Mantis on the Menu Tied face-forward with a longer tail than body, Kendrick’s Wooly Mantis gives the impression of a shrimp milling around. Unaware of the bonefish, permit or redfish coming in hot. Whether quickly jigged through a wad of fish, or slowly bumped on the bottom, there is a ton of enticing movement from the Craft Fur tail and Chicone’s Crusher Legs. As well as micro-movement from the EP Wooly Critter Brush from which the bug was named. This Biscayne/Keys style fly is an excellent pattern to have in hand while covering ground in which you expect to bump into both bonefish and permit. The Wooly Mantis also makes for an incredible clear, shallow water redfish bug. It’s tied on the Umpqua U506 hook, which has the best hook-up ratio we’ve seen for crustacean flies. Each Wooly Mantis is hand-tied by passionate tier Cory Kendrick in Alabama.
