fly fishing for spades?

[jemche]

we have a good spot where we can usually get a good amount of spades. it is over a wreck that is in about 25 ft of water.

we have found that chumming is the key. chumming gets them hugry.

i have caught one on a fly rod a few years ago but i had bait on the fly. i have hooked one or two this summer but they came off.

Question 1: what kind of flies do you use?? we usually chum with clams and i have made flies by just tying a rubber band on the hook. it works well but not as well as i would like it too..their is lots of little jellies by the wreck and gottaflylee's fly looks great but i never see them eating jellies.

Question 2: leaders.. what size? how long?i have been using about 5 feet of 20lb flouro. i think this might spook them even though it is flouro. i also might need to make my leader longer.

Question 3: to strip or not to strip? when we are fishing we usually just lets the baited clams drift in current. we usually do not reel them in. should just let the fly move in current?

Question 4: has any one ever caught a spade on the fly? if so i would like some pix...

[jemche]

[gottaflylee]

Jake, have you seen this...

Jelly fish fly video

This works well for me...

[jemche]

lee,

have seen the video.the flies look just like the jellies that we see where we are fishing. to be honest, i have never seeen the spades eatring the jellies... i have tied a few of your flies just in case.

[Dave Sikorski]

Jake-

I know the guys that chum for sharks to catch them on the fly generally only have success before the fish taste the real thing.

If you chunk with real pieces of clam then they'll only eat the real stuff.

I think the key is to get the scent in the water by using a chum bag and then make your fly the only option for the fish once they've gotten all fired up by the scent.

-D

[jemche]

thanks dave. thats a good idea.

[jemche]

a few more qestions.. what type of leaders do you use? how long? mono or flouro??

[BYRD]

I know a guy here in the Va. Beach area that uses a rubber band as a fly. He just wraps it up and down the hook and leaves a little of it dangling. He says it looks like a piece of clam. I know he held the IGFA fly record for a spadefish. I think he still may hold the record.

He chums with clam and then throws the rubber band fly into the chum pieces.

[Dave Sikorski]

Flouro....20 lb. 6 ft.

-D

[fishsalmon]

If the fish are picky, scale the leader/tippet down to 14 or 15lb and often the bite will be better. I have caught quite a few on spinning gear and never leader over 15lb. My leader is usually 6 feet. Key is don't pressure to the point you break them off. Byrd's comment on the rubber band is the most common "fly" I have heard of at least out at Ches Light in the lower bay. If you are chumming with clam, a standard rubber band that is wrapped to look like a chunk of clam floated free line back with the chum id a good bet. A size 1 hook is as big as I have ever used and when they have lock jaw I down size to a 4. Red hooks seem to really make a difference as well.