Tied up some Eel Flies

[Paul D]

I tied up some Eel flies last night. This was one of my most productive lies last year.

[bucko]

Nice work. How long are they?

[Paul D]

Flies are about 5-6" long.

Hook: TMC 600 SP #1/0 or hook of preference. Hook is wrapped with lead and covered with thread and sealed.
Thread: Olive or Black flymaster.
Head: Pearl Mylar EZ Body.
Tail: Four black saddle hackles tied deceiver style, flanked by one smaller yellow or chartreuse saddle hackle, and flanked by one olive grizzly saddle hackle.
Wing & Throat: Black buck tail. Tied on top and under rear saddle hackles extending 2-3”.
Flash: 2 strands of blue, 2 strands of red, 2 strands of silver, and 2 strands of chartreuse flash-a-boo. Tied in on both sides of the rear saddle hackles.
Eyes: Silver stick-on eyes.
*Head is colored with permanent marking pens. Then head and eyes are given a coat of expoxy.

There are many versions of this fly out there. This is the way I tie it. When fishing for big fish at night this is one of my “go to” patterns. I love flies with a large or long profile in the water. This fly also has a lot of movement. The mylar EZ body head has a great translucent shimmer in the water. I also weight the hook with lead. This gives the fly a more substantial and natural sink rate. After casting this fly I’ll just let it sink before retrieving it. Many times I’ll get a hit shortly after the fly hits the water. This is an extremely durable fly.

One of the great things about fly tying is the ability to experiment. I also tie this fly in olive and white. Don’t be afraid to vary colors or even the materials.

[rphud]

Very interesting. What "type" of water do you normally fish this in? Beach, breach, moving...etc.

[Paul D]

I mostly fish estuaries, back bays, beaches but not much surf. I'm on Long Island Sound. I live on a river that holds stripers all winter long, the Housatonic. I fish the Cape alot. I like to position myself near channels, rips, and/or any fish "highways". If I'm not fishing this eel fly at night, I'm fishing a "Black Angus". I've found both to be deadly at night.

[rphud]

Got it. Thanks for the info. Bob H.

[jredfly]

Very nice work and thanks for providing all the detail!

[saltydog]

cool, you mostly fish NIGHTS with them ??
GOOD LUCK GOOD TYIN

[Paul D]

The flies in black at night......yellow and chartreuse during the day.

[saltydog]

Dont put your BLACK flys away, during the day, you couldent ask for a better eel pattern the BLACK in the water, I caught meny stripers on BLACK flys during the day.
GOOD LUCK GOOD TYIN