{{+1}}Chatto’s jig fly – olive bait-fish{{-1}}
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This fly has a poddy mullet shape, casts well and as the name implies it has an action which is similar to both a jerk bait lure and suspending lure.
The set up of the jig hook and extension puts the tow point 15mm back along the fly so that a medium to fast strips cause the fly to dart off in different directions much like wounded or fleeing fish. The 15mm of 8mm diameter closed cell foam tube above the hook eye give the fly neutral buoyancy so then when you pause the lure it basically suspends at or close to the level it was being retrieved giving predators time to attack.
It has evolved from my jig fly that I first tied in 2015. It capitalises on Darwin's "theory of survival of the fittest" in that it presents a representation of a wounded fish, a fantastic target for predatory fish such as Barramundi, various species of Trevally, Queenfish, big flathead and I expect many other predator species.
Fished on a floating line it a great fly to fish in shallow water above weed, shallow gravel bar or swamped timber. Swap it over to an intermediate or faster sinking line and it can be fished at your choice of depths close to holding fish. In any case put in a long cast that will bring the fly through, past or over where fish are holding and retrieve it with a strip / stop action at various speeds until you find what is working on the day.
I tie this fly in only 5 colour combinations:
Bait fish colours of olive over shrimp as in this tie
Qantas colours of red over white
Brown bomber inspired colours of black over brown and gold
Nigh time colours of red over black
Natural of blue & grey over white
Materials
Hook | Thread to attach hook extension | Hook extension | Floatation | Thread for rest of fly | Under-body | Belly | Back | Eyes | Finish |
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Gamakatsu Jig 90HW or The Fly Shop Jig TFS 54444 #2/0 to #4/0 | White Big fly thread | Whiting hook with bend removed | White 8mm closed cell foam cylinder/td> | VeeVus 100 denier thread | H2O Slinky Fibre in shrimp | UV UV shrimp Steve Farrar's Flash Blend | Wild Olive Steve Farrar's Flash Blend | 8mm Joggle Eyes | Selleys clear 5 minute epoxy |
Process
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At this stage it's important to get an understanding how much body materials you will need to achieve the desired thickness and density of the fly. There are 4 equal layers in the body of the fly. Layer one is an under-body of Slinky Fibre. Layers two and three are for the lower two thirds of the outer body of the fly and layer four for the top one third of the body of the fly.
There can be a bit of a learning curve getting the quantities right as your looking for just enough body materials to dress the fly without making the fly too thick.
It's also important to cut the lengths as described in the steps below so as the forward facing material for each step is folded back on itself the tips of the backward facing material line up in front of the tips of the forward facing material building a tapered body that does not require too much trimming in the final step.
Layer 1 of 4
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Layer 2 of 4
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Layer 3 of 4
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Layer 4 of 4
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It's now time to bring the 4 layers together
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Author: StephenChatterton
Tags: #fishonfly, Awoonga, barra