AndrewP

"Mahi's Mistake". I like "Seduced" too but I think the fly is more "Deceived" .... Beautiful. Really like how you have positioned the mahi and how he is eyeing the fly. AP

Can't do a SBS right now, but if you can tie a regular Supreme Hair Shrimp, this one is not much different except: 1) I used an Eagle Claw 60degree jig hook (helps turn the hook point up) 2) Rattle at bottom and at the front of upturned hook; rattle is wrapped a few times with EP Trarantula Brush for the bushy leg look 3) Black "brains" is a bit of black foam tied in on top of hook to help the hook orient correctly (not trying to float the fly, but just make sure the hook point rides up). You could easily omit the rattle if you wanted, but then you might want a wrap or two of lead at the front of the hook. What you are trying for is a fly that will slowly drop head-first -- not like a clouser, not that fast -- and then allow you to slowly swim/bounce it right at the bottom, over grass, etc ..... AP

I like the Supreme Hair shrimp pattern (Cabelas) for the very reason that it is a forward-swimming shrimp. One of the best fishing lures for spin-fisherman is the DOA Shrimp, and it's rigged to swim forward. It's also fished slowly. Maybe that's the deal. Use a backward-facing shrimp and move it fast/erratic, like a fleeing shrimp. Use a forward-facing shrimp, but fish it slowly like a shrimp that is unaware ... The one thing I did not like about the Supreme Hair shrimp was that the hook is facing down. I'd rather have a hook ride up, so I can scoot the shrimp right along the bottom. So I came up with this tie .... added a rattle as well ....... fish seem to like it fine: AP

Ag, a question: assuming you used a single-colored yarn, is there a limit on how long you can brush out the fiber? Like the concept, but would want to make a few flies longer than your example .... thanks for sharing this! AP

Peter: that's some phine phlingin' phluff you got there ........... Andrew

Salty: haven't been out since right before Matthew, and even then I was heading further south. But will be going out Thurs/Fri to check a few spots in the 'Goon and will let you know. Have this new pattern I want to try out on the reds (suspending bendback, posted about it here a few posts back). Want to try a black or a brown version of some redfish if I can find 'em .... AP

Salty: Think I live close-by; are there any spots you need me to check on for you while you heal-up? Seriously, hope all goes well in recovery and you back to posting reports on your flies and it's eaters real soon!! Andrew

OK, I asked this question of Capt. LeMay in another thread, but it's probably better if he answers it here (not to derail the other thread) ... Capt Lemay: As I understand it relating to you choice in weedguards, you prefer the single wire weedguard for most fishing situations? I know you like the upright, 45degree-forward "V" guard in mono for your bonefish flies in turtlegrass as you mentioned above. Wondered if you would be so kind to break down what conditions (grass, rock, mangrove roots, etc.) or what other situations would dictate one type of weedguard vs. another for you. Many thanks in advance. Andrew

Thanks Capt. I see there's another thread that this weedguard discussion is probably best moved to -- I'll ask you some additional questions over there so as not not get off subject. Got lucky when the kids moved out that I got a room for my "hobbies" ... I have A/C; not sure how you could spend much time in the garage in S. FL in the summertime! Andrew

Capt Bob, thanks for sharing as always. And of course your flies look great .... Not trying to derail your subject, but a question -- I know you tie two styles of weedguards -- the single wire like in your Clouser photo, or your special "leaning forward V" weedguard made of mono. Question -- when do you choose one vs. the other? Back to subject: I keep a small jar near where I store my rods, and will snip a fly off and put it in there for various reasons (many times because it lost an eye). I'll re-cycle through those and fix up the ones worth fixing, but usually don't spend the time to get back down to retying like a brand new one. Andrew

Update: Well, trout like the fly -- got a couple last weekend. But I also noticed that the EP Fiber wing kinda disappears in the water while the foam really stands out. I think for Version 2 I'll replace the wing with something more opaque -- Craft fur or bucktail. Hoping this weekend I might be able to actually throw at some tailing reds ... AP

Tide: Yeah, original idea was to throw at reds in super-skinny water with weedy/grassy bottoms. You almost want your fly to hover. Regular-tied bendbacks seemed to sink too fast for me, so that was the inspiration for this tie ..... AP

I tied up this pattern to try out in the super shallow waters where you have weeds just below the surface. The tie is pretty simple -- a bendback-style hook, estaz for the body, some mono eyes, and then the trick: a small triangle of thin foam tied in at the head (over the mono eyes), topped with some EP fiber for the wing. The foam does two things -- first, it absolutely allows for the fly to orient properly (hook up), and second, it really slows down the drop of the fly in the water column. In fact, in many cases the fly will float for a second after casting. I have to move it a little to gets some air bubbles to release, and then the fly slowly drops ..... The foam is soft enough that I don't believe it will be in the way when a fish hits the fly (foam will compress easily). Here are a couple samples I tied up. Let me know what you think -- only had 'em out once and didn't see any fish to test 'em on .... AP

In spending some time at some other fly-tying sites, I am somewhat taken aback over the size of some flies being tied -- large flies for obviously large fish. This seems (to me at least) to mainly be a Northern thing --these big bunker, herring, mackerel, squid flies often tied with bucktail. Flies from 6" to 12" are very typical, and I do love the innovative methods for producing light flies at these lengths that you can still cast. Seems to be different in the South. I fish in Florida, and can say that I probably don't have any flies over 4" in length. The flies we (I) throw at big tarpon are typically 2" or so!! Although I have been re-thinking this ....... but I digress. Anyway, it got me thinking to ask the group what are the biggest flies that they tie (pics would be great!!!) and at what specie do you throw it? I'm discounting offshore flies for the moment since these Northern giant flies seems to be mostly cast from the beach/shore or from the jetty rocks. Just curious what your experiences are, and if you have anything to show ..... AP

A while back I posted here ( http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=78965 ) about playing around with popper designs. I've been back at it again, and have some additional ties and observations .... The first couple of designs like before are based on foam heads and articulation. I've got two patterns now, one based on the ol' "Chug Bug" design, and the other on the classic "Zara Spook". The Chug: And the Spook: This was a baby version; I have a slightly larger version as well. This "spook" pattern actually does a fairly decent walk-the-dog on retrieve, without any rod manipulation. Per a suggestion from Kirk D. on this forum, I have omitted any feathers or fluff at the tail in order to get better wiggle action. Next, a floater/diver with a flat nose that will act like a big lip and generate lots of wiggle: This pattern has a hidden surprise ..... a rattle! The rattle supplies both sound and weight, helping to orient the fly properly. Notice how the articulation shank is a bit on the high side -- so the weight was needed to get the fly to ride correctly. The last tie is one we all know -- the Gurgler. The difference here is that I wanted to make it weedless. I saw somewhere else where someone cut a slot in foam to let a hook pass through. Combining that with a bass-style hook, I tied this up ..... I think the bass hook will help with the "gurgling" action of the fly. Of course I tied this in minnow colors, but I bet this would look good in green and maybe dressed up with some rubber legs and thrown out among some lillypadds. If I get some time I will try to capture some video of these flies in the water so you can see what the action looks like .... With all of the popper ties, I was just using standard foam popper heads of different sizes, some articulation shanks, and the proper hook (see below). I just used scissors to cut the heads to the shape I wanted ... AP

Just used the light-based epoxy stuff and glued directly in-line to the hook shank. The shrimp rattles were done with thread and then a little glue .... AP

There was no fishing this weekend due to high winds, so I spent time at the vice. Working on redfish fly patterns, and this is what I've come up with so far .... First, slightly modified Clousers in copper and gold, tied on a size 4 jig hook .... Next, a crab fly made from EP-Streamer Brush w/Tarantula legs ... Next, some Supreme Hair Shrimps with mods. I am using a jig hook, but setting it hook-up. You might be able to see it; there is a rattle attached to the underside of the fly .... Some Kwan/Toad-style ties; also on jig hooks, also with a rattle underneath. I probably will go back and add eyes to these guys ..... And finally, an all-rabbit bunny fly that hopefully will have a minnow/shrimp look when wet .... this one hook rides down, Owner Mosquito #1, and added a wire weedguard. I'll tie up some additional stuff in black, and these will be the primary styles and colors when hunting reds in the Fall/Winter .... AP

I finally figured out where I had seen this kind of tie before!! -- Dave Whitlock's Sheep Minnow series ... Needed to give credit where credit is due .... mine was just a variant, done regular style instead of bendback. (btw, I tied up some of these as well -- look good, need to take them out and see how they do) AP

Tied up this bendback pattern on a bass hook. Finnish raccoon for the body ..... AP

Bringing this back up as I have tied another fly using the dubbing brush in full and not wrapping it around a hook shank. These bendbacks have the white dubbing brush body that is supporting a feather that is flat-tied at the top. The top fly has a red bead for a little more weight. I plan on using all of these patterns shortly in a trip to the Everglades, so hopfully I can report back in a bit and let you know how they did. AP

I know I've seen the idea for this patterns somewhere on the InterWebs, so I took the basic idea and made some slight additions to it and hopefully make it delectable for the usual suspects -- snook, tarpon, trout, reds, etc ... What I like about this design is that it creates a silhouette of a baitfish, but keeps the material down and thus makes the fly easier to cast. The body (I used estaz) at the nose of the fly is larger-- taller-- than normal; it makes the craft fur move up and over the body, yet it does not cover the entire hook shank. I've created a Version 1,2, and 3. The first (top) has nothing in the middle, the second (middle) has just two pieces of large flash, and the third has the lightest bit of dubbing stretched as a tail along with the flash. I want to keep experimenting with the middle materials, keeping it as sparse as possible but still giving it "something" there .... I'm calling it a "Sea-Thu". Tell me what you think .... and if you remember who originated, happy to give them the credit. AP

No scientific proof, but I always seem to catch more fish (or get more bites) when I have two eyes on the fly that even when one is knocked off. Had it happen too many times when after not getting any bites I finally noticed my fly was missing an eye. Swap with a new fly with two eyes, and it gets bit. Like I said, no real science there, just my observation .... AP

I got away from using marabou for fly tying for a while -- I was using lots of synthetics, etc. But I kinda re-discovered using it in ties. I came up with this fly, which uses a combination of stacking and palmering marabou. Wondered if anyone else had any good ties that use a lot of marabou ... AP

Montana Fly Company: http://www.montanafly.com/ Did not see it on their website, but that is the packaging I have when I got it from my local fly shop .... AP