Mackerel Imitation

[Fishidiot]

I've been tying some salt flies lately in anticipatation of some striper fishing. Up in New England, large schools of Atlantic Mackerel form a major part of a striper's diet in summer. The smaller macks are often called "tinkers" or "spikes" - they usually run under a foot in length and are a popular bait.

Here's an example of a basic mackerel fly I'm tying. It's all synthetic material and the black back markings are magic marker. The big plastic eyes are a touch I like on salt flies (not sure if it really improves the catch rate) and I glue the eye to a clear piece of plastic cut from a food container. This allows the eye to sit further back on the streamer's side and still have a solid anchor tied into the head.

 

[gfen]

Ep fibers? SOmething different?

 

[Fishidiot]

Oh heck, I'm not sure. I think the white belly stuff is EP product, the rest I don't know as I jumble all my synthetics together and many of the original packaging labels are missing.

 

[gfen]

I'm going to want to pick some of that general style of stuff up. I have some of the Orvis krinkly stuff, dunno what its called. It doesn't seem to be as nifty as the EP fibers I've seen.

 

[wsender]

That looks really awful. Please send all the ones you've tied to me for disposal and try again please!

 

[Fredrick]

Don't forget your lobster flies Dave big forage base up there and sand eels also they get bigger up there