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Peterjay

Sheep Fly

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I hope to get a chance to throw this one at some tarpon and/or cobia this summer, but I'm gonna give it a shot when the bull reds come inshore, which should be any day now. Striped bass would definitely eat it in low-light conditions, but their numbers are in the toilet, especially the big fish. Hook: 3/0 Eagle Claw LO67. (Billy Pate tarpon hook) Tail support: 50-pound mono. Wing: black marabou plume, black/purple/black Icelandic sheep fleece. Flash: silver/purple crystal flash. Collar: black marabou. Head: built up black and fluorescent red thread. Eyes: acrylic paint. Head cement: two coats of liquid fusion.

post-281-0-06523100-1525361688_thumb.jpg

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Sweet fly PJ! One thing I often do when using Icelandic sheep for the tail is use a sparse clump of bucktail for support rather than the mono. It doesnt take much but does help with fouling

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Yeah, IME, those slinky tails need something to hold them up, whatever you use. I stole the mono idea from the tarpon guys many years ago when I was spending half my fishing time fixing fouled flies. Lou Tabory's snake fly was the chief offender that was driving me nuts. (in case you've been wondering how I got this way) Snakes are one of my all-time favorites, but man, what a nightmare without a tail support. Hey Andy - do ever hear from Dave (Panama Red) any more? Last time I talked to him, he needed some kind of surgery; I haven't heard from him since. I hope he's OK.

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I havent heard from Dave in a few years. Last I heard was same as you, that he was getting back surgery. I hope he is doing alright. Itd be great to have him back around here. Whatever happened to Ben (chefben)? I havent seen him for a while here

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I've got Dave's email address around here somewhere - I'll have to drop him a line and find out where he's doing time this year. It's always a possibility that he finally married that goat, and is too busy with marital duties to do much fishing. I haven't heard from Ben in quite some time either. I've got his email address as well. I stay in touch with ditz and Tidewaterfly, (Ray and Jim) and Kirk pops up on Facebook every now & then. People come and go here, like anyplace else, I guess. I've been a member for 15 years, and I go on hiatus every so often too. I'll be sure to let you know what I find out.

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PJ, thought I would pop in today and say Hey. Hope you get out this summer for some of the big herring or cobes. I haven't had much time to fish lately so I am getting pretty cranky these days. I'd like to get down to the ES this summer, didn't make it down last year. Maybe the reds will show this year, although with the cold winter I'm skeptical. I only caught one up my way last year. But some terrific schoolie striper action this past fall on flies in the river salvaged 2017. Otherwise not much to report, yet.. BTW, Dave posted something back in June 2017 if you scroll down a ways. John

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Hey John; hope all is well with you. I haven't gotten out much the past couple of years, but that's about to change. They're getting some reds right now in the 30-50 pound range, and I've heard of some puppy action in the Va. Beach area so we'll see what develops. I'm gonna walk the beach at Savage Neck this week to check out the scene, armed with the 12wt of course; you never know. Hey, I decided to clean up a pile of algae, lichens, leaves, pine needles, and general filth in the side yard, and lo and behold, there was a 17-foot Carolina Skiff under it. After a week of serious scrubbing, she's so clean that I actually had to put on sunglasses because of the glare. Still got some work to do, but she'll be ready for summer. Operator certification is mandatory now in VA, so that's gotta be taken care of. (I guess those pesky buoys out there mean something after all - I thought they were there just to brighten up the scenery) I'll be sure to keep you posted, especially on the herring.

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