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What is everyones favorite fly for Blues? Im just trying to get all my gear ready for the year and was looking for some help.
Joey
Joey
Blue Fish Flies?
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My experience has indicated that when they turn on you can throw just about anything and it will get attacked, but I usually use a chartreuse/white , white/white clouser (both with some flash). Strip fast, hand over hand. Match the fly length to the bait fish that they're targeting. Others here will have a lot of suggestions and be more experienced than myself
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Solomons MD. I was using some clouser's and a few deceiver's this summer along with some Gonzos my teacher tied me but a few got torn up and I lost 2 to fricken skates this summer.
Joey
Joey
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Sometimes blues can be very picky but when they are and ignoring spoons and even plastics on spinning, an all synthetic type streamer with big eyes often gets some play.
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Hey Joey, that teacher wouldn't happen to be a Mr. Barracato, would it?
If it is, tell him David M says hello.
If the blues and rays are around, definitely hide your Gonzos. Save them for the finicky stripers and big croakers. If I'm targetting blues (or if I know they're mixed in) I like to use silicone or siliskin flies like these...
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David
If it is, tell him David M says hello.
If the blues and rays are around, definitely hide your Gonzos. Save them for the finicky stripers and big croakers. If I'm targetting blues (or if I know they're mixed in) I like to use silicone or siliskin flies like these...
David
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202 Posts
Bluefish flies...
I second the synthetics. Natural materials will last about 2 bluefish if you are lucky. Truth is, when they are really feeding on a school of bait, you could throw an old beer can pull tab and they would probably hit it. I like simple patterns to match the bait. On the retrieve, sometimes a fast hand over hand is best, sometimes just a twitch like a wounded fish is the ticket. A wire leader is a must as well.
Have fun!
I second the synthetics. Natural materials will last about 2 bluefish if you are lucky. Truth is, when they are really feeding on a school of bait, you could throw an old beer can pull tab and they would probably hit it. I like simple patterns to match the bait. On the retrieve, sometimes a fast hand over hand is best, sometimes just a twitch like a wounded fish is the ticket. A wire leader is a must as well.
Have fun!
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Ya its Mr. Barracato. He set me up for last summers Saltwater fly season. I really liked them and saved a couple. I am starting to tie now and when we figure something out hopefully he can teach me how to tie them. I just started and its all ready a blast. I figure if I start to learn how to now, I will be at least decent at it for the summer.
Joey
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That's cool! Jay's a good guy. He hooked my wife and me up with a boatload of flies as a wedding present that we took on our honeymoon to Belize and caught tons of different fish on.
Sounds like you're getting into the tying thing, which is great. I resisted it for the longest time and just started a couple of years ago. I don't get to tie too often but it's fun messing around with different patterns when I get the chance.
If you can make it you should definitely try to go to Tiefest in February. There will be tons of excellent tiers there that you will learn a lot from. It's a great time every year.
David
Sounds like you're getting into the tying thing, which is great. I resisted it for the longest time and just started a couple of years ago. I don't get to tie too often but it's fun messing around with different patterns when I get the chance.
If you can make it you should definitely try to go to Tiefest in February. There will be tons of excellent tiers there that you will learn a lot from. It's a great time every year.
David
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HAHA, I have had the tie fest on my calender since the day it got posted. I cant wait! Im getting really itchy to get out though!
Joey
Joey
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I don't generally target them, usually I just end up finding them while looking for Stripers, so I use whatever I have tied on. But, if I find Blues busting bait on the surface where they'll hit most anything, I use a simple synthetic pattern, that's similar in shape to the bottom fly that David M posted, except the body is not epoxied, just the head.
I tie them with Ultra hair, Fish Hair or the crinkled nylon that's used on jigs. I make them in different colors, but primarily chartreuse, chart./ white, or all white, and in lengths from about 4 to 6 inches. I tie them with the Danville Depth Ray flat nylon and use neon white, neon red or the neon chartreuse for the heads and add several strands of holographic flash down each side, then epoxy over the heads. Occasionally I'll add eyes, but most times I don't.
I usually use 2/0 or 3/0 Mustad 3407 hooks, or any other fairly inexpensive saltwater hooks I can find and I fish them with a 4 inch wire leader to cut down on bite offs.
I don't use premium hooks since I know I'll lose a lot of these flies, and so, I sharpen the hooks before tying. I've even used some tinned Carlisle style hooks for these flies.
I tie them with Ultra hair, Fish Hair or the crinkled nylon that's used on jigs. I make them in different colors, but primarily chartreuse, chart./ white, or all white, and in lengths from about 4 to 6 inches. I tie them with the Danville Depth Ray flat nylon and use neon white, neon red or the neon chartreuse for the heads and add several strands of holographic flash down each side, then epoxy over the heads. Occasionally I'll add eyes, but most times I don't.
I usually use 2/0 or 3/0 Mustad 3407 hooks, or any other fairly inexpensive saltwater hooks I can find and I fish them with a 4 inch wire leader to cut down on bite offs.
I don't use premium hooks since I know I'll lose a lot of these flies, and so, I sharpen the hooks before tying. I've even used some tinned Carlisle style hooks for these flies.
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Hey Hedda.
You're right, I meant to say epoxy. Something like a siliclone wouldn't fare too well with a bluefish chewing on it.
For epoxy flies I use a dentist spatula (I got mine from widgetsupply.com, no affiliation) to apply the stuff and then put the flies on a turning wheel. Depending on the fly sometimes I'll just turn it in the vise until it gets hard enough that it won't move anymore, but I generally use the wheel.
David
You're right, I meant to say epoxy. Something like a siliclone wouldn't fare too well with a bluefish chewing on it.
For epoxy flies I use a dentist spatula (I got mine from widgetsupply.com, no affiliation) to apply the stuff and then put the flies on a turning wheel. Depending on the fly sometimes I'll just turn it in the vise until it gets hard enough that it won't move anymore, but I generally use the wheel.
David
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David what is the name of the last fly you posted a picture of?
Joey
Joey
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It's a surf candy...
Guys, the best fly for blues is a surf candy tied on a 3x or longer shank hook. Tie the fly in the last 1/3rd of the shank. That way you have protection from the teeth.
The other option is a circle hook... right in the jaw every time. Just don't set on the take. All you have to do is hold on.
edit.. not my fly.. not my picture ... not a surf candy..
But.. tied on the rear of a 34011. Tie the candy like that.
Side note.. my number one big blue fly is a big...long and thin siliclone. They might mess up the silicone but just fill in the holes with more.
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Guys, the best fly for blues is a surf candy tied on a 3x or longer shank hook. Tie the fly in the last 1/3rd of the shank. That way you have protection from the teeth.
The other option is a circle hook... right in the jaw every time. Just don't set on the take. All you have to do is hold on.
edit.. not my fly.. not my picture ... not a surf candy..
But.. tied on the rear of a 34011. Tie the candy like that.
Side note.. my number one big blue fly is a big...long and thin siliclone. They might mess up the silicone but just fill in the holes with more.
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Thats what I thought, I have one and another similar one called deep dive candy. The deep has a weight in the nose if it.
Joey
Joey
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Onemorecast, that is how I tie my bluefish flies, on the back end of the hook, then epoxy the head. I forgot to mention that in my post. It's not a Candy style fly as I don't epoxy a body.
The Carlisle style hooks are long shank like the 34011, except they have a reverse in the bend, which doesn't hurt the fly, but improves the hooking a bit IMO, especially since they don't have as much gap as an O'Shaughnessy style hook. :thumbup:
The Carlisle style hooks are long shank like the 34011, except they have a reverse in the bend, which doesn't hurt the fly, but improves the hooking a bit IMO, especially since they don't have as much gap as an O'Shaughnessy style hook. :thumbup:
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I used a white/white clouser with some flash near the bridge. After numerous released fish, I was using a hook with eyes and a few strands of white and still getting the bite. So a hungry blue didn't care what it looked like as long as it moved.
ML
ML
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249 Posts
usually for me flies with ultra hair or mushfibre .. the blues dont destroy it .. i have a flie that has caught a boat load of stripers and blues in the ocean and bay and it only lost a eye...itt was made of mush fibre and shoogoo...hope this helpss...
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