The Toad Fly – Tutorial
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The Tarpon Toad
The Toad fly was invented by Gary Merriman (owner of the The Fish Hawk in Atlanta, Georgia). It is a light weight, slow sinking fly designed for Tarpon fishing in the flats. The original version employed a rabbit strip for the tail. Later, the fly was changed by Captain Tim Hoover when he tied some toads with marabou for Andy Mill. The marabou version is now more popular than the original.
I recently spent some time with Gary at the Fish Hawk and learned about the history of the fly and the proper tying techniques for success. In the coming weeks I will provide a full write-up of our conversation on Fly Art Studio and incorporate some shots of Gary tying the original Toad fly. For now, here is a tutorial on how to tie the original Toad.
Original – Rabbit tail with marabou body
Variant – Marabou tail with rabbit body
***Recipe***
Hook – Owner SSW, Straight Eye, model 5180-121, size 2/0
Thread – Danville’s 210 Denier, waxed flymaster plus, chartreuse
Tail – Rabbit strip, barred or natural-dyed
Body – Marabou
Flash – Crystal flash or Midge flash, two or three strands only
Head – Enrico Puglisi fiber, small bunch only, tied in four sections
Eyes – Mono eyes***Notes***
1. General color schemes depend on location and experience. Common colors include: A) rust tail, rust marabou, rust head, green eyes, B) brown tail, rust marabout, rust head green eyes, C) Chartreuse (sea yellow) tail, white/off-white (saltwater yellow) marabou, off-white head, black eyes, D) Pink tail, white/off-white marabou, black eyes, E) others – black/red, black/purple, pink/flesh, or ask your local guide before tying for location specific colors.
2. The mono eyes should contrast the general color scheme. If the body is darker, like rust, then green eyes are a good contrast/compliment. If the body is lighter, like off-white, then black eyes are a good contrast/compliment. These are just general guidelines.
Example
3. Tie the fly sparse. Remember, this is a slow sinking fly which should be full of life and action. If you add too much bulk or too many EP fibers, the profile will be less effective.
4. You can use chartreuse tying thread for almost any fly. Just buy two spools of chartreuse.
***Tutorial***
Start the thread base to only half the length of the hook, end at the hook point. This leaves room at the back for the tail and keeps the rabbit fur from fouling.
Cut the rabbit strip to about 3 inches or 2.5 times the length of the hook
Tie in the rabbit strip at the hook point. Use only a few wraps and avoid bulk.
Then lift the rabbit strip and make about 8-10 wraps around the base of the material similar to a parachute post technique. This will lift the material off the hook and keep it from fouling on the cast.
Now you are ready for the marabou. It is important to choose the right material at this step. You want good quality marabou fibers. Pull out two blood quills and stroke them find the light billowy fibers.
This is what you want – a small clump of fine fibers without bulk.
This is how you accomplish the task – take the quill and find the point barb, then pinch the tip and stroke the fine feathers backward. Then cut off the barb and discard. Then restroke the feathers back in to place. The end result should be a nice small clump of angle-like feathers.
You want a quill like the one on the left. Avoid quills like the one in the middle.
Next, tie in two (or three) strands of flash. Not too much, keep it simple.
Next, tie in a small clump of marabou on the bottom of the fly. Make sure to avoid excess length on the back. Aim for something like 1/2 the length of the hook.
Do the same on the top.
Next, cut off the excess marabou in the front and be careful to avoid bulk. It is best to cut at an angle here. Wrap tight once finished but (you guessed it) avoid bulk.
Now prepare the EP (Puglisi) fibers. You want to pull of a very small bunch, something like half the diameter of a standard pencil. Avoid bulk, error on the side of smaller.
Next, tie in 4 separate strands over the TOP of the fly. Center the strands and secure with a figure 8 wrap. I make only 2 wraps each direction, followed by three wraps in front. Cut off the fiber clump at the end of the wrapping but make sure to leave a small amount of extra length on the side (you are going to trim it down later). Do this step four times and make each section tight (i.e. very close) to the previous tie in.
This is what the fly will look like once you complete four wraps.
Next, tie in the mono eyes in front of and tight to the last section of EP fibers. Use green eyes for darker flies and black eyes for lighter flies.
Next, trim the fibers in a rhomboid shape with a slight flare-out toward the back. Note, it helps to first pull the entire side clump tight and perpendicular first before trimming with one quick motion. Make sure the two sides match.
Next, scuff up the side fibers with a wire brush or Velcro tool. Whip finish and cement the head. Your done.
Finished Tarpon Toad.
***Other Examples***
NOW – GET THE FLY WET AND HAVE FUN!
Great work Neal — The Toad is one of my all time favorite flies. Along with Tarpon, variations work well for bass, reds, snooks….awesome post.
Great presentation. I used a smaller Toad last year on a lake in West Virginia and caught the biggest bass I caught all year. Chartreuse was the color. I will be in Atlanta in two weeks and will pick up the materials I will need to tye ’em. I will be staying just a few blocks from The Fish Hawk. Bet they will work on smallies.
Town CreekHoly man Dr. O that was GREAT! I really like how you give the Hx of the fly…pay some homage to the innovators of our sport!
LC
Thanks for the interest everyone. I am intrigued that people are fishing the saltwater patterns for bass and warm water as noted above. I did some research and found that a lot of the modern bass bugs are in fact variations on the salt water patterns. Interesting topic!
I lit up a few of the Toads in the studio. The billowy hairs and fibers make for cool hair light effects.
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