Big Baitfish

These large baitfish imitations are tied using the big fly fiber for the tail, craft fur/polarfibre for the head, and shredded mylar (such as angel hair, wings 'n' flash, etc.) for the veiling. I used Hard as Hull head cement to bond the flash material to the polarfibre, which gave the fly its final shape.

Tying sequence (given for the middle fly, since that one has a magnum bass rattle inside, which adds extra step):

-tie the heavy duty rattle on the bottom of the shank , so the hook rides correctly;

-tie the big fly fiber over and around the rattle, along with some polarflash for the flashtail. Fold the material over so it doesn't pull. If you don't want the rattle, add the twiston strip to keel the hook before tying. Omit this if you are using regular hook;

-reverse tie (hollow style) four clumps of polarfibre for the head: three white for belly/sides and one for the back in contrasting color. You can also use craft fur, or both. Polarfibre will give you smoother texture of the finished fly, though. For bunker fly (top), add another bunch od polarfibre to create wider profile. Comb the fur before folding;

-add a bunch of shredded mylar to veil the fly, fold and tied down. You can vary the colors, or add red under to simulate the bleeding gills. Comb the mylar to create a shroud around the fly;

-coat the fly liberaly with acrylic cement (I used Hard as Hull.) It dries quickly and it is easy to shape the fly to give it more round or oval cross profile. The cement will bond mylar fibers to the fur. Adjust the shape (leave it round or squeeze for flatter profile). Goop the eyes and you are done!