Thank you to everyone who came to our Shad Fly Tying Round Table on February 7th. We had a fun evening discussing shad and tying some flies. We enjoyed seeing some new patterns, learning new techniques, and talking about one of our favorite fisheries. The consensus is that the best fishing of the 2023/24 season is yet to come. The St. Johns River has been high all season and its retreat has been slower than usual. Visit our Shad Season 2023/24 Overview for more information on the fish, the river, and current conditions. A wide variety of flies were tied and discussed. Most were specifically shad flies, but some are used for other species also in the St. Johns River. Several tyers provided us with recipes for their favorite (or, in some cases, experimental) patterns along with photos or fly samples for us to photograph. We are sharing them here, with permission from the tyers.
Angel Hair Minnow by Chad Helenthal
Materials List:
- Hook: Tiemco streamer hook, #8
- Thread: Flat Waxed Nylon, White
- Bead: 4mm
- Body: Angel Hair or similar fiber
- Eyes: 1/8" Stick-On
- Head: UV Resin to coat eyes and act as head cement
- Marker: Silver and Black Sharpie or other permanent marker
Tying Notes:
- Stack fibers on top and bottom of hook in a similar fashion to an EP Minnow.
- Trim Down size of Gambusia.
- Color sides and top with sliver sharpie.
- Color top with black sharpie.
- Leave a white belly.
- Add 1/8 stick on eyes and cover with UV resin.
Shad Dart by Keith Browning
Materials List:
- Hook: #6 standard hook (like the Mustad 3366)
- Thread: Flat Waxed Nylon
- Eyes: Painted Dumbbell, extra small
- Tail: Marabou
- Body: Sparkle Braid
- Head Cement: Your preference
Hogan's Summer Smallmouth by Clay Swinger
This one isn't a shad fly but will be effective for the many largemouth bass found in the St. Johns. They don't know it was originally tied for smallmouth!
Materials List:
- Hook: Umpqua U301 Streamer, #6
- Thread: Black
- Eyes: Lead Dumbbell, Medium
- Tail: Marbabou, Olive Green and Brown
- Flash: Flashabou Accent, Copper
- Body: Wooly Bugger Chenille, Medium, Olive
- Legs: Sili-Legs, Fluorescent Chartreuse/Barred
- Head: Senyo's Laser Dub, Brown
- Head Cement: Your preference
Gamboozler by T.J. Bettis
Materials List:
- Hook: Mustad 3366, #6 or #8, or Mustad C68SAP, #6
- Thread: 140 to 210 denier. Red behind the bead. Color to match wing in front of bead.
- Bead: Cyclops, Nickel Plated, 5/32" or 3/16"
- Body: Sparkle Braid
- Body Coating: UV Resin Thin. Mix in some glow resin if desired.
- Wing: Calf Tail
- Head Cement: Solarez Bone Dry Ultra Thin or your choice.
Shad Fly Assortment by Ed Mlotkiewicz
Ed was kind enough to a variety of different patterns with us, several of which he tied during our event. These are simple and quick to tie yet effective.
Shad Puff - #1, #2, #3
Materials List:
- Hook: TMC 9395, #6 to #2 or similar
- Thread: 140 denier
- Eyes: From beadchain to medium lead depending on desired sink rate
- Tail: Mylar Cord, Pearl, Medium or Flashabou, pearl
- Body: Colored thread covered with clear vinyl rib
- Collar: Mylar Cord, Pearl, Medium
- Head: Small chenille in color to match/contrast with body. Figure-8 wrap to form a ball.
- Head Cement: Your preference
Comet - #4, #5
Materials List:
- Hook: TMC 9395, #6 or similar
- Thread: Flat Waxed Nylon
- Eyes: Beadchain, color of choice
- Tail: Bucktail or Calf Tail, color of choice
- Body: Holographic tinsel, color of choice
- Hackle: Schlappen, color of choice
- Head Cement: Whatever you have on hand
Traditional Shad Dart Variations - #6, #7, #12, #13
Materials List:
- Hook: TMC 5262 or similar, #8 to #4
- Thread: 140 denier, color of choice
- Tail: Polarflash, Marabou, Mylar etc.
- Tag: 140 denier thread, red
- Weight: Lead or lead free wire, .015 or .020. Add a bead as a head for extra weight.
- Body: Floss, color of choice
- Rib: Gold, silver or copper wire
- Head: 140 denier thread, color of choice
- Head Cement: Whatever you have on hand
Simple Shad Dart - #8, #9
Materials List:
- Hook: TMC 9395 or TMC 5262, #6 or #8
- Thread: 140 denier, color of choice
- Bead: Brass, Tungsten or Glass, color of choice
- Tail: Polarflash, Pearl
- Tag: 140 denier thread, red
- Body: Estaz, color to match thread
- Head Cement: Whatever you have on hand
Gambusia Jig Fly - #10, #11
Materials List:
- Hook: Umpqua U555 Jig Hook, #10
- Thread: 140 Denier, White
- Eyes: Painted Dumbbell, Small, White
- Tail: Calf Tail, White. One shank length.
- Body: Sparkle Braid, Pearl
- Body Coating: UV resin, thin
- Wing: Calf Tail, White. Measure length so the tips match with the tail.
- Belly (to match belly of gravid female): Calf Tail, White or Gray, 1/2 shank length.
- Head Cement: Your preference
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