# Tying Tarpon Toads



## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

I'm still new at tying so be gentle....but with poon season right around the corner I decided I am going to focus my tying attention on tying some poon flies. I have the hooks, the thread, the marabou, and the rabbit strips for a tail (I believe)....so my question is what do I use for the head? I know EP fibers are popular but what about craft fur? I have plenty of that in various colors. Also the rabbit strips I have seem to be a little on the small side in terms of the amount of "bushy-ness".....what does everyone use for the tail other than marabou. Thanks!


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

I prefer all marabou for the tails when tying toads as it won’t get as water logged as the strips.

Craft fur absorbs water more so than ep or Congo hair( cheaper alternative) and is much much harder to get to make a head like that cause the material tapers which means one side of your toad is going to end up wonky looking.

I would find the right materials.


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## flyclimber (May 22, 2016)

I prefer the EP, I probably wouldn't tie the head with the craft fur. It would be really difficult to get it symmetric. 

The first tarpon I actually fought for 50 min was on my own tied toad with a rabbit strip tail with a marabou skirt if you will. Can't go wrong with either rabbit or marabou.


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## eightwt (May 11, 2017)

You can use hook yarn for what I call the body. Comes in many colors. EP, makes for a stiffer body, IMO.


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## 4991 (Jun 21, 2012)

Maribou tail, crosscut rabbit collar and ep head with mono eyes


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

dhenderson said:


> Maribou tail, crosscut rabbit collar and ep head with mono eyes


What is cross cut rabbit collar? Remember I'm new at this so I'm trying to learn the material lingo.


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## Ferrulewax (Mar 19, 2018)

Shadowcast said:


> What is cross cut rabbit collar? Remember I'm new at this so I'm trying to learn the material lingo.


Crosscut rabbit is a type of rabbit strip cut in the opposite direction of regular rabbit strips, so that the hair lays back when palmered (wrapped around the hook). He is saying to use a piece of crosscut rabbit strip to make a collar for the fly by wrapping it in front of the marabou tail.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Ferrulewax said:


> Crosscut rabbit is a type of rabbit strip cut in the opposite direction of regular rabbit strips, so that the hair lays back when palmered (wrapped around the hook). He is saying to use a piece of crosscut rabbit strip to make a collar for the fly by wrapping it in front of the marabou tail.


Can you also use marabou for that as well?


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

You can always put the rabbit in a dubbing loop, snip off the leather and twist it up. Also when tieing in the EP fibers use a piece of small wire to hold back everything as you go. Makes cross wrapping the EP a breeze.


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## shb (Oct 29, 2013)

There's no rules in fly ties.


Make it however you want.


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## TylertheTrout2 (Apr 21, 2016)

YouTube tought me how to tie... check it.. lots of tarpon toad material on there...haha,,i said material..


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

That Congo Hair from Fly Tyers Dungeon is way cheaper that EP fibers. Anyone have experience using that to make the heads? The EP fibers are on the pricey side.


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

@timogleason yes I use FTD Congo all the time as an EP replacement. Also, use a dubbing loop and spin the rabbit then palmer in, it keeps all the bulk from the hide out of all your flies. You can use the dubbing loop for way more than dubbing!


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Marabou tail, EP Brush collar, EP Fiber body. 

Not the traditional recipe, for sure, but using synthetic materials avoids water logging and helps with a softer landing.

Your first few will be ugly, but you'll get the hang of it and crank them out with ease, thereafter. The body segment technique is terrific for crab bodies, as well, so it's a good one to learn.


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## tailwalk (Nov 20, 2016)

Plenty of options for tying toads out there. The question is why use one material vs another?

Tails are generally marabou or rabbit strips. Rabbit strips are super easy and effective. Particularly when tied in hide side up they'll show fish some good movement. The downside is they'll foul easily and when the hide gets saturated it gets heavy. Marabou on the other hand is light and displays an incredible motion in the water. I like marabou better.

The collar basically just fills in the gap, and adds some contrast color. Crosscut rabbit is nice but there's that weight of the hide to consider again. Ep brushes work well and the wire doesn't weigh much. Palmering a second marabou feather is also an option with the same benefits mentioned before.

The head on toad flies is probably the best part of the whole fly. If I remember correctly the originals used polypropylene yarn. The idea is having a material that doesn't absorb water and make a front heavy fly. Ep fibers work well because they share that trait. Between that and the way the material is tied in and/or trimmed to make a flat head the fly will suspend when left alone and plane through the water when stripped. Then the marabou tail will just wiggle in the current.

Here's the last toad I tied
















Next batch I think I'll use a different brush and ditch the plastic bead chain in favor of regular mono eyes. This one is okay but a bit nose heavy. Color wise, who knows. Chartreuse with a yellow collar is classic. Black and purple, tan and sand, etc.. 

Anyway, experiment and most importantly go swim them. Don't get carried away trying up a bunch till you know they do what you want them to do IN THE WATER. 

Have fun!


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## bw510 (Sep 1, 2011)

Tip of the day! 
The first thing I do when tying a tarpon toad is get all the material I need to tie a tarpon toad and move it aside and tie something else.


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## Rick hambric (Jun 24, 2017)

Marabou tail, ep body, & mono eyes


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## shb (Oct 29, 2013)

For flat heads you can palmer an EP brush then trim flat on top and bottom with scissors. Saves a lot of time and steps.

Ans then when you see that flat heads are irrelevant, you can just Palmer an EP brush head and call it good.



Fwiw


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## 4991 (Jun 21, 2012)

@duppyzafari what kind of EP brush did you use?


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Just ordered some Congo hair in a bunch of colors. Definitely cheaper than EP. We will see how it goes....


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

duppyzafari said:


> View attachment 61936


I really want my toads to look like that!


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## Forgottencoast (Aug 25, 2017)

A true toad uses marabou for tail and collar, and ep fiber for head with mono or bead chain eyes.....but like everyone said- its fly tying, do what you want. we aren't building rocket ships here...


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

dhenderson said:


> @duppyzafari what kind of EP brush did you use?


The Toads I posted were tied with EP Tarantula, which is my favorite brush. Any 1" brush should be sufficient to cover the bump created by tying in the marabou and create a smooth profile transition into the body segments.


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## Tilly_Copano (Feb 12, 2017)

Shadowcast said:


> Just ordered some Congo hair in a bunch of colors. Definitely cheaper than EP. We will see how it goes....


You'll like it. For the price you can't beat it, to me it feels about the same as EP


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## georgiadrifter (Jan 14, 2009)

Jon,

All of the above is great advice. I like to add a few strands of tinsel to my ties. Keep in mind this pattern evolved from the Merkin’s Crab. If you want to hear it directly from the creator of the pattern....give Gary Merriman a call at The Fish Hawk in Atlanta. You can also DM him via Instagram at
@garythefishhawkcom .


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## Tailer (Jan 10, 2017)

I don’t fish a lot of toads these days, but when I do I want them to ride high in the water column. It’s a great fly for leading spooky fish, that’s why it was so popular in the Keys for so long. I like Aunt Lydia’s for the head and marabou for the tail.


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## slewis (Sep 8, 2015)




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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I use poly yarn for the head. After I x it in I comb it out then trim. Then coat it with a little Sally. For tail, rabbit or marabou is fine. I tie a mono loop on the back of the hook first to keep the tail from fouling.
From all the different toads on here there's no wrong way to tie them


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)




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## jonrconner (May 20, 2015)

sidelock said:


> View attachment 62762
> View attachment 62764


 Very pretty!
JC


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## LowHydrogen (Dec 31, 2015)




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## Scott Kor (Feb 3, 2019)

shb said:


> There's no rules in fly ties.
> 
> 
> Make it however you want.


Agreed, no rules, I love freestyle tying! But I will add (for the sake of Shadowcast's question) that not all flies work as intended if the design is not thought through. I have seen some awesome looking flies get snubbed because they didn't fish right for various reasons The Tarpon toad has a combination of movement, profile, water displacement, and neutral buoyancy that make it one of the top tarpon flies in the salt. Use the wrong materials and any one of these features could be lost. Material substitutions are fine, just understand what those changes will cause the fly to do.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

I always like to put a collar of some sort around the marabou to prevent it from fouling, usually arctic fox tail or rabbit.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

slewis said:


>


Toad master!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Shadowcast said:


> I really want my toads to look like that!


You don't live far from me. You are welcome to come on over to the house and we can tie some up that will work around here. Normal Keys toads don't really work up here. Just sayin....


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

Backwater said:


> You don't live far from me. You are welcome to come on over to the house and we can tie some up that will work around here. Normal Keys toads don't really work up here. Just sayin....


What's different ?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

sidelock said:


> What's different ?


There are a few things I don't publicly share when it come to certain species. Exact spots and exact flies. So I can't quote the difference, but only to say that many well know tarpon flies don't always work in other places and in some places, flies that work there don't always do well in other places or in the Keys. Really depends on what the fish are keying in on. Just sayin...

Capt Bob will tell you the same thing I'm sure, as in... if you bring a Keys fly to the Glades, ther's a chance that it wouldn't get eaten. So he will break out something you weren't expecting they'll eat.... and then it'll get eaten. So most of my stuff looks nothing like what is considered to be a standard tarpon fly.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

Backwater said:


> There are a few things I don't publicly share when it come to certain species. Exact spots and exact flies. So I can't quote the difference, but only to say that many well know tarpon flies don't work in other places and in some places, flies that work there don't do well in other places or in the Keys. Really depends on what the fish are keying in on. Just sayin...
> 
> Capt Bob will tell you the same thing I'm sure, as in... if you bring a Keys fly to the Glades, chances are it wouldn't get eaten. So he's break out something you weren't expecting they'll eat.... and then it'll get eaten. So most of my stuff looks nothing like what is considered to be a standard tarpon fly.


I guess the fish we jumped and boated last year must have been Keys transients then LOL


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

sidelock said:


> I guess the fish we jumped and boated last year must have been Keys transients then LOL


They are all Keys transients at some point or another. I guess you have it all figured out, up there north of Maine and I guess don't know what I'm talking about, being Flo grown and chasing them on the west coast on fly for over half my life. Yet another reason I don't need to be sharing the differences.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

View attachment 63844


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

I think I'm getting the hang of this Tarpon Toad thing....


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

duppyzafari said:


> Marabou tail, EP Brush collar, EP Fiber body.
> View attachment 61936


@duppyzafari How do you get the underside threads to look so clean? I trim like crazy to clean it up and the Zap-A-Gap ends up looking kind of crusty. I know it doesn't really effect the fishability of the fly but I'm shooting for improvement where ever I can.


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## OED (Feb 26, 2019)

https://loonoutdoors.com/products/uv-clear-fly-finish-thick


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Shadowcast said:


> @duppyzafari How do you get the underside threads to look so clean? I trim like crazy to clean it up and the Zap-A-Gap ends up looking kind of crusty. I know it doesn't really effect the fishability of the fly but I'm shooting for improvement where ever I can.


Zap won't dry as beautifully crystalline as Loon UV Flow, which is my preferred fly finish. If you have a rotating fly dryer, the Loon Hard Head is even more beautifully clear and tough, but non-UV so it's a little slow to cure. Popping your flies on the drying wheel keeps the disbursement even and will look amazing once it's dry.


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

@duppyzafari said it before but bears repeating: your fly tying capabilities are amazing! Glad you hang out on Microskiff.


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Megalops said:


> @duppyzafari said it before but bears repeating: your fly tying capabilities are amazing! Glad you hang out on Microskiff.


Awwww shucks - many thanks, bro!


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## flyclimber (May 22, 2016)

duppyzafari said:


> Marabou tail, EP Brush collar, EP Fiber body.
> 
> Not the traditional recipe, for sure, but using synthetic materials avoids water logging and helps with a softer landing.
> 
> Your first few will be ugly, but you'll get the hang of it and crank them out with ease, thereafter. The body segment technique is terrific for crab bodies, as well, so it's a good one to learn.


How do you get your EP body so symmetric?


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

freeclimber said:


> How do you get your EP body so symmetric?


I've tied a million of them, so that helps, BUT there are a few tricks. I portion out all of my EP fibers prior to starting the first fly. Grabbing them as you need them makes it tough to get the segments to uniform thickness. If they're all laid out, you can see if one pinch is a little thicker than the others and make a corrections. 

I use a little brush to train the fibers prior to trimming, then trim very conservatively to make sure the body profile is symmetrical as I cut it closer and closer.

Getting the fibers all tamed prior to applying your fly finish also makes them more aesthetically pleasing. One odd fiber can kinda booger up that central thread line on the shank. As always - the fish definitely won't care, but it's worth it to make them extra pretty if you're selling them or sharing photos online.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)




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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

sidelock said:


> View attachment 64142


Those look awesome! I'm wanting to try tying floaty toads next.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

Thanks, to be honest I haven't fished the foam toads yet so I couldn't give you my opinion but I'm hoping to come June.


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

sidelock said:


> View attachment 64142


Delicious


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

I definitely think I need to use thinner pieces of Congo Hair to incorporate more bars in the head. I really like that look instead of just having 4 ties in the head.


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Sapitos Cubanitos


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## Clubhunter (Jan 22, 2019)

Your toads look great. What do you use to wrap collar and is that medium chenille around the back of hook to keep marabou from fouling if I may ask?


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Clubhunter said:


> Your toads look great. What do you use to wrap collar and is that medium chenille around the back of hook to keep marabou from fouling if I may ask?


Thanks, buddy. The recipe is a hot spot of Medium Cactus Chenille for some Foul-Free Flash, Marabou Feather tail, EP Tarantula Brush 1" collar, EP Sculpt-a-Fly fibers, X-large Mono eyes.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

Ever wonder why tarpon toads are tied with the body on top of the hook shank rather than the bottom like permit crabs ? After all, generally speaking tarpon feed or take a fly looking up mostly or at eye level hence the actual design and functionality of the toad. So unless a toad is tied with bumb bells or weight to invert the hook, they are more or less looking at the bottom of the fly from below.
I know someone will say I don't think the fish particularly care or that it really matters but we sometimes incorporate techniques or mechanisms in other flies we tie that arguably the fish don't particularly care about or really make a great deal of difference but we still do it for either aesthetics or self gratification so why not toads ?
I tied a few with the body on the underside of the hook and they still keel and swim perfectly.


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## HPXFLY (Aug 27, 2015)

Curious when is the last time someone in here caught a fish on a toad ? I personally wouldn't waste the leader tying one on.


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

HPXFLY said:


> Curious when is the last time someone in here caught a fish on a toad ? I personally wouldn't waste the leader tying one on.


Okay, spill it. What is your go to?


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## HPXFLY (Aug 27, 2015)

Megalops said:


> Okay, spill it. What is your go to?


Im all for sharing usually.. few things I wont share; my dog, tarpon flies, and my old lady in that order


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

HPXFLY said:


> Im all for sharing usually.. few things I wont share; my dog, tarpon flies, and my old lady in that order


LMAO!


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## shb (Oct 29, 2013)

I think the goal in poon flies is impressionistic invertebrates. ( Or baitfish)

The more impressionistic the better.



One time I saw a 5ft long tarpon laying on the edge of a sand hole in the grass.

I had bass rod with chartreuse spinner bait in my hand so I threw it out there to see what he would do. Well it was not a tarpon it was giant cuda.

He drilled it, cut me off, and spit out the spinner bait faster than it takes to say it.



What the hell does a spinner bait look like?


Pinfish chasing minnows?


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## flyclimber (May 22, 2016)

HPXFLY said:


> Im all for sharing usually.. few things I wont share; my dog, tarpon flies, and my old lady in that order


I like this _guy_ ^

I should say being, or person can't assume anything these days.


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## Clubhunter (Jan 22, 2019)

I think when tarpon are hungry they will eat pretty much any fly thrown in front of them.


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## Capt. Eli Whidden (Jun 7, 2012)

HPXFLY said:


> Curious when is the last time someone in here caught a fish on a toad ? I personally wouldn't waste the leader tying one on.


Put 9 in the air on toads last Tuesday night, 4 on Friday night and another 4 Sunday morning. Fish were 80-120lbs. Rarely use toads on migrating fish.


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

I hammered fish on Toads last season...


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## Tailer (Jan 10, 2017)

sidelock said:


> Ever wonder why tarpon toads are tied with the body on top of the hook shank rather than the bottom like permit crabs ? After all, generally speaking tarpon feed or take a fly looking up mostly or at eye level hence the actual design and functionality of the toad. So unless a toad is tied with bumb bells or weight to invert the hook, they are more or less looking at the bottom of the fly from below.
> I know someone will say I don't think the fish particularly care or that it really matters but we sometimes incorporate techniques or mechanisms in other flies we tie that arguably the fish don't particularly care about or really make a great deal of difference but we still do it for either aesthetics or self gratification so why not toads ?
> I tied a few with the body on the underside of the hook and they still keel and swim perfectly.


The body of a toad fly is function over form. The body is tied on top of the hook shank to make sure the fly floats high and tracks straight.



HPXFLY said:


> Curious when is the last time someone in here caught a fish on a toad ? I personally wouldn't waste the leader tying one on.


I jumped fish on the toad last year. It can still be an effective choice in the right situations, but it's not the first choice out of the box any more for sure.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

Tailer said:


> The body of a toad fly is function over form. The body is tied on top of the hook shank to make sure the fly floats high and tracks straight.
> 
> 
> 
> I jumped fish on the toad last year. It can still be an effective choice in the right situations, but it's not the first choice out of the box any more for sure.


Like I said, I tie some with the body on the bottom of the shank and they also suspend and track straight.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

HPXFLY said:


> Im all for sharing usually.. few things I wont share; my dog, tarpon flies, and my old lady in that order


Yeah I hear you, I don't like to share my dogs or tarpon flies either but there are some things you can't even give away never mind share. LOL


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

HPXFLY said:


> Curious when is the last time someone in here caught a fish on a toad ? I personally wouldn't waste the leader tying one on.


Who ties them to catch tarpon ? I sell mine as trendy earrings.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Finally got around to reading through this thread - and enjoyed every bit of it.... The Toad that I was first asked to tie -all those years ago looked like a poor cousin compared to all that's done today. Tying for shops for more than 35 years taught me to remember always... that my flies were meant to catch fishermen first and foremost (and just maybe a fish or two..). By that standard every Toad I see these days certainly qualifies... Keep up the good work.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Clubhunter said:


> I think when tarpon are hungry they will eat pretty much any fly thrown in front of them.


I would love to think that and I wish that was true.


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

Backwater said:


> I would love to think that and I wish that was true.


You got think that or all that standing around waiting for them to swim by is for naught. I just don't have the patience to be a big tarpon guy.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

If you're ever down towards the 'glades you might want to re-think that.... I've just come off of five days fly fishing for those silver devils. Each day we were in active rolling tarpon for at least two hours at a time - some days it was four hours split between four different spots... All of the fish were in rivers - some quite small to be holding fish up to 80lbs.... No they weren't eating our flies most of the time - but my angle did manage a solid 60lb fish on a relatively light 10wt rod... A few folks did quite a bit better than we did - but they were leaving the boat ramp a full hour before sunup to be on station at first light... Given that most of us tow down to the ramp fifty miles from Homestead/Florida City that's some kind of dedication....

Not exactly your standard migration type tarpon at all - and it happens for weeks at a time in the 'glades - well before the annual migration....


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