Plunger Fly

I cannot take credit for this design - I saw a post Vlad over in the Boston area had put up and decided to give it a try. Not the easiest fly to tie - actually it was a pain in the ass. This should get the neighborhood kaku pretty excited. Too bad it's been raining cats and dogs...

Sunday Afternoon Flies

I tied more pink flies. One is a standard bulbous minnow and the other is a high-tied keel minnow. And I tied a couple of mylar minnows (Kaku Crack) - in my typical short size and the new stinger setup. I'm gunning for some kaku to hit the long one - supposedly they really like eating needlefish. The stinger is connected to the front hook with a piece of Tyger Wire (tied with a two turn clinch, with the tag end whipped finished with the tying thread). I really want to test this one out...

A Couple of Flies That Didn't Go Fishing

This past friday, I got the urge to tie up some flies - but it wasn't until late that I was able to sit down in front of the vise. These two 'fries' are the results. My intention was to use these to test out the long casting capability (would they hold up to the higher force). But when I go to the beach Saturday morning, I figured I'd work my down from using bait (to get rid of the skunk), to grubs and then the flies. While using bait, I did hook up to this roi (they get much bigger, but this is not a small one). These roi are tasty as they are grouper, but out on tropical reefs they can pick up ciguatera - better safe than sorry. But these are also invasive out here in Hawaii and they have been decimating the native fish. I ended up taking this guy and buried it next to some burrowing crab holes (dinner for them). The tide was pretty full, so I didn't get back out to test the flies. There's always next time!

Big Fat Orange Fly

This is similar to the ones I was tying a year ago. Trying to imitate an orange mantis shrimp. I fished this on Friday and unfortunately lost it to the drop off (on a rock presumably).

Kaku Candy and Versatile Bite Tippet

On one of the fishing outings, I tied on the mylar tubing baitfish. And after three casts, I felt pressure come on, and then suddenly slack. That means only one thing - barracuda on, barracuda off after it cut through the leader. Good news - I stumbled on a fly that kaku hit without hesitating. Bad news, I didn't have any more tied up so time to do something else. Moving on - here are the reinforcements. I tied these with lead wrapped around the shank to help it drop through the water column. Stripping will bring it back to the surface so these should cover more water and find more fish. To address the cutoffs, I also got some tiny snaps and swivels and wire tippet. I have been tying on flies or kastmasters for barracuda using the wire tippet and 12# fluorocarbon joined by an Albright knot. The problem with those setups is you can't change out the fly or lure. I didn't use snaps before because the ones I had were too big and not conducive to fly casting. With these small bite guards and lightly weighted "kaku candy" flies, fishing this weekend should lead to some catching. I hope. More to follow...

Small Baitfish Fly

Tied up with the cord braid I bought from JoAnn's back in Tacoma. AWESOME!!!

Spam and Eggs Varient

The original "Spam and Eggs" fly was pumped out by Coach Duff - a guide out here on Oahu. It was built to mimic the mantis shrimp that live on the flats out here. Here's my version of the Spam and Eggs tied up for skinnier water. Of note I tied the egg sack on the bottom side of the fly - that is not what is done on the original. With the weed guard, hopefully I can strip it through the rocks and gravel without it getting hung up. This is the first time I've used EP fibers - they are really stiff and like to stay clumped together. Good stuff for use on the tail. Now all that remains to be seen is how the bonefish like this fly.

Reduced Entry Noise Ammunition

I tied up some flies this week that I'll use over the next couple of days. These were tied with three principles: to make as little splash as possible when entering super skinny water, to prevent the hangups in the rocks/gravel when stripping, and to mimic the mantis shrimp on the flat. We'll see how the fish like them - I'd eat these...

Cartoon Character

I also wanted to cast the flyrod to prevent the onset of rust, so I put away the spinning gear and setup the Helios/Hatch 8 wt. Here's the fly I used. Sometimes the result of tying up a fly makes you wonder... This one looked like a big bird chick after it just hatched out. Well - the local barracuda like to eat big birds - I had cast this fly out and was stripping it in pretty quickly. I saw a barracuda hit it (big splashes and a mouth out of the water), had it hooked for a second and 'ping' it was able to cut itself off. I guess I should tie up more flies to resemble cartoon characters...

Experimental Ammunition

I went to the monthly meeting of Trout Unlimited Hawaii Chapter yesterday evening and asked about what flies catch o'io out here. Twice I got the answer "orange Crazy Charlies". Tonight I tied up a handful of flies that I hope will appease the snobby bonefish. There is one charlie in size 4, three of them in size 6 and one size 4 (slightly longer shanked Gamakatsu) Horderve. The Horderve is the new and improved version - I'll post the step-by-step recipe next.

New Flies at Work

I went flyfishing yesterday to specifically test out the two flies I had recently tied up - the Horderve (yes this is spelled incorrectly IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO THE SNACKS - this is the surfer-redneck spelling of the FLY that I tied - the other spelling is too complicated) and the Fat Belly Minnow Strip. The Horderve as tied did last through the fishing session. It also didn't weigh so much that it affected the casting (it actually cast pretty easily). What did happen though was the back of the body where the eye stalks poke through started to come apart and one of the claws started to come apart. I can fix the first problem with a velcro coin on top of the foam body. The second issue can be solved by using a little more clear cure goo 'hydro' along the length of the claw and not just the tip or pincher. This fly did turn some bonefish heads, but I wasn't able to set the hook. I think the snag guard I set up was too stiff (25# Mason). I think I'll tie the next Horderve with a 15# mono guard instead. I am getting closer the accomplishing this goal (catching a Hawaiian Bonefish). The Fat Belly is a minnow strip that is used for 'whipping'. This one is thicker than the ones I normally use when I go whipping (seems like the papio and other fish like the thinner ones - more undulation action). I put some lead wire on the hook shank, then put some gummi body on the top of the hook shank. Then I put the minnow strip on top of the gummi body. I GENTLY wrapped the portion of the fly that covered the lead wire, whip finished and then reinforced the wrapped body with clear cure goo 'thin'. Too bad the fish didn't hit it.

A Handful of Flies

I got the urge to tie up some flies today. I especially wanted to tie an improved version of the "Bloody Guts". I used UV epoxy on all of the ones I tied today. This is a Black Crab on a size 6 Mustad 34001 hook - pretty much the same size as the fiddlers and marsh crabs I've seen on the salt marsh flats. This is a Yarn Legged Shrimp - I envisioned this from the last needlefish I caught that took the shrimp fly I was chucking. This should be easier on the needlefish. Maybe I can fool a flounder with this one also. Last but not least, I tied up these tiny flies on a size 16 barbless Gamakatsu hook - both are for the baby whiting and small pompano that swim in the surge line (where the waves wash up on the shore). The redhead is a general attractor and the orangebutt fly is a mole crab imitation. I want to cast these two with the Epic 480 that I built out.

Brewing at the Vise

I've been getting the inclination to tie some flies. Here's a few images that I pulled off the web/books and will soon be working on. These guys are for paddle trips to the salt marshes. These guys are for the pompano that are south bound as you are reading this.

Small Pink Shrimp Flies

I tied these guys up yesterday. Size 8 Gamakatsu Octopus hooks. Pink Estaz and some pink deer tail hair. I used black small bead chain for some weight to get them down deeper, quicker.