permit fly - Tail Fly Fishing Magazine

The Evolution Shrimp Fly

Admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 07:17:30 +0000

The Evolution Shrimp Fly for Bonefish & Permit

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.

Fly Tying Instructional – Craft Store Crab

Admin — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 06:19:35 +0000

By Joseph Dahut

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:
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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!