Step 1: Attach craft fur on top of the shank, just above the point. Retain some of the underfur for bulk. Materials: Thread ➜ Fine mono. Hook ➜ Gamakatsu S12S. Tail ➜ Craft fur. Head/Body ➜ Senyo's Laser Dub, dark over light. Coating ➜ Liquid Fusion. Eyes ➜ Fish Skull Living Eyes.
Tying the Hoo Fly
Step 2: Under the shank, tie light Lazer Dub at its midsection. Distribute equally on both sides of the bend and tie down to create a V. Invert hook and repeat with dark Laser Dub.
Tying the Hoo Fly
Step 3: Using the same procedure, tie in the light and then the dark Laser Dub at the middle of the shank.
Tying the Hoo Fly
Step 4: Bring thread to the eye, and without reversing the fibers that extend past the eye, tie the light Laser Dub on the bottom and the dark on top. Note pink blended into belly.
Tying the Hoo Fly
Step 5: Preen top and bottom fibers back, and put a dam of thread in front. Comb fly into shape, breaking and aligning all Laser Dub fibers to create a smooth baitfish profile.
Tying the Hoo Fly
Step 6: With a bodkin or brush, lightly coat the fibers from the hook eye to the bend with Liquid Fusion and use moistened fingers to set the shape of the head. Let dry and glue on eyes.
Bay Anchovy
During the fall run in the Northeast, you can quite literally be surrounded by an acre of madly busting albies. More often than not, if your fly is the wrong size, color or profile to imitate the 1- to 3-inch amber-hued bay anchovies that flood coastal waters, you will not get a hit. However, when you have successfully matched the hatch, using a fast two-handed retrieve will keep you in the action until your arms reach exhaustion.
Silverside
Silversides are common Northeastern baits, but this pattern’s olive-over-white coloration and generic minnow body shape have great applications in tropical climates as well. For example, in Los Roques, Venezuela, bonefish are suckers for small minnow imitations. Backcountry tarpon from Belize to the Bahamas can also become fixated on and gorge upon small minnows to the exclusion of larger baitfish or shrimp presented right in front of their faces.
Pinfish
While bottom-crawling crab and shrimp patterns dominate most redfish fly boxes, there are times when you need a pinfish imitation to coax an eat from an otherwise reluctant red drum. Pinfish are common in Florida’s lagoons and grass flats, and this fly’s deeper profile and vertical barring make for a convincing imitation. In many cases when typical crustacean patterns are repeatedly refused, a pinfish worked slowly will draw an aggressive bite.
Finger Mullet
Countless game fish ranging from tarpon to stripers favor mullet both big and small, but snook may be the most voracious consumers. Florida anglers highly anticipate the annual mullet run, which presents a great opportunity to catch beachside snook (as well as myriad other species) along Florida’s coastline. In addition, when fishing back in the mangroves, a good finger mullet imitation can also goad lazy snook into ambush feeding mode.
Sand Eel
The Northeast favorite, striped bass, often becomes extremely fussy when sand eels are abundant. The small summertime sand eels that invade Cape Cod flats require precisely detailed imitations, with pointy snouts, slender olive-color bodies and eyes set farther back. The beefier ocean sand eels that occupy New York Harbor during the fall months are longer with rusty colored backs and are favorites of outsize bass lurking and cruising in the rips.
Bunker
The fall invasion of peanut bunker is one of the highlights of the Northeastern fishing season. During this period, bass, albies and bonitos frantically get in on the action, but bluefish may be the most savage. At times, anglers literally have to jump back onto the sand to avoid the razorlike teeth of marauding, chopper blues. In situations like this, it’s key to have a good supply of easy-to-tie patterns like the Bunker Hoo. When blues are around, it’s pretty hard to not to lose at least a fly or two.
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