Anyone who has fished the surf line along bay and ocean beaches for striped bass and other gamefish knows that small crustaceans like mole crabs make up a large part of the diet of shallow-water predators. We first discovered Nick Vlahos (a.k.a. Sandbar Flies) searching for the perfect pattern to imitate these critters. Nick is a Louisiana-based fly tier who is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the most innovative fly designers in the industry. Based in the Gulf Coast tradition, Nick’s flies emphasize realism through proportion, texture, and movement, without unnecessary complexity, but often incorporating unorthodox approaches and materials.
Nick will walk through his approach to designing flies that fish shallow, move naturally, and hold up to pressure. From material selection to tying philosophy, this session focuses on translating real-world coastal observation into flies that consistently produce results, regardless of species.