Indigo Guide Service

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Carp Fly Recipe… Morlock's Beast Bait by Kevin Morlock

This is pattern and in the yellow in particular is becoming a staple on Kevin's carp trips.  Though he has been tying and using variations of this pattern for years he has been reluctant to give it a name because it looks like dozens of bunny strip flies that are already out there.

Though this year Kevin has decided to give it a name because people keep asking what it is called and why the recipe isn't on the site.  And also because this fly has now accounted for two of the four largest carp caught by the Indigo crew… both in yellow.

This is a quick and easy pattern to tie and should be tied in several colors.  Tie them large, you can always cut them smaller on the water.

Best For… carp          Could Also Be Used For…  trout, bass, salmon and steelhead

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Mustad R90
Eyes… large red lead eyes
Tail/Body… yellow olive bunny strip (see note 1)
Collar.. light blue crystal flash
Hackle… Brown Schlappen
Head… brown rag yarn (see note 2)

Note 1 – Tie your eyes on and then glue them and let them dry.  Before you put the fly back in the vise, pierce the bunny strip with the hook about 1 inch down from the head end.

Note 2 – The only place I know to get this yarn is FlyMasters, though on this pattern you could substitute anything.

Third Coast Fly – The Beasts of Beaver Island

Visit our West Michigan Fly Index page for a quick look at our collection.

Carp Fly Recipe… Martinez’s Depth Charge by Steve Martinez

When the carp are deep you have to get deep quickly to be effective.  This fly is heavy and casts like a kitchen sink but it is effective.  It has became Steve’s bread-and-butter fly for cloudy days when the carp are staying in deeper water.  You can vary the color and size but this is the standard.

Best For… carp          Could Also Be Used For…  trout, bass and steelhead

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… TMC 200R
Eyes… large yellow lead eyes
Body Weight… 12 or so wraps of lead wire
Tail… brown marabou
Body… olive brown U.V. Polar Chenille
Collar.. yellow mallard
Head… peacock colored Cactus Dubbing

Visit our West Michigan Fly Index page for a quick look at our collection.

Carp Fly Pattern… Anderson’s Hammerhead by Ian Anderson

On a June evening at the Fisherman’s House on Beaver Island last summer, our friend Ian Anderson decided to create a funny new carp fly.  There is little doubt that Ian’s creativity was peaking after several beers.  Well, Ian threw together 4 bead chain eye’s, rubber legs, glow-in-the-dark Mylar and some bunny strip… finally creating this 5 inch crazy monster of a fly.

Wouldn’t you know that we absolutely destroyed the carp on that fly the next couple days.  This is now my go-to fly for hot, aggressive fish.  This is also an excellent fly for smallmouth bass.

The double bead chain eyes create a lot of noise and enough weight to get depth quickly.  The bonus is that if you want to create a lighter fly, you can quickly cut-off the outside eyes while on the water.

Ian is one of our friends form FlyMasters of Indianapolis.

Best For… carp and smallmouth bass          Could Also Be Used For…  salmon

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Mustad R74, size 4
Thread… 3/0 or A Mono or FlyMasters +, color to match body
Eyes… x-large gold bead chain and 8 – 10 wraps of .030 lead wire
Tail… 4 – 6 pumpkin/black flake sili legs,  6 strands glow in the dark Mylar Motion fl. orange, 6 strands glow in the dark Mylar Motion fl. yellow
Under Body… dark brown sparkle yarn
Over Body… crawfish orange magnum zonker or black barred orange over tan magnum tiger strip (Hare Line)

Notes:
1) This fly uses regular rabbit zonker strips, not crosscut strips.  You palmer the zonker with a small margin of the skin over lapping the previous wrap while stroking back the fur on each wrap.  By using a regular zonker strip the hair stands out and pulses more than a cross cut strip would.
2) Color variations would be black, olive or dark brown.  Tiger Zonker (strips) or barred zonkers work better because of the contrasting colors.
3) You can tie this on a size 6 using large bead chain and magnum zonker and a size 8 using large or medium bead chain and a regular zonker strip; not magnum.  Lead size would also be reduced for each smaller size hook.