 FLY
OF THE MONTH
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Jeff's
Coho Candy
By Jeff Pierce
Jeff's
Coho Candy is a super fly for coho/silver
salmon, but it is also a killer steelhead
fly as well. Just in the last two years
that I have been fishing this fly it has
accounted for numerous silver salmon over
15 pounds, including 4 over 20 pounds!
(That's me with a 22 pound coho caught
on this fly, shown on the right.) In this
time it has also fooled countless steelhead
over 15 pounds with a half dozen steelies
over 18 pounds.
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Materials List: |
Hooks: |
Mustad
80500BL sizes 2-10 or Partridge Salar CS14-1B
in sizes 9, 7, 5, 3 or 1 (size depends on water
level and clarity). |
Thread: |
Wapsi
Waxed 140 or Danville Flymaster Plus in Flo.
Pink. |
Body: |
Diamond
Braid in Flo. Pink. |
Wing: |
Arctic
Fox in Flo. Pink. |
OverWing: |
Guinea
Fowl in Flo. Pink |
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Tying
instructions: |
Step
1:
Build
up a thread base, starting at the head and working
down and back. |
Photo
and fly by Jeff Pierce
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Step
2:
Secure
the Diamond Braid behind the eye and lay it flat,
parallel to the hook shank. Wrap the thread over
the braid down to the bend and back to build
up some bulk to give the body some profile. Begin
wraping the braid around the shank in tight wraps
up to the head. |
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Step
3:
Secure
the Diamond Braid behind the eye.
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Step
4:
Cut
a section of Arctic fox long enough to extend just past
the bend. Remove and discard the short underfur. Secure
the fox hair back slightly from the eye to allow room for
the Guinea fowl and the head. |
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Step
5:
Select
a Guinea Fowl which has hackle fibers long enough to extend
3/4 of the body length of the fly. Prepare the feather
by grabbing it's tip and force the hackle fibers back toward
the stem. Secure the tip of the feather just in front of
the fox hair. Wrap the Guinea Fowl very tightly (close
together). With each wrap, be sure to stroke the hackles
back so that your next wrap does not go over them. |
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Step
6:
Secure
the Guinea Fowl hackle, shape the head and whip finish.
A drop of head cement will allow the fly to catch a few
fish before it needs to be retired - FINISHED! |
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Fishing
Suggestions:
Fish
will take this fly on a dead drift, but the swing
technique is where this fly really shines. I would
say that nearly half of my fish come as the fly
is swinging in the current, with 20-30% taking
the fly on the first couple of strips back upstream
against the current. Nothing gets your heart beating
like a 15+ pound steelhead slashing at this fly
as you begin to strip it in or a big coho coming
out of the water after it. This is by far my most
productive coho fly and one of my top 3 steelhead
flies. This is a Genesee Steelhead, taken on my
Coho Candy shown below. Don't be afraid to tie
this fly in other colors as well. I tie it in Flo.
Chartreuse, Flo. Orange and Flo. Lime. When the
fishing slows, I'll change colors and that will
often get the fish going again. The Chartreuse
and lime colors are also very good colors for fall-run
brown trout as well.
 Jeff
Pierce
About
Jeff Pierce
Jeff
Pierce is the North American Sales Coordinator for
O. Mustad & Son (USA), Inc. and Partridge. He is the
Captain of Team Mustad and is a diehard angler and fly
tier. Jeff's alias is "Dr. Fish" because of his "insane" addiction
to fishing and studying fish.
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