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Match the Hatch: Big sand eels, Big eelie

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The Fisherman

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When the bait is sand eels over 4", the Big Eelie is an elegant - and lethal - solution. I used this fly, created by Ken Abrames, and its variants to take many keeper+ sized bass last week on Block Island. It is easy to tie and can be fished many different ways.

 

Normally I fish smaller, really sparse sand eel flies on the Block, but when we went out for out annual Block Island All-Nighter in June, we saw sand eels as big as 4" on the beach. Boat captains were reporting sand eels in sizes normally reserved for late August.

 

From top to bottom, the original Big Eelie, the L&L Big Eelie (patterned after Ken's flatwing streamer the L&L Special), and the Bruiser Big Eelie, my own color creation.

 

BigEelies.JPG

 

This is a slim profile fly; all saddles are thinner than a pencil, and tied in flat. I tied these 4.5" long.

 

Big Eelie

Hook: Eagle Claw L253 1/0 (up to 3/0)

Thread: White

Platform: 30 hairs white BT

Pillow: White

Tail: White saddle under 4 strands pearl flash under yellow saddle under blue saddle under olive saddle

Body: Pearl braid

Collar: Two turns white maribou, tied in at the tip

 

L&L Big Eelie

Hook: Eagle Claw L253 1/0 (up to 3/0)

Thread: Chartreuse

Platform: 30 hairs fl. yellow BT

Pillow: Chartreuse

Tail: White saddle under 2 strands blue flash under 2 chartreuse saddles under 2 strands purple flash under yellow saddle

Body: Pearl braid

Collar: Two turns chartreuse maribou, tied in at the tip

 

Bruiser Big Eelie

Hook: Eagle Claw L253 1/0 (up to 3/0)

Thread: Black

Platform: 30 hairs blue BT

Pillow: Purple

Tail: One purple saddle under 2 strands blue flash under another purple saddle under 2 2 strands purple flash under 2 black saddles

Body: Dark blue braid

Collar: Two turns purple maribou, tied in at the tip

 

I fished these flies at night, and the stripers had no color preference; they hit every variant with equal gusto. This 38" beast took the Bruiser:

 

38incher-1.jpg

"We fish for pleasure; I for Mine, you for yours."
-- James Leisenring
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Hi SS,

 

It is indeed in the original pattern. You're probably thinking of its little brother, the Eelie, which has no collar and only three saddles. I tie that in the 1.5 to 3" range. Also a killer pattern, and likewise gives you plenty of options to change colors as you see fit.

 

:-)

"We fish for pleasure; I for Mine, you for yours."
-- James Leisenring
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I always bring two lines for Block Island: A floater and a full sink tip. I used these flies with a full sink tip (365 grain, 35 foot head, I think) in a deep channel for wet fly and greased line swings.

 

For beaches, rocky reefs/points, and flats, I used a floating line. Probably used it 80% of the time.

 

The floating line is my default line.

"We fish for pleasure; I for Mine, you for yours."
-- James Leisenring
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  • 11 months later...

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