I
am pleased and honored to have Kate and Bill Howe's
Tarpon ALF featured as the first Hot Fly. Kate and Bill
Howe are professional fly tiers who both have contributed
much to our sport. The Tarpon ALF is just one of dozens
of great ALF styles the Howes have created - all of which
are deadly saltwater patterns, which will also work on a
horde of freshwater critters. Many flats tarpon addicts
get hung up on traditional flies, but those who know
about the Tarpon ALF are scoring big time, when old
favorites won't open locked jaws. Give the Tarpon ALF a
try, you won't be sorry. Check out Kate
& Bill's website, too - it's great!" TARPON ALF: (Blue Back & Green Back)
Materials List |
HOOKS: |
Gamakatsu SS15; 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 |
THREAD: |
Danville's Flat waxed nylon, white. |
SUPER HAIR: |
Very fine .003 dia.. Colors for Tarpon ALFs;
Blue Back: Polar Bear, lavender, Lt. Blue,
Seafoam Green, Royal Blue and Black. Green Back:
Polar Bear, Gray, Smoke, Olive, Dk. Green, Black.
|
FLASH: |
Flash and it's application should relate
directly to the type of bait fish being imitated
and the water conditions being fished. In cases
of cautious fish in extremely clear water flash
should be used sparingly, if at all. Clouded or
turbid water conditions call for more flash.
Flash for Tarpon ALFs: Blue Back: Pearl
Flashabou, Real Image's 1/32" Holographic
mylar/silver. Krystal flash in Mixed Color. Green
Back: Pearl Flashabou, Real Image's 1/32"
Holographic mylar/gold. |
THROAT: |
Red Fishair |
EYES: |
Prismatic stick on, 2 1/2 mm |
WEED GUARDS: |
Monel wire, coffee colored, sizes #4 or #6
(see directions below) |
MARKING PEN: |
Black water proof for marking top of head or
nose of fly to complete top line or dorsal
definition. |
GLUES AND
CEMENTS: |
Jolli Glaze craft cement works well for us as
it is generally thicker than most head cements
and dries in a relatively short time to a hard
clear finish. C.A. glues and accelerators are
necessary for setting eyes prior to final glaze
coat. |
TYING
INSTRUCTIONS:
For Blue Back Tarpon Alf (substitute colors for Green
Back)
1 |
Place hook securely in vise |
2 |
With "A" Monocord or flat waxed
nylon, lay a thread base on the forward 1/3 of
hook shank (from eye to just forward of hook
point). Using only the forward 1/3 of the shank
as the material tie in area helps to balance the
fly so that it sinks nose down. |
3 |
Body construction: Cut 12 to 18 strands of
Polar Bear Ultra Hair from top of hank and run up
and down through fingers to make ends slightly
uneven. Tie in on top of hook shank at hook point
and secure with at about 8 wraps forward. This
first section should extend back about 2.5"
from back of tie in. Take 4 strands of Pearl
Flashabou, also with uneven ends, and tie in (a
little longer than 1st section). When secure fold
everything back and tie down. The piece you have
just folded back will be quite a bit longer on
top, take your scissors and trim at 3.5" in
a very uneven cut. A few pieces should be shorter
than the bottom section while others should be as
much as an inch longer as you taper towards the
top. This technique allows you to form the proper
taper for bait fish and should be continued
throughout the pattern. Do not discard the piece
that you have just cut off. |
4 |
Take 12 to 18 strands of Lt. Blue Super Hair
and push up and down with fingers to make ends
uneven. Secure on top of the Polar Bear at a
little left of center of material and tie in. Add
2 strands of 1/32" Holo Mylar 6" long
tied in at their center on top of nylon. Tie
forward by dropping off of shoulder formed by
previous material application. Fold back nylon
and flash together, tie down and trim. Note: For
a 3.5" to 4.5" fly You need to use at
least 8 to 10 inches of nylon as these must be
folded back into the pattern. This type of
stacking and layering accomplishes two things:
Folding makes a secure body as material will not
pull out of head (remember nylon will not
compress) and secondly, this method helps to keep
the material ends uneven, which is most important
for the proper bait fish silhouette and taper. |
5 & 6 |
Continue with next color, lavender with mixed
color Krystal flash, following the same tying
method described in steps #3 and #4, noting that
section #5 is tied in a bit longer than the last.
Section #6, Royal Blue, is then tied in just a
little shorter to give the unique dorsal/ventral
profile and taper. |
7 |
Top pattern with 4 strands of black Superhair
tied in on top of last material. Tie forward to
hook eye, fold back , tie down and secure. Trim. |
8 |
Rotate or invert hook in vise. Secure 12 to
18 strands of Polar Bear on underside of hook
half way between point and eye. Tie forward to
eye, fold back, secure and trim to proper belly
taper. Return fly to upright position, 2"
section of bright red Fishair, 20 strands, to be
tied in along side of head to form bleeding
gills. Tie in along head on one side, then fold
around nose (at hook eye) to the other side and
tie down. These should not extend back past hook
point.
|
9 |
The final head finish or profile is achieved
with thread build up and it must be wider top to
bottom than from side to side. Use a black water
proof marker to color top of head for definition. |
10 |
Eye should be set along each side of head, on
the thread, Set eyes and coat head with C.A. glue
, then spray very lightly with accelerator, let
stand for one hour then coat with Jolli Glaze for
finish. |
Weed Guards |
Addition of double wire weed guard is best
done at beginning of tying sequence. Cut 3"
to 4" section of coffee colored Monel wire,
fold in half, push ends down through top of hook
eye until only 1/2" protrudes from top. Tie
that 1/2" inch down hard against top of hook
shank. The two ends of the guard will protrude
from the underside of hook eye while you are
building your pattern. After finishing your head
off, fold wires back along bottom of head and
leave loose. Finish guards by bending slightly
backward to proper attitude then fold bottom
1/8" to 1/4" of each guard back on a 45
degree angle. The bent back ends should lay just
under the hook point. Wire choices should be made
on the basis of fly size and conditions it will
be fished under. Monel wire sizes and
corresponding diameters appropriate for Tarpon
ALF'S are as follows; #4 through #6 with
diameters of .013 to .014. |
|