September FOTM - the Lefty's Deceiver

[Stephen Bradbury]

This month’s fly of the month is the original, ultimate allrounder the Lefty’s Deceiver, the great Lefty Kreh famously developed this fly in the 1950’s to represent local baitfish when targeting Striped Bass. Since then it has become possibly one of the most popular and copied flies in the world. Pretty much any fish that eats baitfish can be caught on this fly including all Trevally species, Queenfish, Cobia, all Mackerel species, Tailor, Snapper, all Emperor species, all Tuna species, Mahi Mahi, Australian Salmon (Kahawai), Samson fish, Yellow Tailed Kingfish etc etc. Originally tied in all white (best colour IMO) there are many colour variations out there these days, some use peacock hurl as a topping (dorsal line) and some red Krystal flash for bleeding gills etc, but essentially it is a bait fish profile fly with a saddle hackle tail for plenty of movement, some flash and a collar of bucktail to give more of a profile and stop the tail feathers from fowling around the hook. A large 4/0 white deceiver is my personal go to fly for Longtail Tuna and Mackerel (Spanish & Grey) and can be deadly fished in a burley trail or weighted (ball sinker in the loop knot) and fished deep and deserves a place in everyone’s fly box for Exmouth.
Recipe: in order of tying.
Hook – size 2# - 8/0# Gamakatsu SL12S, Mustad Big Game, Tiemco 600 SP or similar.
Thread – Flat waxed 210 denier, white or chosen colour for baitfish colour.
Tail – 3 to 4 pairs (one each side of the hook shank) of white saddle hackles approx 2.5 x the hook length. One pair of grizzly hackles over for fright stripes if you desire.
Flash – 2 to 4 strands each side of the tail of flashabou pearl or silver or lateral scale or sparkle flash.
You can add some lead wire around the hook shank for weight if desired at this stage.
Collar – 4 bunches of white bucktail tied in and spread (pushed around hook shank with a little fingernail pressure) around the hook shank one each side, one under and one on top extending well past the back of the hook bend.
Gills – If you desire, one very small tapered bunch of red Krystal flash or fluoro fiber tied in under the hook eye.
Topping/Dorsal line – one small tapered bunch of peacock hurl, darker coloured buck tail, larva lace angel hair, whatever you prefer, a fraction shorter than the tail length.
Head – Form/shape tapered style head with tying thread, you can use a different colour thread if you prefer (such as red on fly pictured).
Eyes – Stick on holographic silver eyes, size to suit fly.
5-minute epoxy or hard UV resin finish over eyes and thread-built head.

Tie fly onto fluorocarbon tippet with lefty’s loop knot to allow for maximum movement. Usually retrieved using large, long single strips or fast with double overhanded strip, get some in your box now.

[Brett]

Thanks for this Steve. One of the most versitile baitfish patterns ever devised.
An all white deceiver was the first fly I ever tied and it caught my first flyrod fish. Sadly I don't tie them anymore, I can't seem to find the hackles I want. Maybe I'm too fussy
My three favourite colours, white, off-white and any other shade of white.
Although a black deceiver tied with a generous bucktail collar, 14-20 hackles, no flash fished at night...

[Torren]

Thanks Steve. Such a great fly and really quite versatile. So many variations of this fly which makes it easy for everyone to tie.