Invicta Flies - Flash Jerk
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Freelance writer Brook Elliott of Kentucky created this pattern for pike and muskie to be fished, as he says, "like a  jerkbait."  Wonderfully simple to tie and open to much creativity, its light weight makes it a relief to cast and easy to work.  Cast to likely holding spots, using a line appropriate to the depth, wait for it to acheive the desired level, then strip the line in foot-long bursts, varying the speed to find the most effective.  A brief pause between causes the fly to nose down, and a twitch of the rod tip or sharp strip of the line jerks the fly upward, producing a deadly flash.


Hook:  Mustad 34007, #1/0-#5/0
Thread:  Kevlar thread
Weight (optional):  .025 lead wire or cone head
Tail:  flashabou
Body:  body tubing
Head:  body tubing, epoxy
Eyes:  doll eyes or 3-D molded eyes

Tying Instructions:

1)  To add weight for improved action, wrap the front half of the shank with lead wire.  Secure the thread just behind the hook eye and wrap over the lead wire several times. Coat with cement.

2)  Gather a bundle of Flashabou in the desired color.  Use a solid color, a blend of two or three colors, or choose two different colors for a two-tone effect, tying one in immediately after the first.  This will actually be the "body" of the baitfish, so be sure to have enough strands to achieve the desired profile and avoid making it too sparse.  Tie this bundle in on top of the hook shank about one third of the shank length behind the eye.  If you've wrapped lead wire, this will be on top of that.  Length is up to you, but two to three hook lengths beyond the bend is the average.  Secure with four or five wraps of thread and trim the excess.  Whip finish the thread and clip.

3)  Select a color of tubing for the head.  Various brands can be use, such as Gudebrod's Super G Body Tubing, which really works well with this pattern, Corsair, or E-Z Body Tubing.  Use medium size for 1/0, large for 3/0, and so on.  Slip the open end of the tubing over the hook shank all the way back to the bend.  Trim the tubing so the portion protruding beyond the hook eye is at least as long as the hook.  Use a lighter to lightly melt the open end to prevent unravelling.

4)  Resecure the tying thread over the tubing, just in front of the tie-in point of the Flashabou.  Make several tight turns of thread in an area about as wide as the hook eye, then whip finish and clip the thread again.  Cement the wraps.

5)  Take the front end of the tubing which is protruding over the eye and push it back on itself.  It will "fold" over the rear portion of the tubing at the thread wraps.  Push back far enough to form a well-proportioned head, similar to a short, blunt bullet.  Hold in place as you secure the tying thread over it just behind the eye.  Take several wraps of thread to secure, then trim the excess.  Alternately, you can "pre-size" the tubing to the proper length, push back on the tubing to reaveal the shank behind the eye, attach the thread to the shank, then tie down the trimmed end of the tubing.  Cover any clipped ends with the tying thread and form an even "nose."  Whip finish and clip the thread.  Cement well.

6)  Use Zap-A-Gap or other adhesive to apply eyes to either side.  Here again, size is up to you.  You can use doll eyes in white or yellow, or the 3-D Molded Eyes.  The aim here is to give the predator something to aim for, so the eyes should be in proportion, yet attract a lot of attention.  If the eyes are "self-sticking,"  ignore this and use the adhesive anyway... when used alone, the epoxy tends to loosen the eyes and knock them out of place while you're applying it, or as it's setting up.

7)  Mix a batch of five-minute epoxy and apply over the tubing.  Rotate by hand for an even set, and allow to dry.

Notes:  Brook likes to coat just the head-portion of the tubing, letting the portion over the body create a "bubble trail."
You can also unravel the portion over the body for a different profile, as well as varying the shape and size of the head.

Copper conehead inside head portion of Body Tubing.
To use a conehead in place of the lead wire, place this on the hook beforehand.  Do not secure into place yet.  Tie in the Flashabou at the 1/3 mark, the tubing just in front of that.  You can build up some thread on the shank to keep the conehead forward a bit, but be sure to leave enough room to tie down the tubing just in front of it, behind the hook eye.