The Spam and Eggs: How to Tie the Hawaiian Bonefish Fly That Imitates What No Caribbean Pattern Can

If you show up on an O'ahu bonefish flat with a box full of Crazy Charlies and Gotchas, you'll catch fish. Eventually. But the guide will open his own box, pull out a tan fly with rubber legs splayed out like a spider and an orange blob near the bend, and tie it on before you've finished rigging. That fly is the Spam and Eggs, and it's the reason Hawaiian bonefish guides don't carry the same patterns as Bahamian guides.

The difference is the forage. On Caribbean flats, the Bahamas, Belize, the Yucatan, bonefish eat crabs, shrimp, and worms. The flies that work there (Gotcha, Crazy Charlie, Merkin) imitate those crustaceans. On Hawaiian flats, the dominant forage is different: mantis shrimp. These aggressive, armored crustaceans are larger than typical flats shrimp, have a distinctive segmented body with prominent legs, and make up the majority of the diet for O'ahu's oversized bonefish. A Crazy Charlie doesn't look like a mantis shrimp. The Spam and Eggs does.

Coach Duff, a Hawaii-based fly tier and bonefish obsessive, designed the Spam and Eggs specifically for this forage. The name comes from the fly's appearance: the tan body is the "spam" (Spam being, appropriately, a Hawaiian dietary staple) and the orange egg sack near the tail is the "eggs." The rubber legs that splay out from the head mimic the mantis shrimp's appendages. The dubbing body suggests the shrimp's segmented thorax. And the weed guard, essential on Hawaii's coral-studded flats, keeps the fly fishing rather than snagging.

The result is a fly that catches Hawaiian bonefish more consistently than any Caribbean import. It's the first fly in every O'ahu guide's box, and it should be the first fly in yours.

What It Imitates

The Spam and Eggs imitates a mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda), specifically the species that inhabit the sand-and-coral substrate of Hawaiian bonefish flats.

Mantis shrimp are unlike the typical shrimp that bonefish eat elsewhere:

• Size: 2-4 inches, significantly larger than the small grass shrimp and crabs of Caribbean flats. This is why Hawaiian bonefish flies tend to be larger (#4-6) than Caribbean patterns (#6-8).

• Legs: Prominent appendages that extend laterally from the body. The Spam and Eggs' rubber legs mimic these, positioned off the top of the head rather than the back, creating the distinctive "spider" silhouette that Hawaiian bonefish recognize.

• Color: Tan to olive-brown body with a reddish or orange reproductive segment. The fly's tan dubbing and orange egg sack replicate this color scheme exactly.

• Behavior: Mantis shrimp are bottom dwellers that scuttle across the substrate and burrow into sand. They don't swim in the water column like typical shrimp. This is why the Spam and Eggs is fished on the bottom, short, twitching strips that move the fly across the sand rather than through the water column.

The fly also works as a general crustacean imitation outside Hawaii, anglers have caught permit, jacks, and bonefish on it from the Bahamas to Belize to the Indo-Pacific. But it was designed for Hawaiian mantis shrimp, and that's where it's indispensable.

The Recipe, Standard Spam and Eggs

How to Tie It, Step by Step

Step 1: Weed guard. Hawaiian flats are littered with coral, a weed guard is mandatory, not optional. Tie in a loop of 20-30 lb mono at the hook eye before starting the fly. The guard will be folded back and secured after the fly is complete.

Step 2: Eyes. Tie in weighted eyes (pseudo eyes or bead chain) on the underside of the shank near the eye. The eyes serve as the weight that flips the fly hook-point-up and gets it to the bottom. Medium eyes for #6, large for #4.

Step 3: Tail. Tie in a sparse clump of tan EP fiber at the bend, extending about half a shank length past. Keep it short, mantis shrimp don't have flowing tails.

Step 4: Egg sack. Tie in a small ball of orange McFlylon or EP fiber at the base of the tail. This should be a compact, visible blob, the "eggs" in Spam and Eggs. It's a visual trigger that Hawaiian bonefish key on.

Step 5: Body. Create a dubbing loop with tan Polar Dub and wrap forward to behind the eyes, building a full, slightly shaggy body. The dubbing should be picked out after wrapping to create a buggy, translucent profile. Optionally palmer a grizzly hackle through the body for additional movement.

Step 6: Legs. The signature move: tie in rubber legs at the HEAD of the fly (just behind the eyes), positioning them so they splay outward and rearward from the top. This is different from most patterns where legs come off the sides or bottom. The top-mounted legs create the mantis shrimp's distinctive appendage silhouette from below, which is the angle bonefish see the fly from.

Step 7: Finish. Fold the weed guard back and secure it at the hook point. Whip finish behind the eyes. Apply head cement to all thread wraps.

The Variations

Tan (standard, #4-6), The universal Hawaiian bonefish color. Works on every flat, every tide, every island. If you only tie one color, tie tan.

Dark Brown (#4-6), For darker substrate or stained water. Some tiers report better results with brown in Central American fisheries where the local mantis shrimp are darker. In Hawaii, tan is still preferred.

Olive (#4-6), A variation for flats with heavy algae growth where the substrate has a greenish tint. Less common but effective when tan gets refused.

Heavy (#4 with large eyes), For deeper water and stronger current. The larger eyes sink the fly faster and keep it in the zone through tidal flow. Use on Kāne'ohe Bay's deeper channels.

Light (#6 with bead chain), For ultra-skinny water where bonefish are tailing in inches of depth. The lighter eyes land softer and don't spook fish in quiet, shallow conditions. Use on the south shore flats near Waikīkī when fish are in ankle-deep water.

Where to Fish It

• O'ahu, South Shore Flats, Ala Moana, Wai'alae, Wailupe, Hawai'i Kai. The Spam and Eggs in tan #6 with bead chain eyes for the shallow coral flats. Fish the incoming tide when bonefish push onto the flat to feed.

• O'ahu, Kāne'ohe Bay, The bonefishing heartland. Tan #4 with medium eyes for the bay's deeper sandy channels. Access by kayak from He'eia State Park.

• Moloka'i, The biggest flats and the least pressure. The same fly works, the mantis shrimp population is consistent across the islands.

• Tropical flats worldwide, The Spam and Eggs catches bonefish in the Bahamas, Belize, and Christmas Island too. The mantis shrimp imitation is effective wherever these crustaceans exist, which is most tropical flats.

How to Fish It

Bottom, bottom, bottom. The Spam and Eggs is not a water-column fly. It fishes on the substrate, twitched and hopped across the sand in short, 2-3 inch strips that mimic a mantis shrimp scuttling between hiding spots. The weighted eyes keep it down. The weed guard keeps it from fouling on coral. Think of it as bottom-contact fishing, the fly should be touching sand through the entire presentation.

Cast ahead, let it sink. Spot the bonefish (or the nervous water indicating their presence), cast 6-10 feet ahead of the fish's path, let the fly sink to the bottom, and wait. Patience is critical, Hawaiian bonefish are solitary hunters, not schooling fish. They cruise slowly, nosing along the bottom looking for mantis shrimp hiding in the rubble. When the fish approaches within 3-4 feet, give two short strips. The rubber legs kick. The dubbing pulses. The bonefish eats.

Don't strip too fast. The biggest mistake with the Spam and Eggs is stripping it like a Clouser. Mantis shrimp don't flee, they scuttle. Short, slow, twitchy movements. If you're stripping more than 3 inches at a time, you're stripping too much. Two or three tiny twitches, then a dead pause while the fish investigates. Many takes come during the pause, the bonefish tips down and inhales the fly off the bottom like a trout eating a nymph.

Reading Hawaiian flats. Hawaiian bonefish behave differently from Caribbean bones. In the Bahamas, you're scanning for schools of tailing fish on white sand. In Hawaii, you're hunting singles and pairs, big, solitary fish cruising coral-and-sand flats in water deep enough that you can't always see the bottom. The fish are harder to spot. Look for nervous water (subtle surface disturbance from a fish pushing water underneath), dark shadows moving over light sand, and the occasional tail flash when a fish tips to root in the rubble.

Tidal windows matter. The best Spam and Eggs fishing happens during the first two hours of an incoming tide, when bonefish move from the deeper channels onto the shallow flats to feed. The rising water exposes fresh substrate and displaces mantis shrimp from their burrows. By the time the flat is fully flooded, the fish spread out and become harder to target. On the outgoing tide, fish concentrate in the remaining channels, good for blind-casting but harder for sight-fishing.

The coral factor. Hawaiian flats are not soft Caribbean sand, they're a mix of sand, coral rubble, dead coral heads, and live reef. A hooked bonefish heading for a coral head will cut you off instantly. Keep your rod angle low and apply side pressure to steer fish away from structure. Many Hawaiian bonefish are lost to coral, not to failed hooksets. The weed guard protects your fly; your rod angle protects your leader.

The take. Hawaiian bonefish eat the Spam and Eggs with a confident tip-down, you'll see the fish tilt nose-down and the line will go tight. Strip-set immediately. Don't lift the rod. A 10-pound Hawaiian bone on a flat with coral heads and channel edges will test your drag, your knots, and your patience. These fish run harder than Caribbean bonefish because they're bigger, and the runs are more dangerous because the coral can cut your tippet on every change of direction.

Catch and release. Hawaiian bonefish populations are vulnerable, the O'io Tagging Program led by local guides is working to understand their movement patterns and habitat needs. Handle every fish with wet hands, keep them in the water during release, and limit air exposure to under 10 seconds. The fish you release today may be the same fish that makes someone's trip next year. These aren't throwaway bones, at 6-12 pounds each, every Hawaiian bonefish represents years of growth.

How to Tie It, Video Tutorials

The definitive version: Spam and Eggs, Mantis Shrimp Fly Tying, Charlie Craven ties Coach Duff's original pattern step by step, with detailed explanation of the top-mounted leg placement.

Tips From the Vise

Legs on top, not on the sides. This is the detail that separates the Spam and Eggs from every other bonefish fly. The rubber legs emerge from the top of the head and splay outward. When the fly rides hook-up on the bottom, the legs extend laterally, exactly like a mantis shrimp's appendages. Side-mounted legs hang down and don't create the right silhouette.

The weed guard is not optional. Hawaiian flats are coral-studded minefields. Without a weed guard, you'll spend more time unhooking your fly from coral than fishing. Use stiff mono (20-30 lb) and adjust the tension so it protects the point but still allows hooksets.

Don't overdo the egg sack. The orange blob should be small, a visual accent, not the main feature. Too much orange and the fly looks unnatural. A marble-sized ball of McFlylon is plenty.

Match the weight to the water. Bead chain eyes for water under 12 inches. Small lead/pseudo eyes for 1-2 feet. Medium eyes for 2-4 feet. Large eyes for channels and deeper flats. Getting the sink rate right is the difference between a fly that reaches the bonefish and one that floats over their heads.

Build Your Box

• Tan #6, bead chain (6), skinny water, south shore flats
• Tan #4, medium eyes (6), standard, Kāne'ohe Bay
• Tan #4, large eyes (4), channels and deeper water
• Dark brown #4, medium eyes (4), dark substrate, versatility

That's 20 flies. The Spam and Eggs takes about 8 minutes each, the dubbing loop and leg placement require care. But 20 flies covers a full week on O'ahu's flats, and with the weed guard protecting the hook, each fly lasts for multiple fish. Pack these alongside EP Micro Crabs for tailing fish in the skinny stuff, and you have the complete Hawaiian bonefish box.