by dahlberg » Sat Oct 14, 2006 7:40 am
Hi H,
The fly was produced commercially by Umpqua Feather Merchants. Try emailing them or checking their website.
During the development of the fly, I had with me EVERY bonefish pattern marketed by Umpqua. I tried ALL of them side by side with the fly I was developing. (While fishing in the Bahamas and Seychelle Islands) The vertically tied bonecrusher outproduced the other flies about 5 to 1.
As I recall I showed how to tie it a couple of times on TV, but I don't currently have an easy way of making the instructions available. Sorry I can't currently be of more help.
Essentially, I make a bend about an eight inch behind the hook eye, like a jig hook with a 45% bend. I use a short shank hook, usually in sizes 6-1.
I fasten lead eyes at the bend in such a way as they make a 3 point base, either with the bend or eye of the hook which allows the fly to sit up right every time if you drop it into a glass of water.
The body is flashabou dubbing, the wing is tied vertically, like a parachute fly and includes 4 silicone legs tipped with a tiny speck of orange or blue and a few strands of synthetic hair or pref sheep wool.
I keep going up in size until the fish fish either spook or refuse it. Using the biggest fly you can get away with allows both you and the fish to keep better track of it. When you stop the fly, it's vertical profile makes it much easier for the bone to see it and suck it in!
Equally important is to have a selection designed to sink at varying rates. You want to cast far enough in front of the fish as not to spook it, and have the fly weighted just right so it gets to the bottom in time for the fish to notice it.
Good luck,
L
Larry Dahlberg
The Hunt For Big Fish