Stripers at The End

This clever sand eel pattern is called "The End."

It borrows long, married saddle hackle wings from a Deceiver, a trim and airy profile from Ken Abrames (a la Striper Moon), and utilizes both traditional and modern materials. Stack white bucktail fibers, yak hair, and EP Fibers to create a long profile. Squeeze in some crystal flash for dimension and a bit of a lateral line. Top the fly with peacock herl and jungle cock eyes.

Building a tough epoxy head will help you get more nautical miles out of this fly. I like to use Z-Poxy from Zap Products. It's an easy-mix 1:1 product that sets in just 5 minutes.

There is a lot of length to this saltwater offering, but it's still quite cast-able. Be sure, however, to post the early layers of materials near the hook bend or stack some still bucktail fibers of a high diameter so the longer yak and EP Fibers do not foul around the hook bend during your back and forward casts.

photo by Evan LeBon, a regular contributor to beyondthebug.blogspot.com