EP Style Baitfish - Pinfish Color

[McFlyLures 0]

Enrico Puglisi created the material known as EP fiber which is the base for tying this fly along with many other patterns similar to this.  Now there are many materials on the market that can mimic the EP fiber, including what I used for this fly.  Congo hair is one that I tend to like a lot.  Its got some of the same properties as EP fiber but at a fraction of the cost.  The normal person should not be able to tell the difference between the two fibers and therefor it is a great replacement for the now very expensive EP fiber.  

This style of fly has a few names,  All similarly tied, but with slight differences.  The Peanut Butter, the Mangrove Baitfish, Bluegill, Pumpkin seed, Shad, etc.  All of these are tall yet thin flies mimicking a specific fish.  Shad, bluegill, pinfish, bunker, and more are all very tall yet thin profile fish that are excellent bait for predatory fish in both saltwater and freshwater.  This version today is tied to mimic a pinfish.  They have yellow and blue stripes on their body with mostly olive top and white bottom.  So I made sure and put accent stripes with blue and white.  

The key to tying these is keeping it sparse.  Use very little material per material piece.  In fact, select what you think is a little, and then divide that amount in half.  Seriously maybe 10 strands of this fine fiber is all you need per tie in.  The key to keeping the profile is making many tie ins as you move your way up the shank.  You also want to make sure and not allow the fiber to rotate onto the side of the hook shank and keep it directly on the top and bottom.  This will help keep that profile that is desired.  

Now there are some other techniques Enrico uses on some other patterns that are to make more minnow, mullet, and other shaped baitfish.  Mullet for instance have a wide head, and would not be well mimicked by this tall and thin profile baitfish.  But today lets focus on the bunker shape. 

https://youtu.be/E1OxfdQ-5Qs

 

Materials
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Hook:  Risen short shank stainless (size 2)
Thread:  Veevus 6/0 (light Cahill)
Gill:  Crystal Flash (Pearl)
Flash:  Flashabou (pearl)
Fiber:  Congo Hair (white, yellow, Galapagos Olive, Baitfish Blue)
Eyes:  Fish Skull Living Eyes (6mm, Wind)
Glue:  Loctite Ultragel
Filler Resin:  Solarez Thin
Coating Resin:  Solarez Ultra Thin (clear)