My go to flies part 1 - mackerel flies

I had to set my beer down while I took the picture and it looked good in the shot so I left it. Help me name this fly.

I have decided that since I have this avenue to share information I am going to let you in on a few of my favorite flies. I will try and do this over the next week or so, but I will start with a mackerel fly since it’s winter and the mackerel are swarming the beaches right now. Let me start by saying that mackerel will eat any fly if it is stripped fast enough, but there are a few elements to a mackerel fly that are essential to optimizing your time chasing them. First they must be durable those critters have the nastiest teeth around. Secondly, it must have some flash, they are like women they love shinny things. The last thing to consider is weight, now I love catching these guys on crease flies, but the reality of it is, if the fly is down you will get more strikes. My last bit of advice is, keep it simple, you will go through loads of these flies in a day. Remember on a good day you will hook over a 100 fish. Even if it is durable it will still only last for 15 or so fish. So here is how I incorporated these elements into my fly design, sorry I have not named it. First the fly is tied with a super hair tail and it is tied halfway back on the hook shank, this allows me to use lighter leaders, 50 to 60 pound, without getting bit off. The super hair is very durable against their sharp teeth and comes in a variety of colors, I like bright colors. This ties into my next element, they like bright colors and flash, so I use a product from Orvis called Holographic & Tri-Lobal Hackle. This is the same as a longer Estaz or ice chenille, and I palmer the body of the fly and trim it to my desired length. You could use a shorter Estaz and I don’t think it would matter, just keep it bright. The last element I factor in is weight, I tie on dumbbell eyes and I use a clear intermediate line. Be creative and design your own simple, bright, durable mackerel fly, they are the most fun you can have while keeping your flip flops on.

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