Well, I was waiting around for Cabela’s to deliver my Mustad Saltwater hooks for the January Swap, and I got bored. That’s not a good thing. I was going to tie some Gotchas, which is a bonefish fly, mainly for flats fishing, but it looks a little like a shrimp. I was studying the fly pattern to be sure I was ready to tie when the hooks got here, then I began thinking (Uh Oh…):
- This doesn’t look too different from a Clouser Swimming Nympth, except for the hook, size and colors.
- Clouser Minnows work in both saltwater, and freshwater, for anything that swims.
- Some freshwater fish eat shrimp, like catfish. And bluegills aren’t all that picky, either.
- There are species of freshwater shrimp, and I am sure they are part of the food chain.
- I have lots of #6 and #8 1X Nymph hooks.
Soooo, I tied this fly on a freshwater hook. This is what I came up with. I am going to try it out at several fishing places as soon as possible (I may have to wait for spring for bluegills, crappie, etc).
Freshwater Gotcha
Thread: Pink 3/0 Danville
Hook: Cabela’s 1x Nymph size #8
Eyes: Bead Chain
Tail: Pearl Ultra-Thin Flash
Body: Pink 3/0 Danville Thread
Overwrap: small Clear Pink Stretch Tubing
Wing: Punisher Flash Neon Pink craft fur with 4 stripes drawn on with a black Prismacolor Marker.