Baja Ballyhoo/Halfbeak....

**David Lee** · 05-26-2014, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by SteelyD

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** · 05-27-2014, 08:41 PM

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** · 05-27-2014, 11:24 PM

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.

**Jim May** · 05-28-2014, 06:41 AM

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** · 06-12-2014, 04:18 PM

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:

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.

**FISHEYE** · 06-12-2014, 08:40 PM

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** · 06-12-2014, 09:57 PM

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.

**David Lee** · 06-13-2014, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by Darian

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.

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** · 06-13-2014, 08:53 AM

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....

**Darian** · 07-05-2014, 08:45 AM

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:

On the deck of the panga from the side: