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Dougherty's SEP Squid:
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Materials
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Hook: 2, 7/0
Hoodlum 4X Strong Live Bait Ultra Point Mustads
or Gamakatsu 18417 Live Bait or similar
Thread:
Color-matching thread or Uni-mono
Tandem
Connection: 40 lb. mono or wire fed within mylar tubing
Bead: Any color,
used to prevent mylar tubing from sliding
onto rear hook
Eye: 3/8" or
larger 3-D molded eye
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Rear Hook
Flash: Several
strands of pearl Flashabou 6" long
Wing: 8 saddle
hackles tied surrounding the Flashabou
Collar: Body fur
or heavily webbed saddle hackle
Eye: Optional,
epoxy on collar or epoxy to mylar tubing on
front hook
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Front Hook
Mantle Layer 1 -
2" medium mylar tubing, ends Zap-A-Gaped
open, epoxy over Zap-A-Gap optional
Mantle Layer 2 - Krystal flash tied surrounding Layer 1
Mantle Layer 3 -
Synthetic or yak tied surrounding Layer 2
Mantle Layer 4 -
Pearl Flashabou sparsely tied surrounding
Layer 3
Collar: Body fur
Weight: 7/16 Nickle mega cone head
Adhesives:
Zap-A-Gap CA+ and epoxy
Makers:
Optional, Black Prismacolor for adding spots
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Buy materials now
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Why it's successful
Short stories
Fish pics
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Materials can be
substituted or mixed. Most commonly used
colors are white, tan and lit-up red.
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History
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What does SEP
mean and where did it come from? SEP is an
acronym for the longer mature version, a
name better suited discussed over drinks.
Suffice it to say, it was named by a fellow
angler for its seductive movements and in a
sense what a striper sees prior to taking
the fly.
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The creation of
the SEP Squid came after a visit to Martha's
Vineyard in the Spring of 1999. During a
week's stay several runs were made to the
Middle Ground, a bar north of the Island
with 30-70 feet of water on either side.
These runs and the events witnessed set the
stage for the beginnings of this fly. Words
could never do justice to the actions seen,
stripers slapping, chasing squid, squid
inking, lighting-up, jumping, an invariable
mess of bait and mayhem.
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Squid flies
probably existed then, but were neither
obvious nor prevalent in the tying world. I
returned in the Spring of 2000 prepared with
the SEP Squid. After seeing my creation,
fellow anglers commented about the size, 9"
(too big), weight (too heavy) and tying time
(too long), but on the water the fly
performed and the comments changed. To date
it's taken some of my largest (landed)
stripers, a 23 lb., a 19 lb. and a 17 lber.
I say landed because I've hooked and lost
three additional stripers estimated between
17 lbs. and 28 lbs. One striper was lost due
to a poor crimp job, the other parted my 15
lb. tippet and the last lost to a poorly
tied knot. Eight pound and up fish have
taken this fly. Originally tied for the
Vineyard, the SEP Squid has also performed
well on the Chesapeake. In the ultimate form
of flattery, fellow Vineyard angler, Steve
Samuels created his version of the fly, "The
Bullwinkle". In the Spring of 2004, Steve
landed a 20+lb bass.
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As they say, big
baits equal big fish. Squid will always
remain on the grocery list for large
stripers and the SEP Squid Fly on my menu
for what I'll be serving. Tied in white, tan
and lit-up red, the SEP Squid fly remains a
big squid pattern for big striped bass.
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What makes this
fly a successful pattern?
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Like many other
successful patterns, great thought went in
to the design of the SEP Squid. Many fly
fishermen never stop to evaluate the fly
they're catching their fish on. They just
know a certain pattern works and become
confident using it. It's usually the fly tyer who does something deliberate but
subtle that makes a fly successful. This
subtlety may be eye placement, material
placement, materials used or a mix. The SEP
Squid's success is derived from the
following:
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1. Its second
hook contains eight tentacle-like hackles
and is attached via a loop verse being
tied-in rigid. The loop truly allows free
movement and is partly why the fly is named
as such. Any thoughts of lost fish due to
the looped second hook are unfounded. This
fly is inhaled, even with eight pounders.
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2. The mono or
wire used to connect the second hook is
covered by mylar tubing. The tubing acts as
a bite guard for mono and provides
additional flash.
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3. Layers. Great
care was taken to incorporate layers. This
layering technique embodies 360 degrees
around its mantle. The layers provide body,
material to pulse upon retrieve and flash to
the pattern. The first layer to the mantle
is the mylar tubing. Next, the mylar is
surrounded by krystal flash followed by yak
or synthetic of choice. Finally it's
finished by sparse pearl flashabou. Each
material is tied-in 360 degrees around the
hook and provides the body or mantle of the
fly.
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The original
version is not for the timid caster. I fish
it using either a 10 or 12 weight rod and
open loops. It's a specialty fly I use to
probe deep water or when I feel large
stripers are at hand. Lite SEP Squid
versions are possible by selecting lighter
hooks and eliminating the mega conehead. The
overall length of the fly is 9" to 10".
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Three short
stories related to this fly
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1. Using the SEP
Squid I had fought and landed several
stripers from a boat. Upon attempting to
land one more striper via the low spot of
the transom, my tippet snaps losing the fly.
I quickly look away disgusted in losing the
fly. As I turn back to the stern to retie,
there's my striper, trailing hook in mouth,
leading hook caught on the motor's cable. The fish is landed and released. (A Lit-up
Red SEP Squid fly was used.)
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2. A buddy and I
walk up to Big Bridge (Anthiers Bridge), Oak
Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. I prepare to cast
from the rocks as he stands with a small
crowd of on-lookers from the wood
crosswalks. People ambling along not much is
happening. I place a cast just up current of
the bridge and begin my retrieve. To
everyone's amazement an approximately 35"
bass rises from the depths, inspects and
just before it decides to inhale the fly,
the fly is swept unnaturally by the swift
currents of the bridge. The fish sounds and
all you hear are gasps like WOW there's a
fish that big there? (An all white SEP Squid
fly was used.)
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3. A buddy and I
fish a bar on an out-going tide. The bar is
covered by two feet of water but then
quickly drops away to 12+ feet. Schools of
stripers are seen cruising onto and across
the bar. A school of three stripers is
spotted and a cast is made just to the side
of the school but close enough to draw
attention from one fish. Within 15 feet a
cat and mouse game is played with a slight
twitch of the fly followed by hurried
interest by the striper.....THEN.....hell
breaks loose as water and striper explode in
the shallow water. A five minute fight
ensues followed by a release of a 9 lb.
striper. (A Lit-up Red SEP Squid fly was
used.)
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SEP Squid
success:
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Assateague
Island, VA
Striped Bass (42
inches / 23 lbs.)
Caught on a
White SEP Squid
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Martha's
Vineyard, MA
Striped Mass (17
lbs.)
Caught on a
White/Yellow SEP Squid
(Click
to enlarge)
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