Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2020 After all the recent storms (and the floods that came with them) it was nice to finally get back on the water at the end of last week. Making the move to using a fly rod for a beginning fly angler was the agenda that day and I had local angler Raj Bahra aboard with a pair of brand new fly rods (we only used his 8wt that day...). An experienced angler with conventional gear, this was his first trip using a fly rod so we planned on making it a teaching day as well as an introduction to the interior of the Everglades working with only a fly rod and some hopes... One of the great advantages the interior is that you can almost always find fishable waters - when everywhere else is either a muddy mess or so loaded with rainwater run-off that you'll struggle to get a single bite all day long... and that was the case last Thursday. On the way to Whitewater Bay we found a shoreline loaded with birds and made a point of pausing to check it out. It was loaded with small fry - and lots of fish eating them. I had Raj make a few casts, provided a few tips on how to go about stripping a small fly and his first fish on a fly... a baby tarpon... forgot to mention that it was raining a bit - but small tarpon on the feed don't even notice it... Don't know how I ended up holding the fish instead of my angler - but that's how it worked out that day... all Raj did was hook fish after fish - all of them small tarpon... Our first few bites were with a small maribou fly (a Crystal Schminnow, size #4) - and Raj was learning to strip strike, something everyone starting out with a fly rod in the salt will struggle with.... After missing a half dozen strikes he got down to business and hooked a few more, with many of them jumping off the hook at the first opportunity. Once we had it down we switched to small popping bugs so that he could see the surface strikes using a SpeedBug in size #1. After an hour's worth of action we left them biting and spent the rest of the day with small snook that were eager to bite clousers (or at least my version of Bob Clouser's famous minnow pattern). Lost count of the number small snook that day - unlike the baby tarpon - little snook just attack a fly and usually hook themselves in the process... We found them in a variety of places but only where the water was relatively clear. Even Whitewater Bay only held good waters in the extreme eastern areas (along with Lane and other bays as well...). It was a great day - and I can't wait until the waters clear up enough to do some serious sight-fishing with their big brothers as we move into the fall... Unlike up north... down here we still are in late summer conditions with water temps still in the high seventies and low eighties - very unusual weather for this time of year in the 'glades... Here's a pic or two of the flies we used that day - the first is my version of the Crystal Schminnow, my favorite fly for working fish that are feeding on glass minnows ( small fry....). Thread: Danville's flat waxed nylon - fl. green Hook: #4 Mustad 34007 (I use this pattern from size #6 all the way up to 1/0... ) Eyes: #5 chrome on brass beadchain Tail (or wing...): Underwing sparse bleached white calf tail, Overwing full maribou (stripped from bleached white 3-4" blood quill) Flash: Pearl Flashabou 6 to 12 strands with staggered ends between the over and under wing... or tail... Weedguard: #3 coffee colored stainless trolling wire (Malin's) for #6 and #4 hooks, then up to #5 wire as needed with larger hooks... Body: Pearl crystal chenille, size medium, started just forward of hook bend - then "figure eighted" around eyes before being tied off at hook eye with a whip finish. the SpeedBug... an all purpose small popper with a soft foam head... Thread: Danville's flat waxed nylon - color of choice Head: Perfect Popper soft foam meant for a #4 freshwater hook (be we use them with much larger hooks...). Hook: Mustad 34007, size #1 Tail: bleached white neck hackle tips - three on a side, six total, mated with hackles splayed out, assembled three at a time then mated, cut clean with fibers left in placed then tied in as a unit (both sides) on top of hook shank, just forward of the bend... Flash: Pearl Flashabou, four to six strands with staggered ends tied in on top of tying thread then pulled through the center of the tail feathers Collar: a single wide, webby bleached white saddle hackle tied in at the butt then palmered forward to the rear of the popper head, then whip finished.. Note: No head cement used at all on most of my bugs and flies -just a touch here and there with a tiny bit of thin super glue (Krazy Glue, my preference)... Be a hero... take a kid fishing Tight lines Bob LeMay (954) 435-5666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2020 Interesting story and great photos of the flies. CA glue can be found at Harbor Freight and Dollar Tree at a lower cost. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2020 Always find it cheaper somewhere - but.... I really like the applicator that Krazy Glue (original formula) comes in. I actually use it like a small paintbrush... Here's a pic of the stand it sits in until needed... I didn't make it. What you're looking at is the plastic end cap that comes on a new bicycle in the carton to keep axle ends from punching a hole through the cardboard box. I was a commercial tyer (production tyer) for many years and anything that makes you more efficient is welcome... and this is how I used it to seal up the thread on any fly.... Years ago I'd buy my super glue by the carton (10 tubes per box) so I used a lot of it... Nowadays I'm only buying a tube or two at a time and appreciate that both my local grocery store and drug stores carry it... My standard routine for the SpeedBug is to set up a dozen or two or three hooks with thread up and down the hook shank to form an anchor then place the pre-slotted heads onto each hook - but just short of where their final position will be - then lay a bead of super glue on each thread base before finally shoving the hook down into the slot all the way... The last step in gluing up the popper heads this way is a wooden clothes pin to clamp the slot on each head closed until the glue sets up (about five minutes is all that's needed...). Very quick in action and that's how the name came about. Here's a few of the heads with hooks ready for tying into finished poppers. One shop I tied for years ago would order these by the hundred in different colors... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2020 I use CA glue for arrow inserts and fletching, among other things. We were at HF a while back. I got 6 tubes and the wife got three tubes of the gel which doesn't run. Likes it for her crafts. The only difference in CG and mine, mine is a tube. BTW, Captain, where do yo get your popper heads? Need to make some for the 2021 season. TIA. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2020 Like most of my materials they come from Wapsi... Any shop with a Wapsi catalog can order them for you if they’re not already on their shelves, just ask for Perfect Popper heads. They come shaped and pre-slotted in both hard and soft versions. I prefer the soft ones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bimini15 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2020 It sounds from the report that the one that really got hooked was Raj...😊 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2020 That’s the general idea.... I’m pretty sure that many are put off by their early experiences trying to learn how to succeed with a fly rod in the salt... If I still fished blue water (offshore) I’d be aiming to put a learning angler on fish that were blitzing or on schoolie dolphin.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted November 18, 2020 Wonder why I can see the fly pics but the 3 fish pics are blank? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niveker 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, denduke said: Wonder why I can see the fly pics but the 3 fish pics are blank? Same here. I thought maybe it was just my laptop. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2020 Will check back on my desktop and correct -sorry ‘bout that... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
