Deceiver Flies for Striped Bass Fishing
The Deceiver is a popular saltwater fly for striped bass fishing. This fly is shown in different colors, but all are white on the bottom, as are most baitfish.
About the Deceiver Fly
The Deceiver is the most-used and imitated saltwater fly. Lefty Kreh designed the Deceiver fly in the 1960s, intending it to be used for catching striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay.
A side view of a Deceiver fly offers a minnow-like silhouette. While from the top, the fly is thin and straight, somewhat like a knife blade. As a result, the fly cuts through the air when cast and sinks well for its size. Further, the manner in which it is tied minimizes the possibility of materials fouling around the hook during casting. This also causes the fly to undulate through the water in a life-like manner during the retrieve.
The Deceiver is a streamer-type fly with several long hackle feathers tied near the bend of the hook to form the rear half of the fly. These feathers are parallel to one another, tied dull-side to dull-side. They do not splay outward, and they extend straight back; usually one to two hook lengths. Several strips of crystal flash are added to each side of the fly outside the hackles. The collar, usually bucktail or a synthetic hair, (for example: super hair), is tied on next. It is tied on in a manner that distributes it around the hook so that it flows back and merges with the hackle feathers to complete the minnow-like profile. The topping, if used, is added next.
The positioning of the feathers near the bend adds length to the fly and minimizes the chances of fouling during a cast. Being tied on dull-side to dull-side causes the hackle feathers to cling together and accounts for the relative lack of air resistance during casting and the life-like movement during the retrieve.
The Deceiver fly can be tied in various lengths, fullnesses, and colors to imitate many of the baitfish that striped bass prefer. Examples are shown in the table below.
| Baitfish | Fly | Length, in. | Fullness | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchovy | Deceiver | 2-4 | Sparse | Olive and White |
| Silverside | Deceiver | 3-4 | Sparse | Olive and White |
| Sand Eel | Deceiver | 2-7 | Sparse | (Yellow or Green) and White |
| Peanut Bunker | Deceiver | 5-10 | Full | Yellow and White |
| Herring | Deceiver | 4-10 | Full | Blue and White |
| Mullett | Deceiver | 4-5 | Medium | Blue and White |
Deceiver Flies of Different Sizes and Colors.
Colors
Most baitfish are white on the bottom. Most smaller bait fish are olive on top.
I like olive and white for smaller flies, and yellow or chartreuse and white for larger ones.
If they had to pick one color, most fishermen would pick white, except at night when they would use black.
Some, however, swear by chartreuse. There is a saying: "If it ain't chartreuse, it ain't no use." Actually, some
fisherman recommend chartreuse for use when the water is murky with the idea that it stands out more.
It also has become popular to add a red chin to Deceiver flies. This is to make the imitation
baitfish look injured and bleeding under the gills.