While sparse patterns seem to rule the day, from classic patterns by Ray Bondorew and Ken Abrames to our very own Jeff Smith's Buffy progeny, sometimes it pays to have the "half a chicken" fly.  This is especially true early in the season when the water is still dirty and there are big herring, alewife and in some places squid close to shore.  Even as the water clears, some locations experience such heavy tidal flows and ripping currents that the disruption of sand from the bottom will continue to decrease subsurface visibility while the tide runs--Middle Ground and the mouth of the Merrimack immediately come to mind.  In such locations early season, it pays to have a big target.  This fly was designed for just those situations.  At first glance there is really nothing special about this fly.  If it were to have a name, the Frankenstein fly would be suiting, as it is merely pieced together from many different and well-known classic patterns. It is one part deceiver, one part Ray's fly, one part big-eyed baitfish, and one part grocery fly (it essentially is a grocery fly, but with a very deliberate color scheme).  You may choose to alter the colors or style in which this fly is tied to your liking, and like all things, your mileage may vary.  I share this creation with you because it is my favorite early season pattern, and because I have found over time that this specific color scheme and composition of materials results in a very effective pattern in May and early June when there are big herring around.  In the right time and place early season, it will consistently outfish every other fly in my box.  

Tying Instructions

• Step One: Tie in the white saddle hackles as you would on a deceiver, 2-3 on each side, a little farther toward the eye than normal.  Leave in some of the fluffy webbing on the fly to add some bulk.  Fold in 4-6 strand of pearl flashabou. 
  
  
• Step Two: Tie in 2 wide yellow saddle hackle feathers above and ahead of the white feathers.  Angle them so they ride above the white feathers and are turned slightly inward, almost like you were going to make a flat wing. This angling of the hackle feathers increases the profile of the rear third of the fly and almost gives it a conical profile like a real fish.  Add two long skinny ones above the wide ones.  The layering blends a color scheme much like on a Ray's Fly, adding the illusion of more life and movement. 
  
  Add the olive if you choose, in the same
  fashion. 
  
  
• Step Three: If there is a large gap in material between the top of the fly and the bottom at this point, depending on how much webbing there was on the white feathers versus those hi-tied above them, add a small amount of marabou to the bottom of the shank to even out where the tail section tapers onto the hook shank. 
  
  
• Step Four: Tie in and wind forward pearl mylar or body braid from the tail toward the eye and tie off.   
  
  
• Step Five: Fold in four strands of blue flashabou in front of the tail.  
  
  
• Step Six: Tie in white marabou on the underside as the belly so that it is about twice the length of the hook shank. 
  
  
• Step Seven: Tie gray under yellow bucktail of similar length to the marabou as winging material.  Do not stack it on top of each other on top of the hook shank, but rather roll it onto the sides of the shank to leave more room up top and fill in the side colors. 
  
  
• Step Eight: Tie in green crinkleflash the length of the fly, followed by olive bucktail, herringback yak hair and then peacock herl to the top. 
  
  
• Step Nine: Tie in green or silver gill plates, holographic eyes, color the top head of the thread wrappings and coat with your favorite head cement. 

I glue every step of the process with Loon cement, Goop the eyes, and use Flexament on the final wraps.  I color in the marabou under the gill plates red.

The end result is a big fly with a lot of natural materials that really breath in the water. The length and bulk will make it really swim in a current, upright, but with a slight wobble like a slab fly, and some good side-to-side movement from the extra long saddles.  When you dangle it in a current you can see how much life the materials and color scheme add to this fly.  This fly shines in fast moving current with a fast sinking line, either on a dead drift, a swing or stripped.

Above is a photo of one of nine bass I took on this fly before it parted from my line on a HUGE hit.  This fish was about the average size that day (I foolishly ran out of film before taking several of the biggest fish that day).  I did not take a fish below 27" until I tied on a smaller fly (I carry no less than four of these big boys now).  My companion that day, fishing regular-size deceiver patterns, did not take a single legal fish despite our same line setups and numerous double headers. So, in my humble opinion, sometimes size does matter, and when there is ample big bait around the bigger bass will not waste their energy on smaller targets.  

Good luck!