Caught – Capt. Greg Dini photo
By Don Reed.
The hook on the left is a Wright and McGill 254SS 4/0, the hook on the right is a Gamakatsu SL12S 1/0. The 254SS was the hook most used for tarpon until the late seventies or early eighties. Trey Combs created the bend for Gamakatsu and it was and still is trademarked the Trey Combs by Bill Black at Spirit River and he still sells them. Gamakatsu started selling the bend as the SL12S in the late eighties. Gamakatsu and Owner competed to be the hook and it seems the consensus is the Gama hook is dominant. I seldom see any commercial flies tied on Owner.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Green Hornet Tarpon Fly was designed to take laid up tarpon in the Lower Keys. The fly has just the right amount of motion between strips to keep the fish’s attention and enough flash to attract, but not spook the animal. The fly lands softly and sheds water quickly on the pick up to recast.
The Green Hornet is from a series of flies several of us came up with a few years ago. The series is called the Destroyer Series. Doug Mayor created the first fly that he wanted to call “The Forty Snook Fly” because he caught 40 snook on the same fly in Lake Ingraham (Everglades National Park) before he broke it off on a failed leader. His was a white Finn Coon tail, a red Estaz waist, and EP pearl streamer brush over plastic eyes. Since, we have come up with 10 or 12 variations for every thing from tarpon to redfish.
The hook comparison, the hook on the left is a Wright and McGill 254SS 4/0 and the hook on the right is a Gamakatsu SL12S 1/0. The 254SS was the hook most used for tarpon until the late 70s or early 80s. Trey Combs created the bend for Gamakatsu and it still is trademarked the Trey Combs. Bill Black at Spirit River still sells them.
Gamakatsu started selling the bend as the SL12S in the late eighties. Gamakatsu and Owner competed to be the hook and it seems the consensus is the Gama hook is dominant. I seldom see any commercial flies tied on Owner.
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THE GREEN HORNET RECIPE:
Hook: Gamakatsu SL12s 1/0
Tail: Olive Finnish Raccoon
Body: Orange Estaz Grande
Head: Enrico Puglisi Olive Streamer Brush
Eyes: Large Black Plastic Eyes
Thread: Danville Flat A Olive
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1. Set SL12S 1/0 hook in vise. Wrap thread from ¼” behind eye of hook to just past the bend and back to the point of the hook. Cement and tie in the tail securely. Wrap the thread back to the point of the hook.
2. To aid in preventing fouling, post the tail. Wrap the thread around the base of the tail about six turns. Return the thread over the point of the hook.
3. Tie in the Estaz securely and cement the tie in.
4. Make three wraps of the Estaz forward and tie off. Advance the thread forward and tie in the eyes. Return the thread to the tie off for the Estaz and secure the tag end of the Enrico Puglisi Brush. Burnish the sharp end of the steel in the brush and advance the thread to just in front of the eyes.
6. Tie in 20# Mason Hard Mono double weed guard. Shape a nice head and cement. Apply head finish.
great article