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Redfish after redfish came cruising down along the shoreline,
searching for crabs. Their dorsal and caudal fins threw glints of
sunlight as they pierced the surface of the skinny water.
Periodically there was a rush and a swirl, as one of the fish
zeroed in on its prey.
I stood in the shallow water watching, fly rod in hand,
waiting for the fish to move within casting range. Whenever one
did, I tossed my crab imitation out to it. The result was
inevitable - every single fish took the fake. It was a wonderful
day.
Lure selection, whether for fly or conventional tackle, is a
very personal thing, based on a combination of knowledge,
intuition, and past experience. A glimpse at Lefty Kreh's book,
"Salt Water Fly Patterns", reveals that literally
thousands of fly patterns have been devised, all with the same
purpose- to entice a fish into striking.
Captain John
A. Kumiski
Do all these flies work? Most definitely. Does the salt water
flyfisherman need a barge to carry his fly boxes? Most definitely
not.
There is an expression used by scientists, Occam's razor. The
idea is that if there are two theories, each of which plausibly
explains a phenomenon, the one which explains it more simply and
elegantly is probably the correct one. Occam's razor explains my
approach to fly selection - keep it simple.
Where you live and what you fish for most of the time will
color your choice of flies, of course. In spite of this, some
flies are so universal in their appeal to gamefish of all types
that they need to be carried by almost all saltwater flyrodders.
Certainly in my own travels along the east coast from Maine to
the Florida Keys, I see the same classic patterns in the fly
boxes of all the good fly fishers it's been my fortune to meet.
Lefty's Deceiver is a superb example of this universal type of
fly. With its shape imitating that of so many different types of
baitfish, its ability to be adapted and modified to fit differing
conditions, and because it can be tied in sizes ranging from two
inches to over ten inches in length, Deceivers can be and are
used to catch everything from panfish to billfish. All fly
fishers need to carry a selection of these flies in various sizes
and colors.
Bob Clouser's Deep Minnow is another example of a fly that all
fish will eat. A simple tie of lead, steel, and bucktail, more
than fifty different species of fish have been taken on Clouser
minnows. They are a standard on everything from striped bass to
bonefish.
Poppers of one sort or another add so much enjoyment to the
fly fisher's life. What in all fishing can be more exciting than
seeing a big fish come to the surface and attack a fake minnow at
the end of your line?
Diving flies have become justly popular in recent years. Larry
Dahlberg developed the first diving bug, using deer hair to make
the head. Foam divers are available now. Sheldon Bolstad of
Minneapolis makes an excellent and durable foam diver. Regardless
of the material they're made from, divers are effective on a wide
variety of fish.
A variety of different crab flies have been developed. The
first ones, for example, the McCrab, were tied from deer hair and
were unwieldy things to cast. Fish ate them, though. Now crab
imitations are tied from many different materials, and their use
is spreading from southern waters up the Atlantic coastline, from
being used exclusively for permit and bonefish to red and black
drum, weakfish, and even stripers. Stripers like crabs!
The Homer Rhodes shrimp fly, now commonly called the Seaducer,
is another saltwater classic useful everywhere. Rhodes designed
the fly to take bonefish in the Florida Keys. This past summer I
found that stripers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts liked this
pattern a lot! Lots of different fish will take this fly and it
should also be carried in a variety of sizes and colors.
For fishing in areas that are shallow and have grassy bottoms,
or oysters, or rocks, or anything else that could catch the point
on a conventionally tied fly, reverse-tied flies like bendbacks
are a necessity. Bonefish flies use this style almost
exclusively. The usefulness of this style is by no means limited
to Florida, though. Anywhere snag-filled shallows hold fish that
eat flies a bendback fly will prove its worth.
For fishing in deeper waters, especially those with currents,
Blanton's Whistler proved its worth a long time ago. Designed to
produce vibrations and work like a jig, it's especially effective
in discolored water. Again, this fly takes a wide variety of
species.
Some of the more recent developments in the world of saltwater
flies have near-universal applications, too. Bob Popovics'
Siliclone jumps to mind. Bob originally tied these with stripers
in mind. The fly is fairly durable and works well on blues, too.
But snook, seatrout, redfish, and tarpon also find this fat
mullet imitation to their liking too - at least until they feel
the steel. The fly is effective on a wide variety of species.
In southern waters a pilchard imitation often comes in really
handy. Fish love these silvery little snacks, so much so that
many guides on the west coast of Florida won't start fishing
until their live wells are filled with them. A 3-D fly tied and
trimmed to a pilchard shape can be deadly.
So we have listed here ten different patterns which will cover
the entire water column from the surface to the inky depths and
which will take almost any species of saltwater gamefish found
anywhere. There's no need to carry a hundred different fly
patterns!
Anglers who specialize in certain niches may well need to
carry other patterns. Although it is not the intention of this
essay to cover all of the endless possibilities, we can devote
some space to the more obvious ones. Bluefishermen need flies
that will hold up to the onslaught of vise-like jaws and
piranha-like teeth. Bob Popovics' Surf Candy series, with their
epoxy bodies and synthetic materials, resist the worst blues can
dish out. A few winter days spent at the tying vise can result in
an entire season's supply of Candy.
Barracuda are an excellent fly rod target, but have unusual
dietary preferences. Long streamers tied to imitate needlefish
are among the most effective barracuda flies. Although these are
definitely one fish-one fly ties, fortunately they're easy to
make.
The art of fooling bonefish has caused the development of a
lot of flies dedicated to their unique mode of feeding. Once
again, there is no need to carry every bonefish pattern ever
made. A variety of sizes and colors of the basic, proven patterns
in both unweighted and weighted versions will usually guarantee
success.
Tarpon. Many anglers believe it is the ultimate fly rod fish.
I'm inclined to agree. Stu Apte developed what turned out to be
the classic tarpon streamer for fishing on flats. Although tied
with many different color combinations, and while other materials
are now being used besides the basic hackle feathers, Apte's
original design is still the standard tie for tarpon flies. It's
fairly easy to tie, it resists fouling, it casts well, and tarpon
eat it. What more could a fisherman want in a fly?
Every fly fisher, especially if he ties his own flies, will
favor certain patterns. He'll modify patterns to suit his needs.
If he's observant, clever, and innovative, he'll develop new
patterns to fill a need others haven't seen. His fly box will
hold a combination of those classic standards that work anywhere
and those special flies that work so well in his own unique
situation.
Use the patterns described here to begin to stock
your own box, and use your own experiences to try to finish the
job. You'll find, as all other fly fishers before you have, that
the job never stops. New materials, new ideas, new patterns,
continually pour out from the fertile minds of great fly fishers
everywhere. Let me know about your own innovations and successes.
We can all use all the help we can get!
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