saltwater ramblings
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It’s almost November now, which means it is time to sit down and tie up a few puppies for the next few months. This euphausiid pattern is awesome for resident coho and sea run cutthroat December through February when the fish are feeding on these tiny little invertibrates. I found this pattern a few years ago after spending a few days fishing to silvers that were really keyed in on these euphausiids. Even thought we were casting to schools of active fish, it was like we weren’t even there. We found some imitations at the fly shop, but they were too big and clunky and not very effective. I was at Patrick’s on Eastlake buying some materials and met an old guy who told me about his pattern. It is super simple to tie and a dead on imitation. The clear v-rib simulates the body very well, although my buddy Ringlee has taken it one step further and sometimes fishes this fly tied without the rib and only crystal flash for the body. That can be a deadly fly as well. Either way, it is a very sparse fly and we usually fish it trailing behind a larger “attractor” pattern such as a clouser minnow or shock and awe tube fly. I have fished it alone, but when searching for fish, it seems like a bigger fly to get the attention is needed. 10-14” seems like a good gap. It’s a pretty easy tie, so I won’t go through it step by step. I don’t worry about using clear thread or anything, but I do go over it with some clear Softex coating after I’m done to give the fly the opaque look. I think Ringlee has gone over some of his ties with a bit of red marker to make them more realistic, but he goes overboard on everything.
Materials:
Gamikatsu SC15 hook, size 6 or 8
Clear vinyl V-rib
Small black bead chain eyes
Pearl Krystal Flash
Softex head cement
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