Tying the Gotcha: A Bonefish Favorite
The Gotcha is a go-to bonefish fly for a reason. It’s simple to tie, easy to customize, and has caught bonefish on flats all over the world.
There’s also no need to overthink this pattern. A little flash, some movement, and the right amount of weight for the water you’re fishing will get the job done.
Here’s how I like to tie the Gotcha and a few ways you can adjust it based on what you have at the tying bench.
Gotcha Fly Tying Materials
The Gotcha is a very simple fly to tie and there is some freedom to use different materials. Depending on what you have or have access to, the Gotcha can be tied a variety of ways.
This is the stuff I like to use and we’ll mention some alternatives if you don’t have certain materials. As long as it looks like a Gotcha and you have confidence in it, the fish won’t care about the specifics.
- Saltwater Hook (sizes 2-8)
- Any standard, mid-length shank saltwater hook will do well here. You can even use freshwater hooks if you don’t mind washing them thoroughly after each use. Just make sure those hook points stay sharp!
- Bead Chain/Dumbbell Eyes
- Eyes help the fly sink and which ones we use will determine how fast it gets down the water column.
- In general, use bead chain eyes (small, medium, or even large) for very skinny water and softer landings. Throw on some dumbbell eyes if you need the fly to get down faster.
- Mylar Cord
- Mylar Cord makes tying in the tails extremely easy. This stuff is simple to use and produces a nice, scraggly looking tail that grabs attention.
- If you don’t have Mylar Cord, use a hunk of flashy materials. It probably won’t spread out like this stuff does, but the flashy tail will catch the eye of cruising bonefish.
- Sparkle/Diamond Braid
- For the body, we’re looking for a flashy material. Sparkle or Diamond Braid are essentially thin, flashy chenilles that glimmer in the water.
- If you can’t find this stuff, you can simply wrap a handful of Krystal Flash, Flashabou, or any sparkly material.
- Artic Fox/Craft Fur
- For the wing, I personally like Artic Fox. A variety of furs/hairs will do well here (Craft Fur is another common choice), but there’s something about the foxy stuff that gives me confidence, so I generally tie Gotchas with that.
Gotcha Fly Tying Steps
Secure Eyes
Attach whatever eyes you’re using to the shank of the hook using cross wraps, underwraps, and figure 8’s. Whatever it takes to get this secure!
As far as where to tie it, leave some space in front of the hook eye for the materials we’ll use later in the tie. As a rule of thumb, you can take your eyes, put them parallel along the shank starting at the hook eye, and start tying it where the eyes end. This way, you will have plenty of space to tie in the wing later. After a couple Gotchas, you can just eyeball it as well!
Attach Tail
Mylar cord is an interesting material. It comes all coiled up with some sort of filling in it to keep it from collapsing. Cut off a small section of it, pull out the stuff from the middle, and tie it in like you would anything else. From there, separate the ends with your finger.
What mylar cord creates is a cool, scraggly looking tail. If you can’t find this stuff, any flashy material will work. You can use Krystal Flash, Flashabou, or any other flashy stuff you have on hand. Mylar cord has a unique, unkempt look to it, so I generally stick with it for these Gotcha tails.
Wrap Body
Start your sparkle braid at the base of the tail and wrap it along the shank, covering it evenly. Do some figure 8s around the eyes and secure it near the eye of the hook.
Gotcha bodies can also be made with flash. If you can’t find any sparkle braid, take a clump of Kyrstal Flash or Flashabou (or something similar), tie that in near the base and wrap it along the shank. I’ve used all these materials for Gotchas and the results are pretty similar, so use what you got!
Tie in Wing
With our thread in front of the eyes, it’s time for the wing. This gives us the primary profile of the Gotcha.
Tie in a clump of either Artic Fox or Craft Fur so that the ends are about 2x the length of the shank. You can eyeball this too- the length doesn’t have to be perfect. Tie in that clump, making sure that the material is spread somewhat evenly across the top of the hook shank.
Be sure to leave that hook eye clean! This is why we left space with the eyes earlier in the recipe.
Whip Finish
Give that a whip finish and you’ve got a Gotcha!
Glue or resin is optional here. I like to throw a little on for added security, but you’ll be fine with a whip finish or two.
Gotcha Tips
Weight is the Variable
Bonefish are not particularly picky critters- most of the time. When I first started bonefishing, I thought every nuanced color was necessary before realizing that if a fly is in their face, they’ll at least give it a look, if not hammer it.
That said, they will spook if a fly lands too harshly because it’s too heavy and may not see it if it doesn’t sink fast enough to get in their field of view. A variety of weights in the same general color is more effective than every color with the same weight. Here are some general rules of thumb:
- Unweighted eyes for ultra skinny water (less than 6 inches)
- Bead chain eyes for 6 inches to 2 feet of water
- Dumbbell eyes for more than 2 feet of water
So if you know the types of water you’re fishing, you can hone in on the nuances of small/medium/large eyes, but in general, have a mix of everything!
Keep ‘em Natural (or Don’t)
I’ve had the most success with natural looking Gotchas. Flies tied in white or tan with some pinkish flash generally get the job done.
However, I’ll also carry a couple overly pink flies just in case. Bonefish may need that little extra flare to take a bite if they’re feeling extra fussy.
Small and Big
From my experience, bonefish will eat most flies that they find edible. They’re not dissecting every element of the fly and can’t tell the difference between a size 6 and a size 4.
With that, I like size 8s as my “small” size and size 4s as my “big size”. A variety of weighted Gotchas in these sizes gives you a solid base for covering nearly every element you may face on the flats.
