Spoon flies

[Bill Monroe]

Anyone over here know where I might find them around Portland? I'm back in Virginia, where they're a popular lure for flyfishing smallmouth bass...

In the water they look like a killer coho lure...especially offshore.

[Mojo]

Bill I just saw some in the local Cabela's fly bin while perusing the salt water flies (redfish and bonefish section). Might try Umpqua Feather Merchants.

[Fishrite]

Yep! Cabela's has them, Bill. They are popular in the south, as I'm sure you well know. Are you going to try them on coho? They will probably work.....Terry

[fishesfrom tupperware]

Anyone over here know where I might find them around Portland? I'm back in Virginia, where they're a popular lure for flyfishing smallmouth bass...
In the water they look like a killer coho lure...especially offshore.

Make some! I posted this a couple of years ago on a South Louisiana board. You can "tie" it a lot smaller than the ones shown. It's just easier to take pictures of big flies. Stays together a lot better with a base wrap too. Sure catches Redfish! :



This post probably belongs somewhere else (like maybe the fly forum?) but you guys talked so bad about the poor old spoon fly (“ohhh, its such a pain to make”) http://kfs.infopop.cc/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif that I decided to post it here. This is a waay easier version of the “classic” spoon fly. I call it “Lisa” because I found all the materials in my sister’s floral design studio. It killed a couple of reds on my first day in Buras and I hope yall can get some use out of it.

The gold metallic ribbon is one of two things that really simplify the tying process. It came from the L.A. flower market. But I’m sure you can find it at Michael’s craft store or the like. Copper ribbon makes a really good looking fly too but I have not got a bite on it (yet). It should make a killer fall Coho/Steelhead fly though. I’ll keep yall posted.

The other thing is the epoxy mixing bag/applicator. It’s a slick little trick I came up with when I needed just a taste of epoxy for repairing model airplanes and is great for mixing small batches. You only have to mix what you need because you can squeeze out every bit from the bag so there’s very little waste. Also the epoxy gets mixed thoroughly and only goes where you want it. Clean up with rubbing alcohol and soap and water. And don’t forget to sharpen your hooks.

Materials:

Red 3/0 weighted wobble hook or any other extra long shank hook you can find in your box (a Partridge CS10/1 would be nice http://kfs.infopop.cc/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif)
2.5” wide gold metallic ribbon
50lb+ mono weed guard
5-minute epoxy
Rubbing alcohol
Spray glue
Plastic shopping bag or some plastic wrap

1)Spray the back of the ribbon with the glue and let it dry for about 5 minutes.

2)Cut a length of ribbon about 1" long then cut that in half. This should leave you with (2) ~1" squares of ribbon. Avoid touching the sprayed areas and don't let the squares touch each other.

3)Stick one square on the inside of the shank with one corner near the eye and the diagonal corner just after the start of the bend. Wrap the material down along the sides of the shank but not on the bottom, and then flatten out the “wings” forming a diamond.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/b.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/c.jpg

4) Stick the other square gently on the outside of the hook with one corner near the eye and the opposite corner just past the beginning of the bend along the shank. Press them together and trim it to shape. I prefer to have the “rib” stick out on the inside but I don’t think it really matters.
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/d.jpg

5)To give it a good spoon curvature, fold and shape the wings with your fingers in toward the bend of the hook. Because the material is mounted on the bias and the glue has some give, you can make a really nice curve. But don’t get carried away. Its not a bowl http://kfs.infopop.cc/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/e.jpg

6)At this point you can add a weed guard or not. In those ponds, I’d have a weed guard. The materials I have on hand dictate how I tie it on. With 50lb test I use a loop that ends just past the hook point and is tied at the eye. If I have tying thread and some weed eater line (like 200lb mono) a single strand from the eye to the hook point does great. It’s nice to secure it with the epoxy but if you forget, you can just add it later.

7)Cut an approx 5'' square of plastic bag/wrap. Squeeze a fat drop of equal parts resin and hardener into the middle of the square (you need less than you think) and twist it into a little ''pastry sack.'' Gently squish the ball between your fingers to mix the epoxy. Now add a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol and mix a bit more. The rubbing alcohol thins the mix and lets it penetrate better. You need to be fairly quick about this as the epoxy has a pot-life of about a minute and a half.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/f.jpg

8)Pull and pinch a tiny hole in the bottom of the ''pastry bag'' and squirt and spread the mixed epoxy over the top and bottom of the lure being certain to fill the seams. Make sure you cover all of the ribbon with epoxy but don’t worry about trying to make it smooth. The epoxy flows out and levels itself pretty well. You will need to rotate the fly for a minute or so to prevent drips and to keep the eye from filling. I find it easier to “tie” this fly in my hands as opposed to using a vise. After the epoxy kicks, the fly will still be a bit tacky (fly fishing snobs will say its tacky no matter what http://kfs.infopop.cc/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ). It will harden by itself or you can help it along with blow dryer (keep it and the fly moving as it can make the epoxy run) and/or by leaving it in the sun.
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/g.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/h.jpg
9) Go phish!
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewaligomes/i.jpg

A second coat of un-thinned epoxy does not hurt it but is not necessary either. Be mindful of the weight though as it starts to feel like your trying to cast a small bird if it’s too heavy. But then again, you can add a couple of split shots on your line ahead of it and throw it with a spinning rod and light PowerPro. I suppose that this fly would last longer if you coated it with envirotex or a slower (harder) epoxy, but it’s so easy and quick to make that you can just make more.