
Member Comments:
The Fly was described in Flies, Ties, & Techniques: A Practical Guide To Tying 50
Irresistible Flies by Charles Jardine (ISBN-10: 0-7641-3906-1) which I recommend for fly
tying ideas.
Glen Gammill

Bonefish Belle, from Gian Padovani
Thread: White
Eyes: Bead Chain links
Tail: Yellow Calf Tail
Body: Scarlet Red floss
Ribbing: Flat silver tinsel
Underwing: Yellow Calf Tail
Overwing: White Bucktail
Member's Comments:
My friend Jack Rooney of Syracuse, NY tied this variation of the Moosehead Belle.
Following the color scheme of the streamer, he tied it as a salt water Bonefish fly. He
gave me two of these creations when we were at the Bahamas this past March.
One of the flies incorporated the steel chain eyes to make it more sinkable and I used
this version in the gin-clear waters of the island. It proved to be deadly on the Ghost of
the Flats, and I retired it after catching four nice fish with it. We decided to name the fly
the "Bonefish Belle". Once back at home, I used the original fly as a pattern, but rather
than using synthetic materials like Jack did, I chose a yellow calf tail for both the
underwing and the tail. The topping is white bucktail.
The tying steps are simple: On a stainless steel # 34007 Mustad size 4 hook, I began by
tying a short yellow tail, using white thread. At this time I secured both the silver tinsel
and the scarlet red floss before wrapping the thread forward toward the eye of the
hook. Now, both the the floss and the tinsel were spiraled (wrapped) forward almost to
the eye of the hook to build the body, and secured with the thread. The chain eyes
were added with a few X wraps of thread, before the fly was positioned upside down in
the vise. At this time the yellow underbody and white topping were secured with the
thread, forming the head, before the cement was applied.
Gian Padovani