Then I stumbled into the flexo crab which is actually a pattern for bonefish, permit, and  other warm water species.   Flexo® is Expandable Braided Plastic Sleeving, whose purpose it is to provide lightweight flexible wire protection used to bundle and protect cables.  In the color Gray this plastic sheath when scrunched up makes a perfectly durable sand crab body.

I tie a titanium bead head right in the middle of the hook So it gets down through the surf in a hurry.  These are a pain in the ass to tie because to secure the flexo into place I have to use a cauterizing iron.

These flies are deadly in the surf and hold up really well.  I still think I can improve the egg sack on the back so that will continue to evolve.  What is most shocking to me is these things actually work really well in the bays too.

The goal: A bottom‑hugging, defensive‑posture lobster imitation with articulated legs and heavy weight so it crawls and “kicks” when stripped.

After a bunch of back and forth with Steve. I made a few prototypes for testing in San Diego’s Bays and Surf.  Once getting a pattern built that killed, I had to make numerous design changes in terms of:

• Getting it to swim like the natural
• making the fly heavy enough to get down in a hurry
• making it durable enough to last in the SoCal surf.

I tie this fly on a size two Umpqua X-Series jig hook.  It has an enormous size 3.8 mm tungsten bead, wrapped by the tail. it’s also wrapped in lead underneath.  And it has black dumbbell eyes to imitate the natural.  So, this fly gets down in a hurry. But, can be a challenge for a beginner to cast.

The result is a fly that absolutely kills, even in the winter, in both the surf and the bays of Socal.

I am no expert at Barrett, nor am I an expert at fly fishing for bass.  But, I am friends with many who have expertise in fly fishing Lake Barrett in the San Diego Fly Fishing Club.  And specifically, I’m honored to call 3 experts friends that have generously offered their guidance on Lake Barrett, it’s history and how to fly fish it in the Spring.  This document is a summary of the guidance I have gathered from these experts for fly fishing lake Barrett. -tim

The proceeds I collect from distributing this guidance will be donated to CallTrout …until I figure out an appropriate / applicable conservation group for bass.

https://fly-fishing-blog.timhuckaby.com/barrett-lake/

The Huck Oama imitates a juvenile goatfish (weke) which is a priceless baitfish in Hawaii.  The Weke spawn is long with schools of Oama roaming the shorelines (and getting assaulted by predators) from June through October.  But, the Huck Oama fly will fish well all year.

The Huck Huna imitates a number of reef shrimp and crabs.  The Huck Huna is designed specifically to match the Banded Coral Shrimp (Opea Huna), which is the most common of the reef shrimp in Hawaii.

Includes one of each:

• Size 2 Huck Huna
• Size 4 Huck Huna
• Size 6 Huck Huna
• Size 2 Huck Oama
• Size 4 Huck Oama
• Size 6 Huck Oama

$3 off from buying them individually.

Strip these flies quickly.  I like to hunt the Bluefin Trevally and cast when i see them.  But,  If you blind cast these flies, you will catch a myriad of smaller reef fish in the mix.

The Oama is a juvenille goatfish (weke) and a priceless baitfish in hawaii. The Hawaiin Goatfish (weke) are also a cherished food item by the Hawaiin people.  In fact, the oama is one of the few fish that are regulated with restrictions on the allowable methods used to target them by the DNLR (State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources).  The Weke spawn is hugely long with schools of Oama roaming the shorelines (and getting assaulted by predators) from June through October.  But, this fly will fish well all year.

I designed this fly to compliment the Huck Huna which imitates a number of reef shrimp and crabs.  The Huck Huna is designed specifically to match the Banded Coral Shrimp (Opea Huna), which is the most common of the reef shrimp in Hawaii.

The architecture of this fly is similar to the clouser minnow with barbell eyes tied on top so that it rides “hook up”.  I use congo hair (instead of the natural materials that bob clouser originally designed the fly with) because congo hair moves so nicely in the water, saturates with bubbles and dries so quickly in the air when casting.  I also use a technique by epoxying a few strands of crystal flash through the middle of the fly for the length of the fly.  This helps in preventing the congo hair from fouling the hook (which is a common problem in saltwater patterns).  Lastly, I tie in a red collar because the oama is a very fragile fish that frequently bleeds from the gills when bumped or captured.

Strip this fly quickly.  I recommend smaller sizes 4 & 6 so that you can catch a myriad of smaller reef fish in the mix.  if solely targeting the larger predators like the bluefin trevally go with a larger size 2.

I patterned this fly after the fairly infamous Avalon Permit Fly that is fished almost exclusively for permit, tarpon, bonefish and other predators in Cuba.  It was created originally by Mauro Ginevri and William in 2012.  In fact, it’s the Avalon Permit Fly I tied for Cuba that I have had so much success with hunting the Bluefin Trevaly on both Kauai and the Big Island.

The architecture of this fly is similar to the avalon permit fly, but made with different colors and more modern synthetic materials to match the natural Banded Coral Shrimp.  I tie the exact same “keel” system in the fly so that the hook rides up, avoiding snagging.  But, even more important is the clicking sound the beads of the keel make when stripped; practically the identical sound that the naturals make.

in addition to the more realistic colors of the Banded Coral Shimp’s arms/pinchers, I tie in glow in the dark rubber legs along with rabbit strips that add action fish can’t resist.  In addition, I fashion in a realistic egg pattern (which is typically used in steelhead flies) because the banded Coral Shrimp carries a very obvious egg sack.  Lastly i use black dumbbell eyes to more match the eyes of the natural and to help the fly get into the right part of the water column quickly.

One other improvement i have made is in the fly’s durability.  I would frequently break the keel system after the punishment of fighting a fish or the fly hitting the lava or reef.  Now, i use epoxy on the head which makes the fly much more durable, and also closer to imitating the natural.

Strip this fly quickly.  I recommend smaller sizes 4 & 6 so that you can catch a myriad of smaller reef fish in the mix.  if solely targeting the larger predators like the bluefin trevally go with a larger size 2.

BTW, i caught a big dorado in Baja on this fly in Oct of 2022.  So, i’m confident it works on many saltwater predators.

Historically, my typical rig for the Upper Kern River is a 3x leader with a size 4 tan Huck-Hopper on top, followed by ~3 feet of 4X tippet then a size 8 black Beldar stonefly nymph imitation followed by another 18 inches of 5x tippet and a size 16 Huck Green Caddis Nymph Cripple.

But, the Weakness of that rig is that you really have to be an expert to cast it.  That Beldar Stonefly Nymph is huge and heavy.  Sitting in between the Huck Hopper and the Huck Green Caddis Nymph Cripple makes the rig unbalanced.  It’s literally impossible to roll cast without the eventual tangles or wind knots.

When i started tying Perdigons it immediately became obvious i could put together another effective combo with a size 14 Perdigon dropped below the huge huck hopper then followed by a size 16 Perdigon…. making it just as wildly effective because those perdigons get down in a hurry…yet, much easier to cast (overhand and roll) because the perdigons are small; yet heavy.

Learn about the benefits of Perdigon style flies on this site here.

If you are an experienced fly fisher and familiar with the wild conditions at the Upper Kern (or Kings) Rivers, you may be saying to yourself: “Throwing 3 flies is crazy and asking for disaster.”  Yes, it is.  and to redo the entire rig is 5 knots. Overhead casting a 3 fly rig is difficult; roll casting even harder.  Also, note that in a few states like Montana you are not allowed to throw more than 2 flies.

I typically lose flies on a 3 fly rig in two ways: hung up on the bottom or when the wind blows me off course mid cast.  I lose flies, but I do catch a lot of fish on the upper Kern and Kings.  I’m an expert there.  I take the risk because I think it’s worth it.  I respect people that don’t take the risk of losing flies.  They cost money.  And it takes time to re-rig with 5 knots involved.  I can tie up a new rig quickly upon losing the entire thing.  Yes, that is frustrating.  But, IMHO you have to take risks if you want the big rewards.  Yes, a long 3 fly rig like the one I do is not only difficult to cast, but also risky to losing flies.  Yes, it’s deadly the entire season.

This is my go to fly when nothing else is working because it is so close to looking like the naturals.

It fishes well all year long in many conditions. Along with the Huck-bow Warrior cripple and it’s Perdigon brother this is a great winter fly. I recommend size 16.

This fly is built on a barbless competition style jig hook.  It’s wide gap provides a dramatically better hook set than a traditional hook.  You’ll find your land to hook ratio will be much better than in a traditional nymph hook.  I tie these with an oversized tungsten slotted bead.   Then I stuff the slot gap with lead.  Combined with it’s sleek epoxied body, this fly gets down in a hurry.  the tail is made of UV coated coq de leon feathers.  you can read all about the benefits of perdigon style flies in my article here.

The “Huck-bow Warrior Perdigon is my “go to” fly for non clear water conditions in fast deep current.  It fishes well all year long in many conditions. Along with the Huck Midge cripple and it’s Perdigon brother this is a great winter fly. I recommend size 16.

This fly is built on a barbless competition style jig hook.  It’s wide gap provides a dramatically better hook set than a traditional hook.  You’ll find your land to hook ratio will be much better than in a traditional nymph hook.  I tie these with an oversized tungsten slotted bead.   Then I stuff the slot gap with lead.  Combined with it’s sleek epoxied body, this fly gets down in a hurry.  the tail is made of UV coated coq de leon feathers.  you can read all about the benefits of perdigon style flies in my article here.

This is my goto fly and i frequently combine it with it’s crippled brother that i originally developed.  in a traditional two nymph set up it can be fished dry/dropper or hopper/dropper.  That means it can be effectively and typically fished with a “tag” fly, size 14 above and a trailing fly, size 16 below like is done in traditional euro nymphing.  In reality this fly provides all the effectiveness of raking the river by Euro Nymphing, but, unlike in euro-nymphing (or tenkara) you sill get to cast…and cast beyond the ~20 foot limitations of euro nymphing.

This is a “must have” fly in the fast runs of the Upper Kern River where the big kern river rainbows cannot resist the flash in crystal clear water.  It fishes well all year long in many conditions because it is an attractor, yet looks like a green rock worm, which is a caddis nymph.

This fly is built on a barbless competition style jig hook.  It’s wide gap provides a dramatically better hook set than a traditional hook.  You’ll find your land to hook ratio will be much better than in a traditional nymph hook.  I tie these with an oversized tungsten slotted bead.   Then I stuff the slot gap with lead.  Combined with it’s sleek epoxied body, this fly gets down in a hurry.  the tail is made of UV coated coq de leon feathers.  you can read all about the benefits of perdigon style flies in my article here.