While we wait for the spring stripers to arrive I thought I would post two excellent flies that suggest silversides that I use in early spring. One fly is the Nacht Tern. It was originated in the 1950's by Bob Nauheim for San Francisco Bay stripers. I use this fly on dark nights in clear water. The version I tie replaces the original black bucktail in the wing with a black saddle tied in flat. This change gives the fly more movement.

The other fly is based on the Nacht Tern Flat Wing and Ray Bondorew's Ray's Fly. It is also a silverside pattern that I use day or night, clean water or stained water. Unlike the Ray's Fly I tie the white bucktail in the tail. I also substitute the olive bucktail in the wing with an olive saddle tied flat and eliminate the peacock herl. However, the first change I made to the Ray's Fly was replacing the silver body braid with light blue. This braid change came about because I had taken some pictures of silversides in the area and noticed a strong glint of light blue on the gill plate. As a result I tied a Ray's Fly with a light blue body and I noticed an increase in hits. I tie both of these flies from two to six inches to match the size of the bait.

Wonderbread Squidsicle

This is a favorite fly of mine that I have been fishing for years. This one uses the Wonderbread coloration that is popular with custom plugs but the color combinations are great and I have many different ones. The fly is based on two flies, the Alaska Popsicle and Ken Abrames' Headless Horseman. The following is a step-by-step presentation of how to tie this pattern.

STEP 1: Wind the thread to above the hook point.

STEP 2 (Tail):
Select and prepare 2 white, a light blue, a violet, a pink and fl. yellow saddles that are med. wide for the tail. Tie in the saddles surrounding the top half of the shank splayed.

(STEP 2 con't.)
Trim and wind the thread back and tie in 2 pieces of gold flash and 2 pieces of rainbow crystal flash.

STEP 3 (Body)
The body is comprised of four collars. Tie in a full and very sparse bucktail collar directly in front of the tail. This can be done by either a reverse tie or a regular tie and flaring. Choose very long bucktail that isn't coarse in equal amounts of white, pink, light blue and fl. yellow and blend them similar to shuffling cards. This is enough for the bottom half add another amount for the top half.

STEP 4 (con't.)
The next collars use pink and cream marabou, yellow schlaapen and light blue body braid.

Carefully select marabou plumes for long thin barbules with a minimum of fluff build up close to the shaft. Too much fluff bulks the fly up and prevents the marabou from moving fluidly. Also, if a sparser fly is desired, remove the barbules from the side of the plume wrapped against the hook shank. Prepare the pink marabou and tie it in by the tip and the curve of the plume arches to the tail of the fly.

Then make 3 close turns. Be careful not to overlap the marabou with each subsequent turn. Moisture helps to tame the marabou, then tie off. Next tie in the yellow schlaapen like the marabou was, then tie in the light blue body braid wind the braid forward to a point about 1/8" before the eye. Now palmer the schlaapen forward and tie off. Tie in the cream marabou and make 2 turns and tie off.

Other squid colorations I've used, among others, are violet, puce and fiery brown with copper crystal flash and hot and fire orange with brown and copper crystal flash. See more Squidsicles.