EPOXY AND MINK BAITFISH SBS - FLY OF THE WEEK - November 02, 2009

[rtidd]

FLY OF THE WEEK - EPOXY AND MINK BAITFISH SBS

Our fly of the week is from sunny South Africa this time around.

You can fish this fly like any other baitfish imitations. I would normally fish the fly on a floating line when I see fish chasing smaller baitfish on the surface. You can experiment with various retrieves from fast to very erratic strip retrieves.

[Steven McGarthwaite]

Morne:

The "Epoxy & Mink Baitfish", is another nice (great?) fly pattern, that you have contributed to FAOL's "Fly of the Week". I have already dressed and used the "Red-Eye Damsel" that was previously submitted by you, with great success!

If I was going to change, just one thing with your "Epoxy & Mink Baitfish" pattern, it would be the hook. I would change over to a streamer hook with a down-eye, from the straight-eye hook. The reason for this, the patten when completed is inverted with the hook position reversed. Using a down-eye hook, the reverse hook's eye would become a up-eye on the finished fly pattern when fished.

An up-eye on the the pattern, will cause the water moving across the top-surface of the fly pattern to force the fly pattern down in the water column.
This would give the pattern more movement, at a slightly deeper depth.

I also might include during the dressing a "Keel Weight" to the top of the hook shank in the 1st Step, to help insure that the hook would travel underneath the water surface with the hook point remaining reverse (upward).

I can see a variation of the Epoxy and Mink Baitfish, with two shorter length hooks (connected) for an articulated version, that would give some side movement to the baitfish pattern.

Thank you for a very interesting pattern.

~Parnelli (Chartered Member of "Friends of FAOL")

Post Script:
What does the "SBS" refer to, just curious!

I have a PDF version (Adobe Reader required) of this pattern, as well as all the other fly patterns on FAOL, Anyone wishing a copy (at no cost) can email me at....parnelli@comcast.net, just my way of...uting to FAOL.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Morne,

Excellent baitfish pattern. Thanks for sharing that one. Great photos too.

Parn, SBS=Step By Step

REE