Wintertime in the United States is well, wintery? Cold?
We really couldn’t come up with an adjective to describe it until I thought of my eye doctor “Fish- less.” He got that name a few years back and it stuck for some reason. He’s an excellent fisher- man, but his nickname really describes winter well, it’s a fishless period. Its not the best time for fishing in saltwater, in fact you can’t even really think of salt water fishing in the northeastern part of the US after October. The Striped Bass usually pass through New York, New Jersey to Maryland and points further south where they winter over in mid October. That’s about the last of the good fishing there until the Striper pass through there again in April on their way north to Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut & the cooler waters of the northern states. The anticipation of spring’s arrival usually worsens after the distraction of the holidays. We know this first hand as most of the contributors have lived or still live in the Northeast. We thought about the January edition of Tail and truly wanted to create something to help pass the time. When we started running out of time, we started working on our Fishless idea. When the Fish less period ends may your fly box be filled and your enthusiasm renewed. Another option to counter the fish less period is to take your vacation in January and pick an almost impossible to go wrong place like Andros, Panama or Venezuela to visit. We think the following flies are you should spend your time making to ensure you have a nice supply come spring. Note that our list is not “the list” of must have flies, but we have our reasons recommending spending your time on these patterns and we’ll explain why.
1. CRAZY CHARLIE
Bob Nauheim from California developed the Crazy Charlie in the late 1970s while fishing with Bahamian fishing guide Charlie Smith on Andros. It remains one of the most popular bonefish flies today. It is possible the most effective pattern for bonefish depending on who you ask. We think it is location dependent, as most things are. Charlies are most effective in the Bahamas, Central & South America but are also used in Hawaii & the South Pacific. Funny thing about this fly, it was designed to imitate a glass minnow, not a shrimp.
Why?
They work for bonefish almost anywhere in the world. They are easy to tie They look cool lined up in your bonefish box.
GOTCHA
This is another insanely useful fly and you can’t mention the Crazy Charlie without giving props to the Gotcha created by Jim McVay. He tied the first fly using carpet clippings from an Andros Island cab. It worked so his son Ted modified the fly using craft fur for the wing. Bonefish love small shrimp, and it’s easy to understand why they love the Gotcha Fly! The name is credited to Rupert Leadon, an Andros guide, who screamed “Gotcha!” every time a fish took the fly.
Why?
They work for bonefish almost anywhere in the world. They are easy to tie
They look cool lined up in your bonefish box.
3.TARPON TOAD
The toad is a fly made popular by the Chasing Silver series a few years back. We don’t really know who came up with it but lots of people are willing to take credit for it. It is a small fly which looks like a baitfish or a small squid. It just seems to work for some reason despite being a less than perfect imitation of anything. We think it’s meant to mimic a small toadfish, especially in the black & purple colors.
Why?
The tarpon will be coming back to Central America, the Bahamas & the USA in the spring. Be ready. They are easy to tie but do take a little bit of time, better to get an early start.
GUMMY MINNOW
Because they work on tarpon, bonefish, snook and just about anything else that eats small baitfish. The gummy body material used to make these flies are one of the newer innovations in fly tying however there is really very little actual tying involved in making this fly.
Why?
They never foul.
They work on many different species in many different conditions They are tricky to make, starting in January gives you plenty of time.
BAUER CRAB
Speaking of being a pain to make, have you seen the Bauer crab? This fly was created by Will Bauer in the 1970’s for fishing for Permit in Central America. After some input from guides like Lincoln Westby, the tan Bauer with Brown legs has become a staple for anyone considering fishing for Permit in Florida or Central America.
Why?
They are hard to find. For some reason many fly shops don’t carry them
They take a while to make and if fishing in areas with coral and other obstacles, you’ll need quite a few of them.
They work for bonefish as well.
EP EVERGLADES MINNOW
This is a super effective pattern created by Enrico Puglisi for, yep you guessed it….fishing the Everglades. It is a typical minnow pattern tied in EP fashion and works for everything from baby tarpon, snook, redfish. We even use it for cichlids, bass & peacock bass in the canals in Florida. We’ve been trying them out on striped bass as well. Again, we’ll keep you posted.
Why?
They cost $6-7 each, do you want to buy them? They are a really good overall minnow pattern. They seem to work on a variety of species
CLOUSER MINNOW
Do we really need to say much about the Clouser minnow. Bob Clouser of Middletown Pennsylvania created this fly in 1987 for bass fishing on the Susquehanna River. It has been made in just about every size & color combination and successfully caught over 121 different species. It is the most productive pattern in the world.
Why?
Having this one in different colors and sizes is a must, it works everywhere. They are easy & fun to tie.
They too look cool lined up in your fly box.
POPPERS
Hair Poppers or regular formed foam poppers are a staple for fly fisherman as well. They work in fresh & salt water for everything from bass to Marlin. Depending on where you plan to fish will obviously dictate style, size & color. We found it helpful to have some raw material handy for poppers this winter while in Mexico. John Melfi tied up some special poppers which worked on the striped marlins there. Now we call him “Popper John.” If your Marlin is not delivered in 30 minutes or less your popper is free.
Why?
They are the perfect top water fly.
They can be fished just about anywhere.
They are easy to make but require time to dry.
VEVERKA’S MANTIS SHRIMP
Created by Bob Veverka because he wanted to have one of his own creations in his box. Well he made a good one, his mantis shrimp is a consistently used & productive pattern wherever there are bonefish. There is an overwrap associated with this fly that makes it a little more time consuming to make than others. We usually tie up 50 every winter in anticipation of the spring.
Why?
Could be one of the all time best shrimp patterns ever. They aren’t hard to make but they do take time. Bonefish can resist them.
