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This section of the web
site will be dedicated to the Fly of the Month. Each month, we
will take a local fly that has been doing well on fish, and give you
step-by-step instructions on how to tie it. Many of these
flies will be submitted by local guides. Each fly will contain
a materials list, as well as a guide on how to fish it.
June Fly of the Month
The Sexy Slider (submitted
by Captain John Tarr)
The Sexy Slider is a
modified version of Tim Borski's Redfish Slider. The pattern
was developed after casting the original Redfish Slider at laid up
fish and having them refuse it. The use of a rabbit zonker
seems to entice the fish to move when they are laid up, and this fly
has proven extremely effective on finicky fish.
Materials: Mustad 34007 (sizes 6-1),
grizzly olive rabbit zonker, dark olive cross-cut rabbit zonker,
olive deer body hair, lead eyes (size dependent on depth of water).
Step 1: Place the hook in the vice with the
hook point up. Attach the thread towards the rear. leaving the
front of the hook shank bare. Just in front of the hook point,
tie in the rabbit zonker, to the bottom of the hook shank, with the
fur up. Center the strip over the hook point and push the hook
point through the strip; this will allow you to pull the strip down
through the bend of the hook, so the strip will lay out the back of
the hook.
Step 2: Cut a section of cross-cut
rabbit zonker about 2" long. Attach this at the same place
that the original zonker was tied onto the hook shank. The
cross-cut zonker is going to be palmered forward, so make sure that
the hair flows towards the rear of the hook. Palmer the strip
forward 3-4 wraps, depending on the hook size. Then, tie off
the cross-cut strip and cut off any excess.
Step 3: Move the thread forward, about
1/8" behind the hook eye. Rotate the hook point down and
attach the eyes to the top of the hook shank. Secure and apply
a small amount of head cement. There should be a gap between
the eyes and the end of the palmered rabbit strip.
Step 4: Move the thread to the rear of
the eyes. Rotate the hook point up again. Cut a small
clump of deer body hair. Clean out the fluff and make sure
that the tips are facing backwards. Hold the hair so that it
can be attached right behind the eyes. Place two loose wraps
of thread around the hair; these wraps should be loose enough that
they will not attempt to flare the hair at all. After the
second wrap, put the thread straight down, causing the hair to
flare; do not let it spin. The clump should be kept flared, on
the bottom of the hook shank. Secure the flared clump with
three or four more wraps and then move the thread back in front of
the eyes.
Step 5: Whip finish the head and cut off
the thread. Now, begin trimming the deer hair. The overall
shape of the head should be somewhat crab-like. There should
be enough bulk that it will push water as the fly is stripped, but
it should be trimmed enough that the fly will sink.
This fly is most effective when the fish are
cruising through open water. It should be placed far enough in
front of the fish, that it will sink to the fish's level. Slow
strips, that cause the fly to rise and fall, seem to work the best.
For shoreline cruisers, the fly can be cast far enough ahead and
allowed to rest on the bottom. When the fish is within 6-8", a
short, quick strip will usually entice a strike. The colors
can be modified to suit any local waters. In addition, this fl
tied in black/purple has been effective on tarpon. Tied in
red/white, it has worked well on snook. Trout will readily
take the fly, meaning that this fly will work on just about anything
out there. We have even tied it in chartreuse, on 1/0 hooks,
for cobia, with great results!
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