Nearly all of my 30" + Striped Bass have been caught on this fly: an all black Big Eelie. The Big Eelie was originally created by Ken Abrames and is featured in his book Striper Moon. In his book the Big Eelie is tied with a white marabou collar as well as blue and yellow saddle hackles. To make the fly fish better at night I tie it in all black, maintaining just a pop of yellow in the bucktail platform.
The productivity of this fly is attributed to its movement. The thin flatwing saddle hackles wiggle from side to side in the water much like a fish does, while the marabou collar billows and pulsates occasionally revealing flashes of the silver Mylar body. As a result, this fly performs exceptionally well on the swing.
Lastly, don't let the name fool you. This fly fishes well near the surface when bass are feeding on silversides and other slender bait fish (at night, of course).
Recipe
Hook: Mustad 3407. size 1 - 2/0
Thread: Black, 140 Denier
Platform: Small amount of white, yellow, and olive bucktail mixed
Tail: 1 black saddle, then 4 strands of pearlescent flashabou, then 1 black saddle, then 2 strands of olive flashabou, then 1 black saddle, and lastly 2 strands of black flashabou.
Body: Silver Mylar yarn
Collar: 2-3 turns of black marabou tied in at the tip
Tying Tips
3-5 inches is a good length for this fly. Use thin flatwing hackles tied in where the stem starts to transition from thick to thin. Marabou blood quills are used for the collar. Keep the collar sparse.
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