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When reviewing internet websites, it seems that a good many people tie up crazy charlies without a tail. I was always under the impression that you should have a tail (few strands of KF, or mylar tuning). How do y'all tie your charlies? The way I figured, if worse came to worse I could cut the tail off...
Acuna
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. It depends if I remember to put one on or not. When I do tie in a tail, I usually use some KF.
Paul
I tie up a freshwater Panfish Charlie with four or five splayed rubber legs about half an inch long for a tail. It works so well I now tie all my Charlies for salt water with four or five 3/4 inch rubber legs for a tail.
Works great! 8T
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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.
You also ought to also try al's shrimpf. On Al Campbell 's bonefish trip it turned out to be the fly
It is my understanding that Crazy Charlies do not have tails at all. If it has a tail it is a Gotcha.
But I say tie what you want and call it what you want. My favorite Redfish fly is a charlie tied with a root beer pearl sparkle braid body and a gold or copper krystal flash wing. Yup, I said redfish.
It is also my recollection that Crazy Charlies do not have tails and that Gotchas have tails, but it really doesn't matter. They are very similar patterns, that both work with or without a tail. Don't get hung up on the specific pattern too much. Some of the best versions we have used over the past few years have been with different colors such as fluorescent green (which matches nothing in nature) or different materials such as a bunny fur wing and tail (which adds subtle motion when the fly is not moving to aid the fish in seeing it). Add a few variations tot the standard in you arsenal.
Acuna, found this info today, thought you might be interested.
[url=http://www.branhamssaltwaterflytying.com/flytying/classics/details.asp?id=14:971f9]http://www.branhamssaltwaterflytying.com/flytying/classics/details.asp?id=14[/url:971f9]
Thanks splitditch!
yeah I have a recipe for the Nasty Charlie, and might tie up a couple for my trip. If I am blanking or if I want to catch a fish on a classic pattern I will probably give it a whirl...
On a side note, the amount of crazy charlies and gotchas I have tied for my trip is getting ridiculous! I *never* get bored tying flies, but geez louise these patterns are feeling a wee bit monotonous... After all they are pretty easy to tie. Already filled up at least one fly box worth of just crazy charlies/gotchas in different colors (mainly white, tan(sand), and pearl sparkle braid boddies). I will probably make a few pinks for grins... but Bonefish and others say white or tan or gotcha(standard gotcha colors) are the way to go for where I am headed...
Originally what has evolved into the Crazy Charlie (by Orvis) was called the Nasty Charlie and was tied as on my site.
Crazy Charlies can be tied either with or without a tail.
The Gotcha has a mylar tubing tail that is picked out. Although the two are very similiar the actual body wrap on them is different. Crazy Charlie has a tinsel underbody with either a v-rib or mono overwrap while the Gotcha has a body or diamond braid that is wrapped.
The original Crazy Charlie was tied with a feather wing and a hair wing.
When the fly was shown to Orvis, they took it, tied it their way and renamed it the Crazy Charlie.
Just thought that I would throw this in and get in my half cents worth.
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Joe Branham
http://www.branhamssaltwaterflytying.com
flytyer@branhamssaltwaterflytying.com
"The only stupid question is the one for which you do not seek an answer."