Pink Crazy Charlie
By Gary Lewis
The sky is deep, dark and blue. Puffy, white clouds drift on the horizon. Your boat glides on aquamarine over the sandy bottom just four feet beneath you. The breeze and the sun feel good on your face.
A school of bonefish is spotted and your guide stops the boat with his pole while you try to remember what he told you as you practice cast the #8 weight forward line back at the lodge.
The fish are out there as far as you can cast the fly and you work out line, letting the bug down easy, fifteen feet in front of the school. Move it in slow pulls, twitching the fly as it comes to you.
Crazy Charlie patterns are tied on #4 and #6 hooks to imitate shrimp. They are used for bonefish and permit in the South Pacific and Caribbean. Start on the bend of the hook and tie in pink plastic for the body and big bead chain eyes. Finish off with an underwing of dyed-pink calf tail.
