The crabs, tied in the upper left part of the plate, are made from a variety of materials: hot glue**, craft fur (top three left column), or trimmings from my beard (opposite right). Included below is one of the local crabs, imprudent enough to be caught by me on the flats. Actual size.

It is grey overall and actually very soft and fuzzy in real life. It is unlike the bait crab the local fishermen catch along the shore. That crab is a "swimming" crab and light brown or tan with an elongated oval crab shape and a semihard but smooth shell. they also have blue crabs!

**I make the hot glue crab by rolling up a ball of left over short craft fur hairs between my palms. I then drop a small puddle of hot glue onto a slick surface, put the hair ball on top and press the two very flat together with a roller. The result is a thin, light, flexible soft "shell", I sandwich this with another, add weight or not, to build the fly. I use hot glue pinchers, trimmed to shape from a "U", legs of grizzly hackle or rubber bands, and burnt mono eyes. I trim, then color with markers.

Beard flies are left very fuzzy, and weighted for both fast sink and soft landing. Grizzly claws, and a doubled strand of Crystal Flash, (optional weed guard) complete the fly. These work well over hard and rough coral on shallow flats in bright sun.

 The shrimp and goby patterns at the bottom of the plate are for bigger fish and can really spook bonefish of less than five pounds. However, these are the biggest offerings on the flats and bigger fish readily attack bigger opportunites. I've seen bonefish chase swimming crabs two inches long up to the surface and peck at them until they've delegged them and crushed them overall.

The guide in bonefish fly construction, is to create a reasonable imitation that lands softly and then sinks quickly. Most everything else, hook size and to some degree even color, is second to these factors, at least where fish are plentiful, like on Andros.

Just so you know what bonefish eat... mostly clams! 90% or more of their diet. Try to tie that fly! Or make it move naturally? Then they eat: worms, shrimp, crabs, fish and everything else.

The goby patterns are probably the biggest you'll tie. Walk the flats at night or turn over conchs and coral rocks to see the abundance of these fishes. I'd suggest tying a few down to #6 hooks though most are tied on #2 or bigger. Big gobies scare the wits out of smaller school fish, but attract big loners well.

 Actual size.

Braided Barracuda fly courtesy of John Graves. My tying copied his gift. Loosely braid 12: pale yellow and chartreuse "fishhair" type fibres with 4 strands of white flashaboo (and 2 strands black flashaboo). Tie near eye and tail.

 Plans from Phil Gibboney, excuse the wear and tear.

These flies are meant to be big attractor patterns and used while chumming, which provides a real scent in the water. Sharks are not likely to turn to or investigate a fly without the added incentive of the smell of food.

Seems like everyone goes for red for a shark fly but since Bonefish have green tones, green works well too. A bit of flashabou or crystal flash help to turn the fish in the direction of the fly.

I like big, 5/0 hooks but fine wire ones that make casting a bit easier with these half chickens. I also tie the fly just in front of the bend and coat the shaft with epoxy for more wear resistance. (Though, frankly, any hit to one of the barracuda or shark flies is likely to leave little more than a hook with a thread base by the time you land the fish.)

The most contrast available in any condition: red, black and silver. It's almost a shame to offer such nice long saddles to a shark. But once hooked up, it's another matter entirely.

Cockroach style flies in sizes to entice Tarpon abound in color and shape. I've found that orange and reds bring more interest in the Bahamas. But be sure to bring a few chartreuse or green Clousers for daylight (I like to fish tarpon at night) and to round out the collection.