

 Cut your felt squares to a proportional size to your hook and the crab’s legs. In my model, I cut and shaped two pieces of tan felt the size of a quarter, gluing them together to make a thicker body for the crab. After dotting the top of the body with your desired details (use a permanent marker or paint to detail the top shell with eyes, dots, and any other desired detail), adhere the felt body to the hook and legs you have worked on.

Step Six:

Trim the legs and claws to match the proportions of the hook and body. Consider this step the finishing touches of the fly. Add more glue where it needs to be applied, trim up the claws or legs, and add details with a marker if your crab lacks personality.

Step Seven:

Get out there and get into some fish!

You have completed your first Craft Store Crab, a pattern that will bust any slump on the flats or oceans you are fishing. This pattern imitates a range of crab species, and the mind-blowingly simple foundation of the pattern is intentional, making it easy for any angler to match their local crab hatch depending on the fishery they are exploring. Do not be afraid to tweak this fly, totally change it, or even add your own personal touch to it like premade plastic eyes which is a popular modification.
Tight lines!

Other fly tying blog posts:

Redfish Crab Fly
Clouser Minnow
Characteristics of Great Bonefish Flies

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The post Fly Tying Instructional – Craft Store Crab first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Fly Tying Instructional – Craft Store Crab appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Characteristics of a Great Bonefish Fly first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Characteristics of a Great Bonefish Fly appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

Many anglers daydream about fishing the Seychelles, Abaco or Oahu for a chance at a giant bonefish. It’s a reasonable dream knowing that the all tackle record for bonefish was caught off the coast of Africa, four past world records on the fly were from Bimini and there have been a few previous records from Hawaii. What most of these daydreamers do not realize that some of the biggest bonefish in the world are in  Biscayne Bay and the Upper Florida Keys. Twenty- one (21) of the current thirty-eight (38) IGFA world  records are for bonefish caught in Biscayne Bay & the Upper Florida Keys. Six (6) are from the Bahamas, Four (4) are from the middle & lower Florida Keys, Two (2) are from Los Roques in Venezuela and there are currently ZERO (0) world records from either Hawaii or the Seychelles.  Why is that? Well for starters the Seychelles & Hawaii are both a bit more remote, somewhat expensive to get to and therefore less frequently fished. 

There is also the law of numbers and probabilities, the more remote places that have fewer anglers, fewer fish caught overall and therefore fewer world records. There is also the veteran fisherman factor. Many travelers that venture to these remote places are not casual fisherman and are of the “been there & done that” jaded angler society.  They are competing with themselves.   These are the type of men and woman that would not stop fishing to bring the fish to a weigh station. Bringing a prize catch to an official weigh in station would also mean sacrificing the fish.Killing a large,  old fish is not what most fly anglers do, especially fly anglers who care about the environment, ecosystems and catch & release fishing. 

Biscayne Bay & the Upper Florida Keys have giant bonefish!  There are fish in the 12-15 lb. class with the most common being 6-7 pounds. Why isn’t this well known? It is, actually and has been known as one of the best fisheries in the world for many decades. The fishery has taken a slight downturn seeing fewer fish, more anglers and many more recreational boaters. The explanation for the decrease in numbers of fish is multifactorial. Some blame the increase in boat traffic  & jet skis changing feeding behavior of the flats species. Some blame the freeze of 2010 which was responsible for the destruction of many grass flats and thinned numbers of several species of fish. Hardest hit were the snook which do not tolerate very cold at all. Others feel that the fish are there just as they always were but they’ve been fished hard that they spook easily. Even if the numbers have declined, there are plenty of large fish to be found. This doesn’t really explain why it’s not at the top of the day dreamers list. 

There are some places is the world where bonefish school in groups over 1,000 fish and you can catch a 2-3 pound bonefish on almost every cast.  Biscayne Bay is definitely NOT one of these places. We may only see 5 fish in a day but average weight is easily over 5 lb. There are big solitary hunters and sometimes pairs, and the occasional group of 6-20 fish on the deeper flats by channels. Many of those fish per day will be in double digit weight range (over 10 lb.) which qualify easily as trophy caliber but they very difficult to catch.  It is hard to beat stalking a giant bonefish dragging along the sand hunting prey with back arched and tail in the air as it sucks crustaceans off the bottom. This is a common site in Florida. Don’t get us wrong, this is something that you can & will see in places like Oahu, Molokai, Abaco & Christmas Island but  the accessibility of many these places is not nearly as easy as getting to southeast Florida. Biscayne Bay is very easily accessible from Miami and most charters are very familiar with the upper keys as well. When selecting a rod to use a 9 weight is generally considered the best choice by both seasons anglers and almost of our guides. There is usually a barrier to casting well as there is minimal structure to knock down the winds which can gust from 5-20 knots at times. 

While you have options to fish both ocean and bay side which allows you to hide from the wind at times but many of the flats are away for the many mangrove islands and uninhabited keys.  Using a 7 or 8 weight might not provide the power to punch through 15 knots of wind which is usually hitting you head on when fish show. Leader material is a standard tapered leader that is at least a 10 foot long. Recommended tippet material is nothing lighter than a 12-15 lb. tippet material.  The most common practice is to buy a standard lead- er and tie on 12 inches of 12 lb. fluorocarbon tippet material. A blood knot is best when adding tippet to leader.  The flies are a bone of contention among guides and anglers alike. Some use crabs, some shrimp but size and color selection are highly variable. Contrary to popular practice in many other bonefish destinations larger hooks are just fine in Biscayne Bay. Orange, Rust, Browns & green all seem to be a popular colors for accents using a base color of tan. Veverka’s mantis shrimp, epoxy flies, Borski’s bonefish slider all produce here.

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The post Giant Bonefish of Biscayne Bay first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

The post Giant Bonefish of Biscayne Bay appeared first on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

Who Uses Gotchas?

Selecting flies for a trip can be difficult and time consuming even though a labor of love. Picking bonefish flies is difficult due to the diverse habits and diet of this species, not to mention….There are thousands of them! If you recall the bonefish prey series from 2016, there was a significant focus on crab, shrimp and gobies but what ever happened to old reliable….the gotcha.  Many novice and expert fly anglers fish in the Bahamas for bonefish using only one fly pattern….the gotcha.

The Gotcha is one of the most well known and successful bonefish patterns of all time. It is a shrimp imitation that also looks a bit like a baitfish when tied with a long wing. It is very easy to tie this super productive bonefish fly and works just about everywhere in the world.  The gotcha has the right shape, proportion and sink rate and can be tied in a bunch of different colors to accommodate the the environments of bonefish.  Take for example the Christmas Island Bonefish Special, a shrimp imitation created for fishing bonefish in the South Pacific.  This is a variation of a Gotcha fly which is specifically tied for Christmas Island Bonefish.  The CI Bonefish Special is usually tied in Orange but can also be tied in pinks, yellows, gold and silvers.  It is bright and flashy and definitely gets noticed in crystal clear waters.  The sulfur shrimp is another gotcha variation which has a marabou & silicone leg tail with a barred wing….it’s still a gotcha.  How about the Beck’s sili leg?  It’s a gotcha with silicone legs and comes in dozen of varieties.  In fact if you take a look at the EP ghost shrimp, it’s really just a gotcha with eyes.  More variations of the original gotcha fly.

When fishing Northern Belize – Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) to Xcalak in Mexico we like patterns that are a little more lively.  The bonefishing in the southeastern Yucatan can be rough if you don’t have the right flies.  Bonefish here are typically smaller and forage for crabs and shrimp along the reef and in the eel grass.  Dark patterns that blend into the grass are absolutely necessary or you will not get an eat.  We learned this through trial and error and talking to the guides that know these waters.  One of the more traditional flies and local favorites is a pink scampi fly.  You guessed it, a variation of the gotcha with a layer of pink synthetic hairs over the wing.  Nothing fancy here, just a sound basic fly with a local twist.   A must if you are planning to fish Ambergris Caye or elsewhere in the southeastern Yucatan or northern Belize. You can wade for bonefish along the beaches in San Pedro but you better have some of these with you. The finicky bones in northern Belize demand a compact, dark,and sometimes flashy fly.

BAHAMAS BONEFISH GOTCHA

Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 #1-8
Thread:  Pink Flymaster plus (210 denier)
Eyes:  Large bead chain or silver dumbbell
Body:  Wrapped Mylar tubing (pearl)
Wing:  Tan Rabbit fur & Tan Craft fur
Flash:  Krystal flash (pearl or pink) optional

The post Bonefish Flies – Who Uses Gotchas? first appeared on Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.

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