Top Quality Fly Fishing Flies from $0.50US. Worldwide Postage is FREE! Top Quality Fly Fishing Flies from $0.50US. Worldwide Postage is FREE!
The English Fly Fishing Shop
A GUIDE TO FLY FISHING AMERICAN SALTWATER FLIES
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Advice on a beginners trout fly box |
A Trout's Diet |
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SALTWATER FLIES OF NORTH, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICAN The sea hatches few insects. Saltwater flies are various types of streamers that represent baitfish and many types of crustaceans like shrimp, lobster or crabs, They range from one inch (2.5cm) to over a foot in length (30cm). You have to offer the fish something that makes it feel it is worth chasing. A big sailfish is not going to eat a small fly you would use to catch a bonefish. A large meal for a kitten is a titbit for a lion. Try offering flies that are reasonably good imitations of local food first. If that does not work then try to stimulate an attack with a brightly colored attractor pattern. There are times when a brightly colored fly that looks like nothing on earth brings results. TARPON FLIES There are basically three types of Tarpon Streamer flies: Keys style, Seducers and Whistlers. For larger tarpon use 2/0 to 4/0 hooks. For smaller tarpon 1 to 2/0 hooks
These flies are used in clear water where ever tarpon are found and you are sight fishing. A fisherman called Stu Apte was one of the first people to use this design in the 1950's and the Key guides in Florida have used lots of different color combination since. Stu saw a need for a fly that did not cause too much wind resistance during casting and one that would have a good entry. The result is a fly pattern that bares a slight resemblance to a shrimp.
This pattern is like the Key Style fly but the hook shank is covered with palmered hackle, left upright to be less streamlined and create more disturbance in the water. When stripped the hackle creates vibrations that attract the fish and it helps level the fly during the pause. The fuzzy hackle also has the attribute of falling to the surface more quietly and not spooking jumpy fish. It is ideal for redfish, striped bass, snook and other species that prefer slow moving undulating flies with great action at slow speeds. Homer Rhodes is credited with developing this type of fly in the 1950's. The pattern was first published by Joe Bate in his 1950 book on streamers. It is a great attractor pattern that is especially effective in shallow water. It has been reported that Chico Fernandez used this pattern extensively with good results.
These are used after dark, in deep water, or where visibility is not very good. The large bead-chain eyes and the bulky dressing, will 'push' the water and create underwater vibration. The bead-chain eyes make the fly dip every time the angler pauses on the retrieve. This gives the fly a jigging motion on the retrieve. It was developed by American West Coast Fly fisherman Dan Blanton. The large wing and bulky body generate shock waves in low-visibility water which helps the tarpon, snook and other species find it.
INVERTED HOOK PATTERNS. This fly is designed so that the hook rode above the shank in the water so that the hook would not get caught on the bottom. By adding relatively stiff wing material near the hook eye which covered the hook point, the fly became nearly weedless. Hooks are dressed to create inversion by bending the hook, by adding weighted eyes on the hook shank opposite the point and/ or by using relatively buoyant materials to cover the hook point. Any of these three techniques can cause the fly to ride inverted. If tied with sparse materials these flies can be made to sink very fast. Bonefish patterns should match the color of the bottom in the area you are fishing. Flies that hit the water with little impact are more effective than those that strike heavy and spook the fish. Stock your fly box with:
The Bonefish Special fly pattern has a bit of orange tied to its rear. The flies designer, fisherman Chico Fernandez, noticed that many snapping shrimps had an orange claw. Shrimps swim tail first. The fly works The Crazy Charlie was a produced by Bob Nauheim. Originally called the Nasty Charlie- Orvis renamed it the Crazy Charlie. The pattern was devised for bonefishing. The design was such to keep it at or near the bottom to catch these mainly bottom feeders. The original pattern consisted of a silver flashabou tail, a body of silver tinsel over wrapped with clear mono, a cream hackle wing, silver bead chain eyes with white thread. Originally the pattern was intended to imitate glass minnows. It was later discovered that the bonefish were taking it as a shrimp. Since the original was so successful, a huge number of color variations were tried (many with hair wings instead of feathers) and many found to be quite successful. The Clouser Deep Minnow streamer pattern evolved from the original Crazy Charlie and is an extremely effective pattern. It is a style of tying rather than a pattern. These streamers are tied to imitate baitfish rather than shrimp. Bob Clouser tied this fly originally in the middle 1980's to catch smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River, USA. Like other very popular streamers, this fly has been adopted for many other species and fishing situations from largemouth bass in small lakes, steelhead in Great Lakes rivers and brown trout in Lake Michigan. The Horror was developed by Pete Perincchief in the late 1950's It is ideal for dropping on a spooky bonefish as it makes a soft landing. It is believed to be the first bonefish fly tied to obtain an inverted hook by using the reverse wing, which has since become standard on nearly all bonefish patterns.. Pete states that he named it after his head-strong young daughter. It is still one of the most consistent and effective bonefish flies around. Do not let its age and simplicity cloud your judgment. This fly works LEFTY'S DECEIVER One of the most popular saltwater flies. Bernhard "Lefty" Kreh developed this pattern originally for striped bass in Chesapeake Bay, VA, USA but it is now an adaptable modern classic suitable for most fish. It is a style of tying designed to resemble the shape and size of various swimming baitfish but when lifted from the water it can be cast with little wind resistance. It is its narrow profile that is very aerodynamic, ideal for making those longer casts. The wing is attached at the tail of the hook to prevent fouling in flight. The collar should extend well beyond the hook shank allowing the wing feathers to undulate and giving the fly the shape of a fish. It can be tied in a light, as well as medium or heavy collar to give the fly a sleek appearance of an eel or anchovy. If you want the fly to float just under the surface look for a heavy dressed collar of bucktail. Red Flashabou or red Crystal Flash on the beard of the fly to imitates gills. The bucktail gives the illusion of body width without a lot of extra material which would make it sink. The Buck tail helps to prevent the wing material from fouling around the hook bend during the retrieve. |
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Advice on a beginners trout fly box |
A Trout's Diet |
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Top quality fly fishing flies from $0.50US at www.flyfishing-flies.com |
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You can e-mail us at fly.fishing@virgin.net The English Fly Fishing Shop 5 Woodland Way, Morden, Surrey SM4 4DS, England |
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