Edison's Teardrop

With Tarpon season right around the corner I thought this week we would tie up one of my favorite flies for targeting Megalops. Similar to many other popular patterns, the teardrop shape of this fly is a classic and creates a whole host of attributes that we look for in Tarpon flies. It gives a great bait fish profile that is very easy to pick up and re-cast after missed shots. It also pushes a decent amount of water while swimming evenly. Versatility and a quick tying time is the biggest reason keep at least a dozen of these on hand for any given trip. Don’t hesitate to throw it to snook, redfish and a whole host of inshore bait fish feeders. Make sure to adjust hook size from 2-3/0 depending on the size of the fish you are targeting. Some of my other favorite colorways are Chartreuse, Black/Purple and Yellow.

Materials:

• Hook: Owner 5170 – sz. 1/0

• Thread: Danville’s 210 Denier - Orange

• Tail: EP Fiber - Tan, Krystal Flash - Root Beer, Sharpie - Brown

• Body: EP Senyo Chromatic Brush - Tiger

• Eyes: Bead Chain Eyes

Step 1: Add bead chain eyes approximately ⅓ of the way down the shank.

Step 2: Tie in a tapered, pencil thick strand of EP Fiber at the back of the shank.

Step 3: Advance the thread to the midpoint between the point and the barb of the hook. Tie in another tapered strand of EP Fiber.

Step 4: Add two strands of flash to either side of your EP Fiber strands. Using a sharpie, finish off the tail with parr marks.

Step 5: Tie in an EP Brush at the base of the tail.

Step 6: Palmer your EP Brush up the shank to a point just behind the eyes and tie off. Taper your thread just in front of the eyes and whip finish.

Step 7: Trim the EP brush to complete your teardrop profile. Apply head cement for durability.