If you've never fished a striped bass boil at Lake Powell with a fly rod, you're really missing out. With these large, powerful and beautiful fish slashing, slurping, smacking and working themselves and their quarry into a frenzy, it's hard to find a more exciting fly fishing experience anywhere in the state.

The one problem, though, is that you want a shad imitation that's heavy enough to get down into the water a few inches quickly, but yet have a slender enough profile to slice and dice through the water like an escaping shad would do and be light enough to not wear your arm out casting it long distances.

This pattern utilizes the traditional "high-tie" method of tying a wing or body on top of the hook shank using the thread or other material to prop the wing-body fibers up at an angle. Rounding off the pattern, we use some Clear Cure Goo to form a nice smooth tapered head that can easily cut through the water as it's retrieved. Just throw a nice cast, strip the fly in and hang onto your hats!

Imitation • shad minnow

When to use • summer, fall

Where • Lake Powell, Willard Bay, Newcastle Reservoir and other striped bass or wiper fisheries

How to fish it • Fish on a floating or sink-tip line, especially during a boil. Strip quickly and hang on.

Hook • Gamakatsu B10S #4 - #2/0

Thread • Mono-filament (7X Tippet)

Underbody • .030 Lead Free Wire

Body • White Craft Fur, Ice Wing Fiber, Pearl Core Braid

Lateral lines • Black Crystal Flash

Eyes • 3D Asymetrical Eyes

Head • Clear Cure Goo

Tying Instructions

Attach a few wraps of the lead-free wire just behind the hook eye. Tie in the mono-filament "thread" and secure the wire. Tie the Pearl Core Braid on top of the hook shank just behind the wire. Tie in a small clump of the craft fur and then bring the Pearl Core Braid up behind that clump in order to prop it up at an angle.

Tie in another clump of craft fur and do the same thing with the Pearl Core Braid and then follow that up with the black Crystal Flash for lateral lines. Attach a small clump of Ice Wing fiber and repeat the same process with the Pearl Core Braid, tying it off in front of the Ice Wing fiber clump. Whip finish. Apply the two 3D eyes on either side of the fly and then use the Clear Cure Good to build up the minnow-shaped head. Trim the body to the desired length and density.

Curtis Fry lives in Orem and ties flies "for pure necessity and as a creative outlet. I don't fool myself into thinking it is a cheaper alternative to buying flies. It's an addiction I am forced to abide." —

Online See how to tie the fly

Curtis Fry provides a tutorial at YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL5cCEP1ARU

More videos • youtube.com/user/frycdf