Marabou Estaz Fly
Hook – Mustad # 34007 (SW), size 1/0.
Thread – Danville’s 3/0 or Monocord, White.
Weight (optional) – Lead wire, or for a floating fly lay a base of closed cell
foam on the hook shank.
Tail – One or two white marabou blood feathers.
Tail Flash – (Optional) Gold/Copper Krystal Flash and a touch of pink marabou on top.
Body – White estaz wrapped to the head.
Head (optional) – White thread built up with reflective eyes and epoxied head.
This fly was primarily developed by CT / RI Fly Fisher Ron Whiteley. It is the saltwater fly fisher’s version of a wooly bugger. I have caught everything from snappers, adult blues, stripers, false albacore, bonito, and Spanish mackerel. This is an extremely easy and fast fly to tie. Although the
tail is marabou its also a very durable fly. It is usually one of the first flies I put on when encountering blue fish. The marabou tail has fantastic movement.
When fishing the fly, erratic movements of the rod tip can often trigger strikes (a.k.a. the “Whiteley Whiggle”). You can tie this fly in any variation you want, but white seems to be the ticket here. Just an all round great representation of a small bait fish. Fellow fly fishers, it doesn’t get much easier or better than this! You need to have this pattern in your fly box!