One-Fly Guy

If you could only fish with one fly all day, which would it be?

by Scott Sanchez

For the last fifteen years, the Jackson Hole One-Fly contest has been an important testing ground and catalyst for some of my fly designs. The premise of this fun catch-and-release contest allows one individual fly per person, per day. If it falls apart or the fish don’t like it, tough luck. Fishing, guiding, and tying many of the event’s flies has led to the creation and popularity of some of my favorite patterns.

Effectiveness, versatility, and durability are overriding principles governing a pattern’s success in this contest and are key concepts in my everyday fly-design philosophy. While most anglers aren’t interested in competitive fishing, these contest-proven flies can add to the enjoyment and success of a typical day on the water.

The fish’s approval is the most important factor for any fly’s design. We should look at our stream-acquired knowledge and proven patterns as a starting point when creating new flies.

A reliable fly that works well in different situations and for different species is an asset to the angler. Good fly designs can be tied in different sizes and colors to increase their versatility.

Although bombproof flies may be essential for the One Fly, don’t spend excessive time making standard fishing flies indestructible. They only need to be as strong as their weakest link. Adhesives and heavy-duty materials save time and simplify durability.

Not much is truly new in fly tying, and these flies have evolved as combinations or variations of existing patterns or ideas. In my fly tying, I like to add a new twist to proven concepts and find ways to speed up and simplify tying techniques. I also try to have a little fun.

Convertible

Versatility can save time at the vise and on the stream and make both experiences more productive. The Convertible was born from the One Fly. It was a way to fish multiple conditions and multiple hatches, and prevent the hysteria of making the choice of a single fly.

During this September contest, cutthroat have available to them a variety of prey. In the morning, the fish feed on fish or brownstones. Later in the day, terrestrials and aquatic insects come into play. Hoppers, a few caddis, Pale Morning Duns, and especially large Hecuba mayflies (a fall “drake”) may be on sections of the river. This conglomeration is a tough bill for a fly to fill, so for One Fly ’91, I had to design a new “super fly.”

It made sense to base the fly on existing proven patterns and being able to trim it down was a given. I put together a Woolly Bugger/Tarantula/Trude/Wulff. The new fly fished well above and below the surface and was dubbed the Convertible.

During the ’91 and ’92 contest, various anglers fished the fly with success and were very happy with its versatility. In ’93 Bob Slamal of Riverside, California, had the highest point score ever for one day. He fished the fly intact for the entire day, and the fish were doing back flips to get it.

Since then the Convertible has become one of my favorite attractors, and it has evolved into a set of patterns. The original had a marabou overtail, which I have eliminated on most flies. The double-wing profile is reminiscent of fluttering caddis, stoneflies, damsels, and craneflies. It can be fished and tied with or without the rubber legs, and it is a visible, permanent floating strike indicator.

Different types of rubber can be used. Fish it in its entirety, or if needed, trim to a Wulff or trude. Some of my favorite variations are royal, peacock, blue damsel, salmonfly, yellow sally, and olive. Substitute synthetics for the calftail wings.

Double Bunny

The idea for the Double Bunny came to me while on a fishing trip to Belize 14 years ago. John Hanlon and I were trying to catch some uncooperative barracuda and the two flies that ended up working the best were a Kiwi Muddler and a Fishair ’cuda fly. What would happen if you put together the pulsating action of rabbit fur and the undulating motion of a ’cuda fly? I didn’t have the necessary materials to tie the Double Bunny on that trip, so it had to wait until I was home.

While fishing my home waters of Jackson, I had large trout trying to eat smaller fish on the end of my line. The idea of the “super barracuda” fly came back to me, and the first Double Bunny popped out of the vise. The first time I fished it, the lake trout and cutthroats on the Snake River below Jackson Lake chased it harder than a politician looking for Florida votes. I’ve used it successfully ever since. It’s a great fly for finding and catching large fish. So far it’s caught over 30 species ranging from cutthroats to tarpon to even a catch-and-release fly-rod-record channel catfish. The 1992, 1993, and 1994 Jackson Hole One Fly contests were won on a couple of Double Bunny variations.

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