What flies to use in mexico?

[BigCatch_2700]

I am going to Ixstapa, Mexico in mid march and i would like to fly fish off the beach maybe near the reef. What flies should i use and what fish would i be after?

Cheers,

BC2700

[Dave Sikorski]

sea habit flies are popular in the pacific for near shore species.

Something in a sardine pattern will work well, and the epoxy head of the fly will help it last through multiple fish.

White, chartreuse, gray, tan and olive combinations should cover your needs.

haveing a few pencil poppers or bob's bangers along for the ride is probably a good idea as well.

Here are some instructions on tying the sea habit

Sea Habit
Designer: Trey Combs

Materials

Hook: Trey Combs Blue Water Hook by Gamakatsu size 2/0, 4/0, 6/0, 8/0( or similar)
Thread: Danville Flat Waxed nylon
Underbody: White Bucktail
Pearl Flash-A-Bou
White Fish Hair
Lower Flash: Silver Flash-A-Bou
Collar: or Pearl Flash-A-Bou/White Bucktail
Shoulders: Pearl Krystal Flash/Gray Ghost Krystal Flash
Overbody: Top color Krystal Flash/Top color Fish Hair/top color Bucktail/Pearl Krystal Flash

Topping: Peacock Herl

Head: Pearlescent Mylar Tubing

Prizmatic Tape Eyes

Devcon 5-minute epoxy

Tying Instructions

1. Place hook in vise, and secure thread to shank. Wrap the shank with thread.

2. Tie in a bunch of white bucktail just above the point, and secure with a few turns of thread. All materials will be tied in from the hook point forward (toward the eye of the fly).

3. Next tie in a small bunch of Flash-A-Bou. Length is determined by the size of the fly. Then tie in a small bunch of white Fish Hair on top of the flash. Repeat this step two more times, keeping all materials stacked vertically (At this time, your materials should be tied in from just above the point extending forward a little). With all the materials tied in, add a few drops of crazy glue to the butts of the materials. (I usually add a drop of CA (cyanoacrylate) glue to all ties).

4. Tie in the silver side flash along each side of the underbody. Then, advance the thread forward just ahead of the underbody.

5. Tie in a bunch of flash extending just beyond the bend of the hook. You want to tie in this material as a veil. Do not tie any materials on the underside of the fly.

6. Now, tie in a very sparse veil of white bucktail. You want the flash to reflect through the bucktail. Secure with a few wraps of thread and add a drop of CA (cyanoacrylate) glue. (At this stage, your materials should be halfway between the point and eye of the hook.)

All remaining materials will be tied on the base of the underbody

7. Tie in the pearl Krystal Flash at the midline of the fly to create the shoulders of the fly. The length of the Krystal Flash should be ¾ of the length of the underbody.

8. Then, tie in the Gray Ghost Krystal Flash above of the Pearl Krystal Flash extending ¾ the length of the underbody.

9. Directly on top of the fly, tie in a small amount of Gray Ghost Krystal Flash, extending the entire length of the underbody.

10. On top of the Gray Ghost Krystal Flash, tie in a bunch of Gray Fish Hair, and trim so that the tips are uneven (or pull fibers to different lengths before tying them in).

11. Now, tie in a bunch of gray bucktail over the other materials. Over the gray bucktail, tie in a bunch of pearl Krystal Flash. Secure with a few wraps of thread and add a drop of CA (cyanoacrylate) glue to the butts of the material. Now over the top, tie in some strands of peacock herl, extending about ¾ the length of the body.

12. Take some medium size pearlescent mylar tubing and slip over the butt sections. Secure it to the hook just behind the eye. At this point you can trim the loose ends of the tubing and cover the rest with thread, or you can tie off the tubing and trim leaving a short section hanging over.

13. Apply a thin coat of Devcon 5 minute epoxy over the Mylar head. After the epoxy sets up to the sticky stage, place the prizmatic eyes on the head, and add a bead of scribbles to the top of the head. The sticky epoxy will help secure the eyes to the head. Let the scribbles dry for at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours, Trim off any tubing that was left hanging. Add the final coat of epoxy over the head. Make sure the point where the head and body of the fly stays symmetrical.

The following sizes are recommended for each size hook.


Hook Size Fly Length


2/0 4-5”
4/0 6-7”
6/0 7-8”

>....................

These are loose guidelines for tying the sea habit. You can vary your materials. The key is the epoxy head and layers of flash.

happy fishing.

-D