Flies for Spring Fishing (What's in your Box)

[HarrisonD]

Every year I tie flies and wonder what new flies I will add to my tackle bag. It always ends up that I go with the same flies, mostly clousers. The colors that I usually go to are the crab colored clouser, chartreuse/white, yellow white, blue/white and some deceivers. I always have half/half with just about the same colors. How about you guys and gals.

[FlyFishntheRide]

Without a chartreuse/white and crab colored clouser. Also pretty much the same other flies;

half and half
BTD's
epoxy minnow/surf candy
deceivers

This year I want to play with some gurgler flies also.

[Cutter]

Tony's flies when I can steal them;)

[Capt. Matt]

Whatever is in my box on the boat from last season and what clients left behind :)
Honestly I'm a no frills angler/guide....if its got white or chartreuse and flash it catches fish.

[paxfish]

Dan - We've been fishing deep for the last month, so that means big ole Clousers. I've gotten a few on bucktail deceivers also.

In a few weeks, the siliclones come into play and then LOOKOUT!

[TimeFlies]

I'm still getting my feet wet with saltwater flyfishing, but other than some Gonzos and silicone baitfish patterns, my box looks about the same as everyone's above.

[bchipps]

What are you considering crab colored? Green-blue?

[Bill Couch]

Some of these.:))

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k212/BILLCOUCH/flys06015.jpg

In many colors.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k212/BILLCOUCH/2007_0226Image0018.jpg

[Joe Bruce]

I guess since I originally tied this variation of Clouser's Minnow I'll give the recipe... The eye on top of the hook shank and all the other materials are tied on the hook point side. Also this fly is tied very full compared to Bobs. 1. Tie a bundle of white bucktail about 2 1/2 times the hook shank length in front of the eye and than advance the tread behind the hook eye and wrap several spirals around the hoon shank and advance the thread in front is the eye. Since this is a heavy tie, I usually tie the butts of the white right behind the hook eye to start a base for all of the other materials. 2. Take about 15 to 20 piece of golf Krystal Flash and tie that over the tie in point of the white bucktail. 3. Tie in a bundle of tan buctail on top of this tie , with the butt a little to the lead eye to build the head of the fly. 4. Take 15 to 20 peices of copper Flashabou and tie this on top of the tan bucktail. 5. Tie a bundle of olive bucktail over the flashabou a little further back than the tan bucktail and procede to form the head and tie off. I always use fire-orange flat waxed nylon for all my flies. If any of you folks out there can post a shot of the fly, I'm sure this will help in the tying process. This has always been my "go to fly" in the salt.
Joe

[bunyan]

Joe, I've always wondered why there isn't any blue on your crab colored fly? Had you tried it or did the fly work fine without it?

[HarrisonD]

Getting the expert envolved is great. Thanks Joe. I remember the first time we fished together and brought the crab colored clouser out. It has been the go to fly eversince. From Florida to the Bahamas and on the Chesapeake it is increditable. Couch those are great looking flies. The gonzo is another great fly and you will find it there also. bchipps the crab clouser is a clouser tied with olive drab, tan, and white bucktail with sparce crystal and lots of copper flashabou. IT WORKS! Pax I used some silicone flies you sent me last year. The blues got them. What can we trade?
Dan

[ghrousseau]

I did really well on gold Kastmasters last year in the inlets for specks and puppy drums, so I am going to try some gold Cave's wobblers. I also bought a cool looking fly at Crab Creek that is made of brown leather and trimed with grizzly hackle on the edge. It looks like a baby flounder. I also took some Merkins that I bought and colored them with blue and green sharpies to look like baby blue crabs. I'll post any the results, but I am excited to give those baby flounder flies a try.

[paxfish]

Ha! A proper 'clone is a time-intensive fly! And you were throwing them to bluefish? Assamattaforyou?

At least tell me they were BIG bluefish!

[HarrisonD]

bchipps the crab pattern is a basic clouser. Except that the colors are in combination and sequenchal olive, tan, white, with copper flash and pearl or tan crystal flash. Joe ties his all on the hook side after placing the eyes. I started doing that a couple years ago. It will pretty much make it weedless. Down here we have a lot of floating sea grass after May. You can also tie it like the standard clouser, I do that also. I don't add any blue to mind and I have never seen any in Joe's that doesn't say you can't experiment. They are called the blue claw crab!!!!

[Capt. Matt]

Best trick (and funniest) that I ever learned about flies was how critical fly selection was....
Tie a piece of rag or t-shirt on the hook and it'll catch fish, I've done this on the flats, CBBT, here in the sound and at Harkers and yes it catches fish and quite a few laughs.

Dan... I thought you were supposed to be out on the water today for the first time..... did you get out and if so did you catch anything?

[OneMoreCast]

That might work great when the fish are going crazy but make no bones about it... fly selection matters just as much as line selection. The only thing more important than fly selection is location.
Fish can be tough to catch.. I've seen it a billion times. I'm to the point where I'm actually happy when I hear people say "chart/white clouser" because it just means they have zero chance of catching a fish in the spots I frequent.

[Capt. Matt]

That might work great when the fish are going crazy but make no bones about it... fly selection matters just as much as line selection. The only thing more important than fly selection is location.
Fish can be tough to catch.. I've seen it a billion times. I'm to the point where I'm actually happy when I hear people say "chart/white clouser" because it just means they have zero chance of catching a fish in the spots I frequent.

Hey OMC, no.. actually it works just like any other fly even when the fish are not schooled up. I agree though about selection at times and know full well how tough they can be to catch under some conditions (remember it's what I do for a living). Don't get your hackle feathers ruffled, I'm just poking fun.
The fella that taught me that trick is a commercial hook & liner, ask Bill Schotta about it sometime and he'll know who I'm talking about.

[OneMoreCast]

My feathers aren't ruffled... this is just how I am all the time. :yes: Flies matter...that was my point. no biggie man... Most of the guides around here get their flies from me... so.. I'm kinda up on patterns etc.

Yooo...Dan.. I hope everything is going well for you buddy. We are thinkin about you up here.

[Capt. Matt]

OMC, you da man if you keep up with all the latest and greatest patterns and variations. I used to tie in the Salsisbury fly shop all the time and try to come up with new variations along with Dan but have long since given it up. Heck, I'm down to just tying as needed a couple times or so a season since so many clients bring such a huge stash of their own anymore. So essentially I only keep the basics in bulk and a few special patterns.
Sure selection matters and I caught were you were coming from but love making humor of the immense amount of fly variations out there. I still like to keep a couple of those rag flies handy.
You know the guys I get from Jersey and other guides I know up there soak almost everything in bunker oil which is cheating of course. Its more the taste for them than the pattern :)

[Double Haul]

Clousers, grey over white and chart over white.
Surf candy

maybe some clousers in shrimp or crab colors.

What else should you need?

[paxfish]

Jersey, Huh? Everybody hit the deck! INCOMING!

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/ug/eardley/atom_bomb_2.jpg

[HarrisonD]

Hey Mat; I sent you a message. The trip was suppose to have been Dale Dixon and his attorney friend. His buddy had a serious heart problem. He was suppose to be at the OC show which was changed from the fall to the spring. Dale's wife called and told me that he was at the Hospital with him. I got a call Wednesday and he told me that he couldn't make it. I will be out tomorrow.

[Capt. Matt]

Hey Dan,

Did not get the message for some reason. Hopefully Dale's buddy makes out okay, they were great guys. I'll probably clean the boat up some and go out sometime next week but not fishing clients till May. Hope to see ya out there.

Good luck on Sat., looks to be a beauty.