Flies for new location????

[Pucho]

I see you like the gotchas, wich colors you prefer and how much flash? what other patterns work that great, specially forn a new location that have never been tried for bones? and wich colors if is a grass bottom?
Thanks
Pucho --127-3-

[Marshrunner]

Jim McVay's Gotcha is a world class fly. I still tie it to his original specifications which are in the fly pattern book. I like it with blond wing and also with auburn and orange variation wings. Flash is driven by the ingredients: diamond braid body, mylar piping tail and 4-6 strands of KFlash on the wing. I tie several other variations but these three in sizes 8 to 2 with corresponding larger or smaller gold bead chain take a lot of fish.

Hard to answer your second question without know what part of the world you are going to--let me know and I'll try to help.

Dick

[Pucho]

sorry my bad, I am located in Puerto Rico in the west and south west area, most of the flats here are in hotel areas, so that means lots of boats, jets skys and people, i have seen bones but very scary, I am still learning the tides and the flats of those areas that are mostly turtle grass with some coral formations, with lots of mantis, emerals crabs, blue crabs and lots of small shrimps sp., also baracudas roam the area and almost no sharks.
Pucho

[Marshrunner]

Are you near Culebra? A fair bit of early bf research was performed there by Donald Erdman early on that may help you. The largest numbers of fish on the flats were in May and Novemeber. Most bigger fish ate crabs, gobies, mantises, and bigger shrimp while smaller fish ate the smaller shrimps and clams. One pattern that I know works in Culebra is the Tomchin Lapdancer by the late Mark Tomchin--a splay clawed rear facing profile. There was an article about Mark's widow fishing it there in Rod & Reel about this time last year if you want to look it up.

I would also try some green and some tan shrimp patterns over grass and also some with spots of bright color (pink or orange or yellow) and see what gets the best response. Over grass use weed guards or tie the wings to make them weedless. Also try the staple flies you see described in other strings here: Sili Legs, Charlies, Gotchas, Clousers, etc.

Dick

[Pucho]

First, Thanks for the answers, they are of great help, I live on the opposite side of the island from Culebra, but I have been there, last 2 times wind was like hell, impossible to fish, but I will try again this may and will tie some of the flies you suggest me, also a friend of mine fish Culebra few month back and told me that the guide in Culebra use BIG flies for bones, no 8 or 6s, maybe in the size 2 area, now for the last question where I can get the pattern for the Simram and the Tomchin Lapdancer.
Thanks again for all your help, very informative.
Pucho

[Marshrunner]

Pucho,

Simram description at:
http://www.angleradventures.com/bahfly.html

The Lapdancer was described in an article in last spring's Rod & Reel--try Googling it to see if you can find it.

Dick

[Marshrunner]

The article was Viva Vieques in the Jan/Feb 2003 issue of Rod and Reel.

Recipe:
Hook: 34007 or similar
Thread: Tan monocord or FWN
Eyes: small lead barbell tied in just behind hookeye
Underwing: dyed calf tail tied in under and behind eyes on hook-point side of hook
Claws/tail:two pairs of splayed stiff hackle also tied in just behind eyes and facing to rear (tarpon-fly-style so they pulsate and face fish as fly is stripped) and curving away from each other in claw-like fashion
Body: Select dubbing of choice and wind it over hackle butts filling area between hackle and lead eyes then figure-eight over eyes and tie off, Then pick out dubbing to give a slightly hairy appearance.

Tie in colors that match or blend with bottom. A highlight of a hot color on the whip-finish may improve results.

Dick

[Pucho]

Thanks again Dick, i bougth the magazine few days back from rod & reel and allready made some simram's to try them this week. --127-3-
Thanks
Pucho