Honest opinion on Tarpon Toad

[Matt McK 0]

Im going to the keys next month and was wondering if this fly would work. What can I do to make this fly better and any other information would be appreciated. Looking for honest opinions if the fly is terrible tell me. I will not be offended.

Thanks,

Matt

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Looks good to me. Do some different weights and some chartreuse ones too.

[mikechell 0]

That fly is beautiful. But the water around the Keys is gin clear. Dark colors might work, but don't just take that. As Kirk says, be sure to tie up ones in bright colors, white, blues, yellows, etc.

[AKRuss 0]

Looks good to me. I've been hearing that orange is the hot color. You may want to tie on both 2x and 3x heavy tarpon hooks, instead of weighting the fly, to get different sink rates.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I fill a lot of tarpon fly orders and here's my usual advice.... Whatever bugs you bring make them in two sizes per color. The large one should be done up on a 3/0 or 4/0 hook - the smaller version on a 1/0 or 2/0 hook... If you really like a particular pattern (and many use Toads almost exclsively these days) you should consider a "light" and a "dark" version of any given pattern. One of the guides I tie for (one of the top guides - been around for lots of years....) is actually color blind. My usual order for him is half in Fl. green and grizz, the other half in orange grizz (the orange is his "dark" pattern...).

 

When the big fish are super spooky (a common condition in the Keys) use the smaller size bug and go to a much longer, lighter leader. Some guides these days are willing to use a 12 to 14 foot leader with a shock tippet that's as light as 40lb fluoro... Really, really spooky fish is why I do my tarpon fishing to the north in the interior and Gulf coast of the Everglades where the fish don't even notice your leaders at all.... Here are a couple of pics to give you a few ideas on flies to tie up -all are on Owner Aki hooks... The last pic is one that my anglers took a few weeks ago to get you all fired up for those little silver fish....

[mikechell 0]

That's a pretty blurry picture, Capt. Is that a Lady Fish? ... Mullet?

[Matt McK 0]

awesome thanks so much for the information. If you do not mind me asking what is the name of the pattern of those flies?

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

All, except the Cockroach (last fly shown) are part of the Big Eye tarpon series. Most are just my versions of classic Keys tarpon fly patterns. The first pic is the green/grizz, and the orange grizzly... the second pic is another of my royalty patterns -the Sand Devil, and it's an original pattern. The third and fourth patterns are the classic Black Death and the Stu Apte (my versions...). Back to the Cockroach -it may be one of the oldest patterns around (along with the Stu Apte). I believe it was originated by John Emery (the same guy that designed the Emery tarpon reel, and was a great guide before his early passing, some years ago...). I met him in the winter of 1972 at a rodbuilding shop (the old J. Lee Cuddy Associates) in Miami. He was nice enough to give me a few pointers on rodbuilding (and also introduced me to Lefty Kreh, who was the outdoor columnist for the Miami Heral back then...).

 

I first started tying commercially in 1979 when these kind of patterns were long established (except for the Sand Devil). I perfected my versions in the mid-eighties and have been drawing royalties on them from Umpqua Feather Merchants since the late eighties. Nowadays many anglers simply use either a Toad or a Puglisi tarpon pattern instead. Me, I still like the bugs made with all natural feathers - but the materials to make them aren't nearly as easy to come by these days.... That might have something to do with the popularity of flies done with synthetics...

 

If I haven't said so before.. .that's a great looking Toad you've tied up and should catch fish almost anywhere. Whenever I have an angler in clear water we'll usually use dark colors (all black, black and purple, or red and black) in low light conditions (early or late... or when it's heavily clouded up and even raining). When the sun is up and you can see entirely too far then it's time for really light colored patterns...

 

Something to think about... when you can clearly see tarpon -they can see you, all too well...

[bad fish rising 0]

I tried flies like this for steelhead 2 springs ago.

the walleye nailed them!

I used glo-bug yarn for the heads.