Most of New England's aquatic baitfish employ one of two methods of camouflage. Some have silvery scales that reflect the colors around them (think herring). Others, have translucent quality that allows them to absorb the colors around them (think silversides and sand eels). Thus, when selecting a fly one must take into consideration the color of the sky, the atmosphere, the water, and the bottom to properly "match the hatch".
Such is the thinking behind the Storm Cloud Big Eelie, which seeks to imitate the way a silverside or sand eel would look to a fish when set against a cloudy sky. A black tail because the fly is silhouetted against the sky, a grey collar to pick up the color of storm clouds, and an olive platform to match the aquatic environment.
Recipe
Hook: Mustad 3407, size 2 - 2/0
Thread: Black
Platform: Sparse clump of olive buckrtail, then 2 - 4 strands of pearl krystal flash
Tail: 1 black saddle, then 2 strands of olive flashabou, then 1 black saddle, then 2 strands of brown flashabou, then one black saddle.
Body: Silver Mylar braid
Collar: 3 - 4 turns of gray marabou tied in at the tip
Tying Tips:
It is important to scale the amount of materials used to to the size of the fly. For example, when tying this fly in a size 1 consider using only 2 saddle hackles, 2 strands of krystal flash, and 2 turns of marabou. However, when tying this fly in a size 2/0, consider using 3 saddles hackles, 4 strands of krystal flash, and 3 - 4 turns of marabou.
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