Rogers’ Beach Glass: The Rhody ‘Chovy

By Page Rogers

Materials List

Hook:Mustad 77660SS; Eagle Claw 254SS; Gamakatsu SL11-3H; Partridge Sea Prince Sizes #2/0 - 2
Thread:Danville’s Clear Mono - Fine
Tail: Peach or Polar Bear Super Hair/ OR / Gotcha Gold or Polar White Mystic Bay Fly Fur.
Body: Opalife Bodi-Braid (see note below)
Wing: Mixture of Copper, Gold and Root beer Krystal Flashes
Eye: Witchcraft Prism Eye - 3 mm -silver or gold
Gills: Testors Paint Pen - Gloss Red
Note: Opalife Bodi-Braid is available from: Small Fry Flies and Accessories 3 Florence Street Franklin, MA 02038 PH: 508/528-6640

In 1985 I moved closer to the Rhode Island shore and began to frequent the beaches and breachways of South County, Rhode Island. I know that my homesickness for my home waters on the Vineyard was often quelled by the clear water, firm sands, and the abundance of sand eels and game fish I found in my home away from home. I was also introduced to a baitfish that rarely crosses Buzzards Bay, the “bay” or striped anchovy (anchoa hepsetus). This little baitfish sets up in the waters in and around Long Island Sound in early to mid-August, and comes into shore on the bigger moon tides of August or September. Usually the false albacore, or little tunny are right behind this push of bait. Knowing how to tie a good bay anchovy imitation will improve your odds of hooking up with one of the more exciting gamefish that comes our way mid-August through (sometimes) November - the false albacore.

This fly has been designed to imitate three keys which I believe help induce a strike. First: when there are literally millions of naturals in the water, an epoxy fly can be brighter than a natural. Helping a fish find your fly is important. Second: the fly was designed to have a very telltale swag to its belly. This is the most distinguishing feature of the natural’s anatomy. Third: the copper/auburn top to the fly is important. When gamefish of any species are keyed on this bait they will rarely hit an olive and white, or chartreuse and white fly. I’ve been in situations at Napatree where bass, blues and albies are all crashing the beach on bay anchovies, and nothing but a very realistic imitation of this bait will take fish. There are days when “matching the marine” is very important; no doubt you have experienced this, or will, when the bay anchovies, albies and bones are in town.

This baitfish is a much more prevalent forage species just to our south. Fly fishers along the coast from Montauk south to the Carolinas will be able to make good use of this pattern. The fly is available at all of the major shops from the Old Saybrook, CT to Newport, RI. If you can’t find the fly be in touch with me directly; I tie it commercially. Or have your dealer call Umpqua Feather Merchants in Glide, Oregon.

Tying Beach Glass is a concept involving using a material called Opalife Bodi-Braid. The concept has led to the development of other baitfish imitations in this series...namely: silversides, peanut bunker, juvie herring and baby butterfish. If you’re interested in these flies, send me an e-mail! Or look for them in an upcoming article.

Tie up a box of Rhody ‘Chovies in several sizes, and hang on to your rod!! Good luck and good fishing!

Tying Sequence

Step One

Tie mono thread onto hook shank, and leave a long tag end or rib coming off rear end of fly. Secure tag end in material clip. Tie in sparse amount of tail material. Tail should be no longer than the hook shank. Keep the thread back, behind the point of the hook. Cut a piece of Opalife Bodi-Braid 2.5 times the length of hook shank. Slide tubing over the hook shank. Tie down and tie off thread.

Step Two

Work the hook eye through the tubing, and tie the mono thread back on, right behind the hook eye. Cut four strands each of gold, copper and root beer Krystal Flashes. Rub them together in your fingers, forming a mixed rope. Cut the rope in half. Take one of the halves and folding it over your tying thread, tie the flashes in at the head, right at the hook eye. (Use the second half for another fly. ) Whip finish the thread and tie off.

Step Three

Pull the wing materials back tightly and smoothly and tie them down with several wraps from the tag end. Flip the fly over in the vise. Pull the remaining Opalife Bodi-Braid under the hook shank, so that it forms a nice little swag belly. Secure the tubing with a few wraps from the tag end and whip finish the tag end.

Step Four

With scissors, trim all extraneous Bodi-Braid, as close to whip finish point as possible. Place Witchcraft 3mm eye close to hook eye. Paint on gill. Cover entire fly body with the epoxy of your choice. Bring epoxy a little past end of fly body to prevent tail materials from fouling. Watch out for the formation of a bubble right around the fly’s eye.

Reel -Time