The advent of autumn means it’s time for the serious saltwater-blitz season along the Atlantic seaboard. For many salty anglers, Lou Tabory’s seminal book Inshore Fly Fishing unlocked the secrets to casting for striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore from the beach. Tabory has designed many of the best striper patterns, including the Snake Fly shown here. With its ostrich-herl tail, marabou collar and spun-deer-hair head, the fly offers a fishy profile and a slithering, lifelike action in the water. You can fish the pattern on a floating or intermediate line near the surface, where the bushy head will create a lot of commotion, or on a sinking-tip line to make it ride lower in the water column. Either way, stripers can’t resist the Snake Fly, especially when mullet are around.
This video, by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, has all the elements that make Tighline’s step-by-step tying videos so popular: clear instructions by the narrator, pinpoint focus so you can see exactly what the tier is doing, and a couple of tricks that will make you a better tier. Having trouble controlling the marabou “nasties” or deer-hair “fuzzies”? Tim has the solution. His method for finishing the head without all that deer hair getting in your way is a must-see.
Tabory Snake Fly
Hook: Mustad C68SZ, size 2/0.
Thread: White UTC, 210 or 280 denier.
Tail: White Ostrich herl.
Flash: Silver Krystal Flash and Flashabou.
Body: White marabou, wrapped.
Collar: White deer hair, stacked.
Head: White deer hair, spun.
Adhesive: Zap-A-Gap.
One year, as an experiment, I used all of 2 kinds of flies all season
Yellow over white deceivers from spring through late August, then switching to white snake flies for the fall.
The snake flies matched the peanut bunker that are so prevalent at the mouths of the estuaries in southeaster CT where I usually fish.
Night time is the right time and a snake fly on the swing, on the surface, in current is irresistible to our striped friends.