Originator: Catch Cormier
Species: saltwater, bass, stripers
Remarks by Catch Cormier:
The plastic H&H Cocahoe (pronounced cock-a-ho) Minnow is a longtime favorite lure among spotted seatrout enthusiasts in south Louisiana. The Coma Cocahoe was an attempt to match that lure by creating a fly with a "full body" that had incredible flash and tail action. With a bit of guidance from friend and creative tying genius Ted Cabali, I got the idea to use silicon skirt material to enhance the appearance and make it more like the lure.
For over three decades, it's been especially effective in the Fall and Winter months over oyster reefs and in deadend canals across the Louisiana coast. Later, the pearlescent version became one of my top flies for schooling largemouth bass. It’s also been good for everything from smallmouth to striped bass to snook – just about any species that eats small baitfish.
Best overbody-tail and body colors are chartreuse / chartreuse (green water), sand-orange / pearl, and pink / pink. In winter or heavy overcast days, purple / purple also works well.
Materials:
- Mustad 34011 stainless hook, size 1.
- Large brass eyes, or 1/30 oz lead dumbell eyes.
- medium Krystal Flash chenille.
- mylar tubing, pearl medium
- Silli-legs, aka Crazy Legs silicon skirts
- thread to match body or overbody color
Preparation:
- Silli-legs usually come in segments with 1/4" solid at both ends and strips in the middle. Fold the segment in half evenly and cut in half. About 14-16 legs make a single fly.
- Also, cut a section of mylar tubing the length of the hook and remove the filler.
Instructions:
- Tie in eyes about 1/4" from eye of hook.
- Wrap thread toward bend of hook and stop above the barb.
- Tie in one end of the mylar tubing (tubing facing back).
- Secure chenille, then wrap thread back to just in front of the eyes.
- Leave about 1/8 inch of threaded wrap above the hook point uncovered. We'll call this the "Midpoint". Begin the chenille wrap just forward of the Midpoint.
- Wrap the chenille to just back of the eyes, and secure with two wraps of thread. Do not cut the chenille yet!
- Tie in the solid end of the Silli-Legs just in front of eyes in reverse fashion. A couple of loose wraps to let the legs rotate, followed by several tight wraps.
- Make two wraps of chenille over the secured piece of sillilegs, then tie off and make several wraps of thread just behind the hook eye. Tie off the chenille with a large hand whip finish and cut thread.
- Now tie in thread at the end of the Chenille body (over the Midpoint). Twist ties of thread help lock the thread with just a couple wraps.
- Now divide the legs up into two even sections. Pull one section back over the top of the chenille, stretch it quite a bit, then make 2 wraps of thread over it.
- Pull back the other group of legs under the body, stretch and secure with 2 wraps of thread.
- Now that the tail has been created, knot off the thread with a long whip finish.
- Trim the tail back just a bit so the ends are even. The tail should be as long as the body, and the fly should measure 2 1/2 inches if tied on a size 1 hook.
- Now begins a tedious process: unravel the mylar then trim any wild ends that stick out the sides. After that, trim the sides of the body so the fly has a narrow profile.
- Apply a light coat of either UV Flex Epoxy, 30 minute (2 Ton) transparent epoxy, or Hard As Nails to the sillilegs on top and below the body. This will prevent them from breaking after several strikes from toothy fish.