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11/27/11

fly fishing hawaii:

the weather outside is frightful, but the squimp is so delightful.

 

well for the past couple of weeks the 'aina (island) has made it perfectly clear that it is winter around here.  cooler more northerly winds, low (or no) sun and fishing conditions that are unpredictable at best.  don’t get me wrong, there are definitely still fish to be caught out there, one of the blessings of being relatively near to the equator.  when the weather is like this, though, you have to be prepared to do what it takes to avoid the many empty days the gods may try to throw at you.

 

it has been fantastic weather to stay in bed and watch t.v. all day.  not that anyone who fishes and writes an occasional blog about it would ever succumb to doing of course.  i did pry myself off the futon long enough to fish a couple of times since my last blog, oh so many moons ago.  i have to admit that this kind of weather we’ve been having makes me kind of lethargic and lazy.  even when i did fish, it wasn’t with my normal vigor (“half ass” as we call it around here).  i got out to the lake with e.t. one day and can report that there are schooling fish busting on shad out there.  you just gotta be there at the right time when they are really going at it which, unfortunately, was not when ed and i were out there.  there were fish busting sporadically pretty much all day but it was nearly impossible to get on them.  from what i saw though, i know they probably are going off at sometime and if you are lucky enough to be there at that time, you’ll get into some crazy action.  i did get a couple of peacocks but it was tough sleddin’.  i fished my new sage bass II 230gr. rod... very sweet.  a little crisper than the older bass rod series and a definitely better reel seat.  if you are looking for just one rod for the lake this may just be the one.

 

 

meanwhile, on the bonefish front, it’s that time of year where you can’t always count on sight fishing due to spotty light conditions and cooler temperatures which can make it hard to find fish shallow.  even the hardened sight fishers (you know who you are) have been known to catch a day saver with a blind cast or two on a cloudy winter day.  if that scenario sounds vaguely familiar, you may be interested in adding the orange squimp to your arsenal.  i’m not sure who invented this fly or how it was originally tied.  i do know how i like to tie it and that it has “saved the day” for me in the past and just a few days ago as well, if i’m not mistaken.  anyway take a look and give it a try, hopefully it will save a day or two for you this winter.

 

the shtuff...

hook: your favorite size 4 standard saltwater hook.  tmc811, mustad 3407, gamakatsu sl-11-3h, pretty much any hook will work but i prefer the ones like these.

eyes: 5/32 grey real eyes plus.

thread: tan.

tail: orange craft fur.

body: orange dubbing. any kind, it doesn’t really matter.  here i am using hareline custom blend dubbing hot orange.

wing: tan craft fur.

legs: hareline loco legs orange shrimp or whatever silicone legs that floats your boat.

 

note about color: i am not particular about color (like some peeps out there are).  the only thing that matters to me with this fly is that the tail, body, and legs are not exactly the same shade of orange.  nothing in nature is a solid color so i avoid using materials that are exactly the same color.

 

step1:  tie in the eyes toward the bend of the hook just above the hook point.  this reverse tied design assures that the hook will ride with the point up and also gives the fly a little different action in the water compared to like a clouser or christmas island special design that has the eyes tied in toward the eye of the hook.

 

step 2: tie in a clump of orange craft fur about the length of the hook shank.

 

step3: tie in two sili legs one on each side.  i tie them in both at once and stretch them a little, holding the legs in place on each side while tying them in.

 

step 4: advance the thread foreward to about a sixteenth of an inch from the hook eye.  add dubbing either by twisting the dubbing onto the thread or with a dubbing loop.

 

step 5: wrap the dubbing back to the tail and around the brass eyes and back toward the hook eye forming a tapered body that tapers toward the eye of the hook.

 

step6: tie in a clump of tan craft fur that is as long as or just slightly longer than the tail.

 

step7: tie in sili legs on each side of the thread head.  i tie both of them in together with two loose wraps of thread, adjust them and lock them in place with more wraps of thread. whip finish, trim the silicone legs to your liking...

 

and finished!  wow, sooo shrimpy.

 

tie up a bunch of squimps and go out and face whatever old man winter wants to throw at you.  who knows, it may just be the ticket.  saved my ass... good times.

 

clay.


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