Sprite S1052 Saltwater Single
Blue Sandeel
Hook: SPRITE S1052 Saltwater Single #6 to #10.
(For the smaller flies I use SPRITE S2175 Barbless Competition Wet as these are strong enough to withstand the fierce takes that you’ll undoubtedly encounter)
Thread: Semperfli Pearl Microglint
Tail: Semperfli Peacock Blue Ice Dubbing (draw it through your fingers several times to ensure you have all the ends at the head, so you catch them all in with the thread.)
Body: Tail material wound round hook.
Rib: Tying thread
Eyes: Silver stick-on eyes (keep them large in proportion to the hook size)
Finish: Gulff Flexman UV resin.
I love a little bit of Saltwater Flyfishing around the coastline of the mainland of North Scotland as well as the Outer Isles especially targeting Seagoing Browns (Sea Trout) and occasional Sea Bass amongst other saltwater species when the opportunity arises.
Streamer style flies make up a lot of the armoury as there is certainly lots of baitfish and very often Sandeels around for the predator fish to prey on with one of my favourite colours being darker blue in varying shades. Hence my Blue Sandeel which has taken a lot of Seatrout and Bass (along Mainland Scotland’s far northern shore) for me in recent years and one I’d like to share with you all.
Simple to tie, which is always good, this pattern offers lots of mobility which I find key to success, and I tie them from smaller sizes (approximately one inch / 25mm) through to larger (six inch / 150mm) long which gives me a good variety of sizes to choose from. The addition of a large eye on these flies is a key trigger point and one I like to include in almost all my saltwater (and freshwater) streamer style patterns as I feel it helps enhance the overall attraction to the prey species and can trigger aggressive takes.
Add in also a bit of UV (Glowbrite floss ties over the back) and always a base material that offers lots of “flash” and this is certainly a fly that the fish will see in all but the dirtiest of conditions.
So far, I haven’t really tried this one in freshwater, but it has the right credentials to be a success especially for stocked fish or for wild trout in waters with a high dark peat colour (blue shows up well in dark peat-stained waters) so something that might find a place in the loch pattern fly box as well at some point. What I do know is that it’s certainly one to have in the armoury if heading out into the surf or searching around the estuaries.
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