At this past winter’s shows, Bill Murphy(Murphy’s fly box) gave me a couple different sizes of E-Z Body braid to experiment with. At the time, I had no idea what I would use it for. When the shows ended and spring approached I got a call from Dave Skok requesting one of my squid flies he had seen for a “work in progress” article. Problem was, I couldn’t remember exactly which one he was interested in, nor was I particularly happy with those I had tied to date. Ah, the shows were over and it was my time to innovate so my focus turned to squid.

The major problem for me to solve was getting the proportions right (or even close) as many squid imitations had more length in the tentacles then the body. In real life the body is typically much longer then the tentacles. One key was placement of the squid eyes significantly behind the bend of even the longest shank hook I had in my supply. For that I decided to use 100 lb mono and the E-Z Body Bill had given me.

Keep in mind that this is a style of tying a squid so many different naturals and synthetics may be used. I’ve used buctail, the blend, and DNA(flash and blend) and they all look and perform very well. Any hook will work although I prefer long shank. I’ve used size 1 to 8/0 to tie squid from 3 inches to over 9 inches. The shank is easily weighted for the largest squid with .035 lead.

Here are the step by step instructions for a 5 inch version:

Burn the tip of the 100 lb mono to create a small nub. Wrap mono at the end and whip finish. Tie in a short length of DNA flash, attaching at the middle – whip finish. Fold over and secure with more wraps, then whip finish.

Tie in some short ostrich herl making sure you completely surround the base of DNA flash. Don’t be concerned with counting tentacles just make the coverage look right. Whip finish and apply head cement. If your going to make several of these I’ve found it easier to do them all at once.

Next you’ll need to attach eyes to the E-Z body. Just make sure to use the largest eye possible relative to the E-Z Body size as it’s the squid’s prominent feature. No other creature has larger eyes relative to their body size. I stick them on with a little super glue, let dry, then dip into plasti-dip just making sure to cover the eyes. This bonds everything together quite well. Again, if your going to make a few squid, do several at once(looks like an eye farm). The little alligator clip stands that Down-n-Trout carries come in handy here.

Slide the mono through the E-Z Body and trim the mono to same length as the tubing. Tie on top of the hook shank. Use plenty of wraps and some head cement.

I like the DNA flash(Holo Cromosome Flash) and the Flash/powder blend(Holo Fusion) for the smaller squid under 5 inches. First, reverse tie the flash as shown making sure it surrounds the hook shank. Push the flash back with an empty pen casing and tie down

Advance the thread and reverse tie in some Holo Fusion
(I’ve used the color ash wood here). Apply head cement to this and the prior wrap. Push the material back and tie down.

Advance the thread to the hook eye and tie in a length of DNA Flash. This length is attached in the middle then folded back to simulate the squid fins which should be about half the body length. The first view is from the top and most of the material should be on the top as this is where the fins are. Push the material back and secure, then whip finish. Add a touch of head cement and you’re done.