Baja Ballyhoo/Halfbeak....

[Darian]

This one's for FISHEYE. My version of a Ballyhoo or Halfbeak fly for La Ventana (sorry for the poor quality photo):

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o31/jockscot/Salty%20Flies/DSCN0110_zps57f6e8ef.jpg[/URL]

The two flies are similar but not identical. I used an Owner AKI, size 2/0 hook on one and a Gamakatsu, size 1/0 Spinner Bait hook on the other. Also, I ran out of pale blue super hair and substituted pale blue slinky flash and a single strand of blue lateral scale on each side for the lateral line on the upper fly. Not sure I'm satisfied with those material for this application, tho.

[FISHEYE]

Darian, I am not going since I am still recovering from back surgery. Even with the bad fishing I will miss being down there. I have some ballyhoo tied years ago which is mostly white with light blue on top and with 2 hooks. I would not use 2 hooks today. You beat me to the new color scheme I have been contemplating for the back- light blue with a little olive and black mixed in. I was going to use super hair but I do not really like the stiffness. I may try some with DNA holofusion. Ballyhoo are pretty skinny so I guess if we just tied with less material we could do that. I wonder how an all crystal flash fly or just a back would work? When do you go?

[mems]

Hey Darian, looks nice. You know any long skinny fly skipped along the surface will mimic a ballyhoo. When they flee a predator they skip over the water. Hope you guys do well down there. Phil hope the back gets better. I hurt mine last summer on a big ahi, the foot is still a little numb, but it is getting better. Hawaii is on fire right now, went out on wednesday and got three more ono and five nice mahi. Good fun on the 12wt. Time to fish, Don.

[Darian]

Sorry for the delay in responding. Just got back from doing Mothers Day in SoCal. Probably should've driven on down to La Paz instead of coming back here....

Anyway, Phil I've been following your recovery over on Blanton's BB. Hoping you're about done with that. As to the pattern, I've thought about using all or partial Flashabou or Crystal Flash in the past but decided that each contained too much flash. My experience at La Ventana is that not much flash is more than enough (especially when Efren cuts most of it out of the flies we bring before we start fishing ;) ).

I have little or no experience with DNA Holofusion so I can't offer an opinion there. I've had some experience with Super Hair and other brands of it and have found that it moves fairly well in the water if dressed relatively sparse. Also, it looks like it compresses down into a cylindrical shape in the water with a fast strip and will expand slightly in between; hopefully providing some action of sorts. That's the theory anyway.

Ballyhoo/Halfbeak have a pronounced tail which appears opaque. I'm wondering what, if anything, would be gained by trimming the tail of the fly into a short upper lobe and a longer, lower lobe; then coloring the last 1/4" of the tail black??? I know that several successful Rooster flies incorporate this feature (e.g. Steve Cali's Hybrid, the Rasta, etc.). These things are heavily cemented at each step in an attempt to keep the body from sliding down on to the bend of the hook. Sure hope that works.

The photo of the flies doesn't do them justice. They're tied with translucency in mind and some very sparse, blended Angel Hair flash tied into the lower part of the body, only. On the upper part, I've used some FireFly, lateral Scale to suggest the bluish lateral line (Not happy with that material). None on the lower part of the fly. The topping/veil on both is tan UV crystal Flash.

Just in case these don't work out, I'm bringing a bunch of other type salty flies to use on 'em. :cool:

[David Lee]

Ballyhoo/Halfbeak have a pronounced tail which appears opaque. I'm wondering what, if anything, would be gained by trimming the tail of the fly into a short upper lobe and a longer, lower lobe; then coloring the last 1/4" of the tail black??? I know that several successful Rooster flies incorporate this feature (e.g. Steve Cali's Hybrid, the Rasta, etc.). These things are heavily cemented at each step in an attempt to keep the body from sliding down on to the bend of the hook. Sure hope that works.


I like your line of thought here , D -

I'd just taper the body down to the tail , and Blacken it without too much fuss . For my silicone Mullet .... I've been taking a length of 30 Lb. Mason tyed to the hook shank , and tying a hank of Black Flashabou to the other end of it , then flexamenting it flat into a full-sized tail (only gluing the center where I clinch-knotted it , so it has a bit of wiggle) . Looks JUST LIJKE a freakin' Mullet when stripped !

Also , great call on the Halfbeaks being opaque - I'm using mixed dark Blue and medium Green superhair on mine , and have a hard time telling the fly from the bait .

D.~

[Darian]

David,.... Interesting suggestions. I think Mem's is correct about using any long fly skipping along working. But, I'm in development mode, now. ;)

Something that has me curious about Ballyhoo/Halfbeak patterns is that the colors of the body on most popular flies involve dark/medium blue materials over and white under with some amount of flash. When I've seen these fish up close (in the bait tank, etc.) they're dark to medium olive over with a distinct blue lateral line and silvery to white underneath. Some actually look to be tan on the back when viewed from above. Makes me wonder what predators actually see. Predators appear to attack from below or from the side. So, what color are they seeing??? Does the blue back color come thru in the water???

I don't think I'm going to pronounce my colors better than traditional colored patterns just yet (or maybe never). In looking at the photo's of the fish caught by Joan/Steve Reem, they have Joan's version of the Ballyhoo in their mouths. The colors Joan used appear to be a green/olive over and white under. Guess I'll find out if my flies are any good the first week in June. Lotsa room for exploration. :cool:

[SteelyD]

Here are a few ballyhoo flies I recently tied up for my trip down there in mid-June. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated? Looking forward to trying them out soon!

DW

905090499051
David,.... Interesting suggestions. I think Mem's is correct about using any long fly skipping along working. But, I'm in development mode, now. ;)

Something that has me curious about Ballyhoo/Halfbeak patterns is that the colors of the body on most popular flies involve dark/medium blue materials over and white under with some amount of flash. When I've seen these fish up close (in the bait tank, etc.) they're dark to medium olive over with a distinct blue lateral line and silvery to white underneath. Some actually look to be tan on the back when viewed from above. Makes me wonder what predators actually see. Predators appear to attack from below or from the side. So, what color are they seeing??? Does the blue back color come thru in the water???

I don't think I'm going to pronounce my colors better than traditional colored patterns just yet (or maybe never). In looking at the photo's of the fish caught by Joan/Steve Reem, they have Joan's version of the Ballyhoo in their mouths. The colors Joan used appear to be a green/olive over and white under. Guess I'll find out if my flies are any good the first week in June. Lotsa room for exploration. :cool:

[Darian]

Hey Steely,.... Those flies look great. Should work very well down there. I notice you tapered the bodies/tails already. Gives it a good profile. I usually carry a pair of taperizers and scissors to shape them as needed to darken the back edge of the tail.

I checked out a website of another outfitter down there (Tailhunter) and see that Sardina's are still missing. Also, that some of the really big Roosters are hitting trolled Ladyfish. Now, all I've gotta do is figure out a Ladyfish pattern that's about 15" long.... ;)

Good luck down there.... :cool:

[David Lee]

Those look great !! Take them to a River or Pond , strip them as fast as you can .... to make sure they track well and don't roll .

D.~

[SteelyD]

Thanks Darian……….I guess in a year where sardina are plentiful a few patterns would suffice. But this year with sardina absent, flies matching other baitfish will be even more important to have in the arsenal.

David good suggestion. I will definitely try out a few of my patterns before going down to Baja. Nothing worse than losing time when it counts most to a fly that doesn't function as expected.

Can't wait to get down there!

DW

[David Lee]

Nothing worse than losing time when it counts most to a fly that doesn't function as expected.


Tell me !! The first Clouser-Hoo's I tyed , I epoxied the wing behind the hook bend , so they wouldn't foul . Get to the East Cape , tie one on .... yup . You guessed it , it rolled-over and inverted when stripped at speed . I only had 3 or 4 dozen done up like that ....

Have a safe/fun/productive trip !!

D.~

[Hatch]

3 weeks and counting. I am heading to La Ventana/El Sargento with a group of, fired up, Sacramento and Bay area guys. Bummer at the lack of Sardina. I have about 200 Sardina flies in various sizes and colors ready to go. Oh well. Here are some Ballyhoo/Halfbeak patterns that I have been working on using E.P. Fibers-S.F. Flash-Super Hair and SolarEZ. I like the Blue and the Olive but the Captains down there always prefer the Tan/Brown.
Can't wait to get'm wet.
HATCH

[Darian]

Those are good looking flies. I'm partial to the one with the golden olive back and the blue lateral line but they all should work.

Not sure about the brown/tan colors when there're no Sardina's around. I guess a larger fly in brown over white might pass....

According to reports from down there, some large Roosters are taking trolled Ladyfish along the beach. I've been trying to tie up a 10" Ladyfish trolling pattern. Very unsatisfying so far. Tough to balance enough flash with the rest of the bulky materials needed to form the body.

Anyway, good luck down there. :cool:

[Jim May]

Hey Hatch,
Those flies look good I'll have to try to ty some up, like you I've got lots of sardina flies.What dates are you there I'll be in Lapaz July 1-8th might see you on the water.
Jim May

[Darian]

During the clean-up after returning from La Paz, I found a fly that had tempted a 25 pound Dorado. It looks a bit disheveled but the head of the fly was split on one side. Even with a Fish Mask and 3D eye under Clear Cure Goo finish, that side of the fly was destroyed. The fish was actually hooked/landed on the trailer. Check it out:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o31/jockscot/DSCN0111_zps1557027a.jpg (http://s116.photobucket.com/user/jockscot/media/DSCN0111_zps1557027a.jpg.html)

If you're going down there shortly and are planning on tying/using a Ballyhoo pattern, I would recommend adding a trailer hook. Until I added the trailer, I was getting tug after tug without hooking up. :cool:

[FISHEYE]

Great idea Darian. Is there something on the lead hook to keep the trailer from falling off? FYI, friends of mine who were down a few weeks ago photographed the real ballyhoo in the water. They were almost all white with just a little blue color on the back.

[Darian]

Hi Phil,.... The method I used to attach the trailer is the same used by Bass guys. Slide the hook over the point and up to the bend, followed by a rubber Skirt Collar. Of course, this was a make do situation. If you're still tying, I would recommend adding the trailer while tying the fly using a strong wire connection tied to the shank of the hook. That way you could place the hook back further into the body/wing.

I've taken a close look at Ballyhoo in the bait tank, too. To me, they appear to be olive over with a subtle blue lateral line. Silvery on sides and white underneath (almost like a Smelt). The olive appears to have some very subtle overtones of lavender in it. I tried to handle that with sparse UV Tan Flashabou veil. Most of the patterns I've seen are blue over and white under with silver flashabou. One of the guys on our trip described his Ballyhoo pattern as having a dark (almost black topping, a dark purple wing shading to lavender and a blue lateral line. Not sure what he used under.... But his fly was successful. I guess you could use almost anything if you get the profile correct. :cool:

[David Lee]

If you're going down there shortly and are planning on tying/using a Ballyhoo pattern, I would recommend adding a trailer hook. Until I added the trailer, I was getting tug after tug without hooking up. :cool:

Interesting observation , D. !

I have fished the Halfbeak fly to almost 5-inches long , on a 1/0 . I noticed the opposite - just about every hit was in the head of the fly , and almost all the hits were brutal , with the Fish just smashing the fly . Were you casting to free-swimmers , or Fish that had been chummed-up ? Does anyone know how the Halfbeaks survive in a bait tank ? Are they still 'perky' after an hour or 2 in there ?

The schools of little Halfbeaks I fish over from the beach don't seem to blow-up/splatter much when under attack . I have watched medium Roosters stalking/hunting around and through them , I know the 'Roo are feeding , but it doesn't look like much mayhem going on . Very different than the Sardina and Mullet carnage I've seen ....

D.~

[Darian]

The opinion of captains I've talked and what I've seen is that Ballyhoo aren't a durable bait and don't survive as long as Sardina in the bait well. In the 10 or so years I've been fishing down there, I've only seen them in the water once when plentiful Sardina were around. Don't know why but maybe due to water temps (green water) required for them?? Ballyhoo populations don't appear to be very dense numerically. They're slow swimmers, making them an easy target. I've only seen them skitter along (like a wounded flying fish) when trying to escape an attack. Also, since they're not as plentiful as Sardina, game fish can only target Ballyhoo or larger bait species (Mackerel or Green Jacks). Probably contributes to the flashy strikes you've mentioned.

When coming out of the vice, this fly is approximately 7" in length. I tried trimming the length of the fly while down there with mixed success. Until I added the trailer hook, our catch rate was low on the Ballyhoo pattern. We did better on Ron Dong Crease Fly's until they were destroyed. We caught fish by chumming and targeted free swimming fish (since we ran out of bait frequently). Dorado, in particular, can sometimes be tricked into a mini feeding frenzy by "slapping the water" with a fly repeatedly until they begin to light up. Then watch out.... :cool:

[Darian]

Finally got around to getting organized and found a couple of photo's (taken a few years ago by Jay M., I believe) of Ballyhoo/Halfbeak in the bait well and on the deck of a panga. These photo's are what I followed for a color scheme in tying the pattern I used at La Ventana. Hmmm,.... Guess I was wrong in thinking that the tails were dark. They look to be pale olive and translucent....

In the bait well from the top:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o31/jockscot/Ballyhoo_zps30bd42aa.jpg (http://s116.photobucket.com/user/jockscot/media/Ballyhoo_zps30bd42aa.jpg.html)

On the deck of the panga from the side:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o31/jockscot/Ballyhoo10_zpsb224b15d.jpg (http://s116.photobucket.com/user/jockscot/media/Ballyhoo10_zpsb224b15d.jpg.html)

[SteelyD]

Our group fished mid-June down there and did pretty well despite the absence of sardina. We got into three small roosters on the fly and quite a few dorado ranging from 3 - 30 pounds. The ballyhoo flies I tied up (posted earlier on this thread) did well, but if I had it to do them over I would change two things. First add a trailer hook………….although I got into plenty of dorado, I also had lots of short- strikes. A stinger hook toward the tail-end of the fly would have made a big difference. Secondly, all my flies had epoxy heads which coupled with my intermediate line made the fly sink quickly. Therefore, I had to strip quickly to keep the fly near the surface. Most of the live ballyhoo that we chummed with swam slowly near the surface. A fly with a foam head or less epoxy that stayed near the surface and had more tail action would have worked even better. Of course, by the time I perfect a new ballyhoo pattern and get back down there I'm sure it will be back to a sardina game. But then again I wouldn't mind leaving the ballyhoo flies in the box for better fishing!

As a side note, both of my roosters and one of my large dorado came on a small sardina pattern as we were pitching ballyhoo. I didn't fish the sardina fly until later in the week and wished I would have tried it sooner. The roosters came 32 seconds apart……..timed on my GoPro. I released the first one, put the GoPro back on my head, flipped out a couple casts 5' from the boat, and watched the second rooster inhale the fly……pretty cool stuff considering roosters were scarce to the fly without sardinas!

Anyone know when it's best to target skipjack and yellowfin down there? I am thinking from mid-summer on but would like to get confirmation on that. I was hoping to get into a few this trip but the lack of bait made them few and far between.

Derek

[Darian]

Sounds like your flies worked fine. Good job!! Didja take any photo's??? :D

My partner used a Sardina wig hair fly for a while but the fly that worked the best was a Ron Dong Crease Fly until they were shredded. I'm going to tie up all future Ballyhoo patterns including a trailer hook, too.

My partner uses a tropical Outbound Short, floating line and I use the same but an intermediate density. We experienced no difference in catch rates. We both use a very fast, two handed retrieve. Our flies are unweighted and we both try to keep our flies near the surface. Didn't seem to slow down the bites. You mentioned using a fly with a foam head. Maybe a Charlies Airhead type fly tied near the bend rather than at the eye??? Something to think about anyway. :cool:

Our captain said there were very few Skippies around at all this year. He had no explanation for it. We've always fished around that first week in June and this is the first time we couldn't find any Skippies. Yellowfin Tuna were supposed to be out near the "88" under dolphin but we didn't make the run as it was rumored they wouldn't come out and play. If you follow Blanton's BB, there's some recent reports from Loreto that seems to be experiencing even worse conditions. :confused:

[Hatch]

Back from Baja,
Few Roosters but Good to Great Dorado fishing for my group.
After fishing the Ballyhoo-Halfbeak "Hatch" for a week.
I would tie my flies more sparsely, with less color.
White or Grey Ventral, distinct lateral line in black or navy with olive or blue Dorsal.
Red beak tip on every one.

FYI- my most productive fly was a thinly tied, grey/white Game-changer style fly. Fooled the Dodo's when they got smart and I had 3 Rooster grabs on it also. I only landed 1, but not the flies' fault. Ranchero'd the other 2.
Crease Flies and Ben Byng's balsa poppers were responsible for most of the "Hot" dorado. Changing over to the Ballyhoo/Halfbeak pattern when they were educated.

I think that the perfect fly would be a Thin, Gamechanger, tied Tarpon/Ballyhoo style, Grey/White.
I wish I was going back tomorrow!!!
HATCH