I would like to tie some EP Bluegill’s. my question is what, 3 colors of the fibers do you need? Better yet, what are the materials for that fly? I have one of them, but I’m not positive what colors they used to tie it. Also, for the shad color, is that gray/white?
jkilroy,
Go to the FOTW archives and look at the “Shineabou Sunfish”. That should give you a good idea of the colors needed for the EP fly.
Steve
There are 32 colors of EP fibers. The EP bluegill has at least 3. There is 4 different colors of olive. I would like to get an exact match.
Thanks, that’s perfect. I’ll add that to my favorites. I don’t know if I’ll ever use all the different fly patterns that I have tied.
I use Enrico’s Sea Fibers. Angel Hair works as well. For the bluegill pattern, you neeed OD, Chartruese, Orange, Red and Gold. Or you can do what I do, tie it with white fibers and color it with Prismacolor Markers. I like the effect better. They look more realistic. There are many different types of sunfish, and the markers will let you imitate them all.
Is that fly you tie pretty effective for LMB?
JK,
I realize you want an ‘exact match’, but that will be hard to do. It’s unlikely that old Enrico himself could tie two of these in a row that ‘matched’.
Luckily, if you are tying them for bass, it really won’t matter. If you fish for Bluegills you will learn pretty quickly that the colors vary widely from fish to fish even in small waters.
Some are dark, almost black on the back fading to deep green with yellow bellies and strong reddish marks on the gill covers and blue underneath them. Some are lighter, almost a faded lime on top with yellow sides and white bellies and little diferentiation on the heads. Almost every shade in between is represented. Lots of goldish or tannish accents found here too.
So, use a shade of green for the back. Pick one that you like, the fish won’t care. A lighter shade of green below that, with some yellow and maybe a git of gold flash. white or light yellow for the bellies, maybe some pearl flash here. Makes a nice 'gill pattern if you want to fish such a thing.
I’ve played with these flies for decades, and now I’m where Gigmaster is. I use white fibers almost exclusively (I bought a LOT of the OD stuff years back, so I tend to use a little of that for the backs), with pearl flash where that’s needed, and then color them with markers. Looks nicer, to me, and the fish like them. You can get that ‘barred’ look that many fish exhibit.
By the way, as far as the ‘shad’ color goes, that varies as well. Out here in sunny arizona, the bass prefer green on the backs of the shad (the naturals have that color, you see). But we catch bass with black, green, chartuese, grey, and brown backs too. The fish don’t really seem to mind all that much as long as you PRESENT the fly properly. I have confidence in the green, so that is what I tend to fish.
All of these are fun flies to tie.
Good Luck!
Buddy
They are extremely effective on Largemouth and smallmouth bass, White Bass (Sand Bass), Stripers and even catfish. You don’t have to worry about an exact match, because no two real fish are identicle, either. Here is an example of a bluegill with a floating head. This makes it ride in a ‘head-up’ postion that drives fish nuts! I guess it looks looks an unwary fish cruising for food. All you do is simply add a floating foam head to the completed fly.
Here is the same fly in shad colors (sorry, but this one is really chewed up from stripers. They are hard on flies. This one has caught about 50 stripers and is about ready for retirement.) The only difference is how you color the fly with markers. That’s why I use the White Pearl color of Sea Fibers. They take color very well. Again, you can leave the floating head off, but some kind of head makes the fly more durable.
Here is the same fly with a silicon head (I use the same kind that you repair aquariums and boats with, available at most pet, hardware stores, and Wal-Mart). The star, instead of a black spot, was because I tied this one for an NFL swap. It is a Dallas Cowboy Shad. Other than that, it is stock.
You can imitate any kind of baitfish that swims anywhere in the world, fresh or salt water, like this.
If you need them, I have photos and step-by-step instructions for tying this pattern (tied by yours truely, of course).
Good luck, and happy fishing.
Support bacteria! It’s the only culture some people will ever have.
50 stripers, wow!!! I’ve caught a whole one so far. There is a freshwater lake that has them within 1 hour of the house. I would really like to try that lake soon. What are those flies made of? They look like they are made of a different material than EP fibers. 50 stripers on one fly, oh man, sweet!!!
That particular fly was tied with something I got in a package deal on EBay. It is branded ‘Fisherman’s Choice’, and has no other descriptive labeling. It is some kind of a knock-off of Puglisi Fibers, Angel Hair, etc… It works well.
Any of those fibers will work. Angel Hair, Polar Fibers, Polar Plus, Puglisi, and I think even Flashabou and it’s cousins would work, although it may be a bit thick.
The finer the fibers, the better you can shape the body, and tie it denser. My favorites are still Angel Hair and Puglisi Fibers. Like I said before, just get the White, or White Pearl color in bulk, and then color it with Prismacolor Markers. It makes keeping track of your materials much easier.
I never have trouble catching stripers. I catch them when I’m fishing for other things all the time. To me, they are almost a pest. It’s hard to fish for catfish with shad when stripers keep hitting your line. It’s a good thing they are delicious, or I would really get mad.
The best place for stripers is below tailraces. The schools are usually concentrated in a small (relatively) area, and they are more aggressive than usual. I am learning how to spey cast for them below the Carters Lake Dam, but I’ve been catching them very well just with regular fly casting. I was using shooting line and a Salt Water Shooting head. Make sure you have LOTS of backing on your reel. You’ll need it.
I use a 10 wt. Scientific Anglers Rod with a fighting butt (another must have for stripers), and a Scientific Anglers Reel with a disc drag. After the intial strik, set the hook HARD, then just hang on and let the fish run (you’re not going to stop it no matter what, and you will just damage your reel, rod and lose the fish). When the striper slows down, start pumping it in, but be ready to react to more fast runs. It is important that you do not allow the fish to rest, at all! After about 5 or 6 more runs of 100 yards or more (the last one will be as you are reaching down for the fish. This is how most of them are lost, so be ready. When the fish sees you, it will rocket off once more). Average fight time is in excess of 10 minutes, so be patient. You want to go the distance, and there will be several rounds. Use a net to land the fish. Once it’s in the net, the fight is over. I usually have to rest myself for a few minutes after catching one. Before resuming fishing, check your fly and replace if necesary.
Let me know if you need the step-by-step instructions for tying these types of minnows. I’ll be happy to send them to you.
Happy Fishing!
here is one that i tie:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/davidsaavedra/Flies/epfly2.jpg
and here is a bluegill along side a shad and a peanut bunker:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/davidsaavedra/Flies/epflies002.jpg