innovation in the art of fly tying — a fly design or technique that is so unique it changes the way we fish, and funda- mentally changes the sport. One such innovative design technique led Joe Blados to create the “Crease Fly” to mimic the profile of the prolific imma- ture menhaden.
Crease flies can be fished under the surface, fast, slow and any speed in between.
One characteristic of creature flies is a very
Very simply tied, the fly sports a tail and a wing of bucktail combined with a body of silver tinsel.
What makes the Crease Fly a solid choice for the “salty six” is its unique versatility.
While originally conceived for the
inshore fishery of the North Fork of Long Island, this fly has an established global track record of success. I have witnessed the range of the Crease Fly’s effectiveness from silver salmon in Alaska to the surface-feeding gamefish of the Yucatan Peninsula and all stops in between, both in saltwater and fresh. It is also a very effective offshore pat- tern for tuna and other large game fish. What makes the Crease Fly a solid choice for the “salty six” is its unique versatility. While built primarily for top- water fly-fishing, Crease flies can be fished under the surface, fast, slow and any speed in between. The Crease Fly can be tied in petite sizes for wary albies or as a magnum fly for offshore species.
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began to take hold in the Unites States. One of the foremost classic hair wing patterns of the time was the Joe Brook’s Blonde, a streamer fly. The Blonde has withstood the test of time and has been the structural basis upon which many other “hair” flies have been crafted. It is a classic saltwater fly pattern, one of the styles of flies I used to fool my first striped bass.
While the original tie has account- ed for many varied species of fresh- water and saltwater fish, the pattern lends itself well to numerous varia- tions and enhancements. Very simply tied, the fly sports a tail and a wing of bucktail combined with a body of sil- ver tinsel. The head is typically built with black thread. It can be tied in most any color combination and size. Through mixing and matching of hair colors, natural and synthetic tying materials and, tying methods, this class of flies can replicate many differ- ent bait forms.
NUMBER 6: CRUSTACEAN CREATURE FLY
Crabs, crayfish, small lobsters and shrimp are as much a dietary prefer-
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buggy-looking appearance and lots of movement. Game fish will eat crus- tacean flies drifted in currents and rips off deep water or on skinny water flats as they cruise about for the next meal. Size and color variations to match the prevalent crustaceans and bot- tom conditions are helpful under diverse fishing conditions.
NUMBER 5: CLASSIC HAIRWING
The hairwing class of patterns is one of the simplest of all fly designs and was one of the first to emerge during the 1950s when saltwater fly fishing
ence of desirable game fish as they are a delight to the human palate. My last fly selection is made for what I have come to refer to as a hybrid creature fly, a pattern style that blends the best attributes of each crustacean “creature.”
Bonefish, redfish, permit and also striped bass are especially partial to creature flies. Some excellent examples of this design are: Caolo’s Green Diabo and Pink Lady, Borski’s Chernobyl Crab and Curcione’s Beach Bug. So there you have it, six styles of flies you may not want to live without if you had only a half dozen selections
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