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Tying the Tarpon Toad Fly

Use these tips to help achieve a better end result.
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2. Tie in a fluffy clump of chartreuse marabou at the bend of the hook.

Click through Photo Gallery for step-by-step tying sequence.

CREATOR: GARY MERRIMAN

The Tarpon Toad is a fly inspired by several others, combining the most attractive features of proven, traditional patterns. It’s a fairly easy pattern to tie, but there are some tips that will help you achieve a better end result.

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When tying in the tail (Step 2, Photo 3), many tiers and anglers for that matter find that putting a couple of wraps beneath the marabou prevents fouling and also helps the fly swim a little better.

To get the rabbit strip to lay back properly (Step 4,Photo 5) it’s important to pull the fibers back with your left hand before making the next wrap. Even more important is to hold the fibers back as you make your next wrap. Once you tie off and trim the strip, pull all the fur back and put a small dam of thread in front of the leather skin before you tie in the yarn.

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Click through all the images to see the 6 steps it takes to tie the Tarpon Toad fly.
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1. Using figure-eight wraps, secure the plastic eyes on the top of the shank and work your thread back to the bend of the hook.
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2. Tie in a fluffy clump of chartreuse marabou at the bend of the hook.
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3. Tie in a short piece of yellow crosscut rabbit strip on top of the marabou wraps.
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4. Palmer the rabbit strip forward, tie it off, and trim excess.
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5. Figure-eight-wrap short pieces of chartreuse yarn on top of the shank and fill in the space between the rabbit strip and the eye of the hook.
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6. Using the sharpest scissors possible, trim the yarn to the desired shape.
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