Flies

Lefty’s Deceiver                

Origin

The Deceiver is a very popular fly that should be in everyone’s fly box and can be
used for all types of fish. It is great for the ocean and surf. It was developed by Lefty Kreh, one of the great men in fly fishing. Most of us are familiar with Lefty, who has received more honorary awards than we can list in this newsletter. He has served on many conservation boards and has fished in all fifty states, as well as all over the world. Lefty is the retired outdoor editor of the Baltimore Sun Papers and holds staff positions on several outdoor magazines. His writings have contributed
a number of books on casting, fly tying and more. Lefty has said about the deceiver: “The fly can be tied in many ways. The Lefty’s Deceiver is not really a strict pattern but a method of tying. It can have various shapes, lengths, and colors. The fly can be tied as short as two inches and longer than a foot for billfish,
amberjack, and other species demanding a large offering. It can be tied in a bendback fashion or with the hook reversed. It has caught everything from striped
bass to barramundi and billfish. To get full benefit from Lefty’s deceiver, you need to analyze what you are trying to do and match the type of fly to the conditions.”

Pattern

  • Hook—Mustad model 34007; sizes 10 thru 2/0
  • Thread—white size 6/0
  • Tail—six to eight white saddle hackle feathers
  • Body—tying thread
  • Wing—gray over white bucktail and several strands of pearl Krystal Flash
  • Belly—white and green bucktail ( alternates are polar bear hair or marabou )
  • Throat—red Krystal Flash
  • Head—thread coated with epoxy
  • Eyes—sliver stick-on with black pupils

Tying Instructions

1. Pinch down the hook barb
2. Wrap a thread base on the hook
3. Cement thread to hook
4. Tie on 6-8 tail hackle feathers at the rear of the hook, with a length depending on pattern
5. Tie on the white bucktail, with gray on top of that, then a few strands of pearl Krystal Flash
6. Tie on several strands of pearl flash, roughly half the length of the hackles
7. Wrap the thread toward the eye, leaving 3/16” of hook bare, wrap back to hook shank, and back to the eye again
8. Build up a collar of buck tail with green on top and white on the bottom
9. Tie on a several strands of red flash forming a throat—length same as hook shank.
10. Wrap thread to make a small peashaped head in the 3/16” space reserved for the eye
11. Coat head with epoxy
12. Stick on or paint the eyes Flies ( fish ) Imitated—Various types of bait fish How to Fish—Most generally fished with a very fast two handed retrieve.

Flies Imitated

Various types of bait fish

How to fish

Most generally fished with a very fast two handed retrieve.