Yes, with several great days out in the ocean offshore Pacific City already in 2015, i’ve been refining my lingcod flies and having very good response from the big fish – Whoo-hoo!
My shift from my most favorite Clousers that general feature white, chartreuse, and Bleeding Mackerel Steve Farrar’s Blend for the wing to a different color theme began with my friend John Harrell mentioning that he was having better catch rates on brown Twister Tail Jigs than on white.
First, I tied my big clousers with brown theme (belly = Camo Steve Farrar’s Blend; Back: Bronze Back Steve Farrar’s blend. These flies are about 7 inches long and were well received by big kings in 40 – over 90 ft of water.
Never satisfied, I noticed that the lingcod often puked up suid or little octopus (octopi?). These were fatter than small fish and I wanted a bolder profile than I could a achieve with a Clouser. My work in recent months on Intruder style flies gave me good opportunity to work with the new EP Sommerlatte’s and Chromatic brushes, and these seemed perfect to thicken the front end of my new octopus/squid flies.
The colors I have found most useful and best received by the lings to date are as follows —
EP Sommerlatte’s UV 3.0 inch brushes: White/red; Tan/chartreuse; Rootbeer/Chartreuse.
EP Chromatic 3.0 inch Copper Candy; Flame.
Jay Nicholas Lingcod octopus fly, about 5 inch.
Jay Nicholas five lingcod Octopus flies.
Jay Nicholas comparison of 5 inch octopus fly versus 7 inch Clouser.
Jay Nicholas – nice lingcod dory fly box.
I will do more fly and line experimenting as the season evolves, but I wanted to share these new and super effective fly patterns now.
More to follow, but for now, have fun and you may book a charter with pacific City fly Fishing if you are so inclined.
To tie the octopus fly, I start with a Gamakatsu SL 15 3/0 hook, XL plated dumbbell eyes, and just lash the Farrar’s Blend material on the hook in the rear of the shank. Then I wind on one color of the EP Brush behind the eyes and two colors ahead of the eyes to provide contrast. These flies have been great producers and I’m still trying to figure out the color scheme philosophy but at times they have produced better than the slim Clouser profile flies.
Jay Nicholas, March 2015.
Good show, Jay. Most of us do not have a lot of salt experience. Thanks for the learning experience.
Winner !Winner! chicken dinner( or in this case Lingcod dinner)
Welcome, always fun to share these nuggets of discovery along the way. Thanks for your kind words and always, your support. JN
Thanks, Scott, and yes indeed I do love lingcod for dinner, breakfast, and lunch too. Now just waiting for the surf to calm so I can get out again! JN
I have been fly fishing lings from the jetties here in washington for the past
18 years and found red over orange
over white with the top and sides overlaid with a ton of blue crystal flash and black itsharpie bars unmatched. You gotta try it!!!
Jay, the Gamakatsu SL 15 hooks seem to have been discontinued and no longer available, what’s a good alternative?
Kevin, sorry to be so slow on this matter but you have probably figured out by now that i meant the Gammie SC 15 and SC 15 2H hook.
These are still available and we either have them on the pegs at the Caddis Fly Shop or could probably special order these hooks for you.
Let me know if I may help, and thanks for your comment. JN
I am a avid fly tier from Idaho, I go to the Oregon coast almost every Aug., sep., Oct.,
My wife and I especially like the Bandon area. I would like to fish the surf and jetty areas
for salt water fish, I have been looking for books on flies for the Oregon coast. I grew up in Mass. and did a lot of fishing on the east coast before moving to Idaho in 1972. I have tied many salt water flies for the east coast . Can you put me on to tying books for west coast salt water fishing that might help me out.
THANKS: Vic Loiselle
I tied up a few flies using the Umpqua 2/0, 1X-strong saltwater hook with silver flashabou and chartreuse bucktail. Caught my first lingcod off the jetty in Newport, but it was a half inch too small, even after I measured it eight times! Gorgeous fish, white and aquamarine!