As
with many of the worlds most successful patterns there are a huge number of
variations on the original pattern. The Crazy Charlie is one of those patterns.
Crazy Charlie’s can represent anything from small baitfish to shrimp of which
the crystal gold variation represents these very well. Although this pattern was
designed for warmer climates it works well in UKwaters. Fishing this fly from rock marks produces mackerel, Pollack and garfish
and when fished in estuaries or sandbanks can produce flatfish.
From
a tying design perspective the Crazy Charlie offers some noteworthy points. The
first in the heavy dumb bell eyes ties in at the top of the hook shank. This
ensures that the fly will fish ‘up side down’ giving the advantage of the
hook point has less chance of getting fouled by water debris. The dumb bells
also give the fly a ‘jigging’ action in the water which predatory fish find
attractive. Lastly when the fly is fished over sand the dumb bells create small
puffs of sand similar to both sand eel and shrimp. I have used this method to
great effect on trout flies such as cat’s whisker which can produce when other
methods have failed. The second noteworthy point is the heavy mono rib in
touching turns. This gives not only a protection for the delicate tinsel body
but also a segmented effect. This method is an excellent alternative to epoxy.
As
said earlier I have had great success with the fly in the UK but also overseas catching species from Spanish mackerel to bonefish.
Bed
the hook with tying thread; tie in a tail of gold crystal flash. Return the thread to just before the eye of the hook. Tie in some more gold
crystal and a length of 25lb mono. Bed the materials down to the bend of the
hook and then return the thread back up the hook to the eye position. Wrap the shank of the hook with pearl tinsel in touching tie off and trim. Do
the same with the 25lb mono. Here you will need to tie in the mono plenty of
times otherwise the mono will unwrap. Tie in the dumb bell eyes on the top of the hook shank with figure of eight
wraps ensuring that the eyes are 90 degrees to the hook shank otherwise the fly
will twist in the water when fished. Tie in a throat hackle of gold crystal flash. Tie in a neat head whip finish and
varnish. For extra durability I varnish with Sally Hanson’s hard as nails
including the figure of eight wraps over the dumb bell eyes. For an extra hitting spot why not paint the end of the eyes with fluorescent
paint (as pictured).
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