Floating Prawn
Originator: Rob Laspina, Fly: Doug Jeffries, Photograph: Hans Weilenmann
Hook: Mustad 34011, size 2/0
Thread: Orange or pink, Danville Flymaster
Rattle: Glass 3 bead, medium size
Legs: Copper, orange, and pink Krystal Flash, plus a few orange deer hairs
Eyes: 60 pound monofilament, burned to form bulb on end of ¾ inch stalk, tied one on each side of hook shank, protruding over hook bend
Antennae: Copper and black Krystal Flash
Body: E-Z Body Braid, large, pearlescent, color top half with brown or tan permanent marker, fill head end with silicon sealant, and coat entire body with Softex or Flexament
Tail: Section of E-Z Body Braid, work hook eye through the braid, tie off with white thread, and then stiffen tail with 2 part epoxy cement

This is by far the top producing barramundi fly in the Hinchinbrook Passage area. A young guide named Rob Laspina developed it. The barras cruise along the edge of the mangroves on a falling tide and ambush prawns. The prawns will literally fly out of the water to escape the 'mundis. Coating the body with Softex or Flexament traps air inside. The stiffended tail acts as a diving lip. You fish this fly using a couple quick strips to cause the fly to dive and then let it float back to the surface. The barra strikes come as a complete surprise in the murky water. The fly also took flathead, trevally, threadfin salmon, mangrove jacks, and queensfish. The fly is nearly snag-free because the tail causes it to flip over the mangrove roots.

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© 2002 Hans Weilenmann
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