Flashy Profile Flies have been credited with more than a dozen world records.

In the past ten years I have spent great amounts of time trolling the South Pacific in pursuit of big game fish on the fly rod. During this time, the destinations, the boats, and the targets have changed many, many times but one thing that's remained consistent is my choice of flies. Through a hard slog of trial and error - in a game where every shot counts - I am firmly convinced that a pattern designed and tied by American fly fishing innovators Bill and Kate Howe is the only way to go.

Since my first meeting with Bill and Kate at a fly-fishing convention in early 1992, we have worked very closely in developing a fly that is now known worldwide as the "Flashy Profile Fly" (FPF). Adapted from the Howe-designed "ALF" (Anchovy Looking Fly), the FPF is now credited with an impressive list of catches, as well as many tournament wins and more than a dozen world records.

Dogtooth tuna was one of the fish the FPF was designed to catch.

My input into the Flashy Profile Fly evolved out of my fly-fishing experiences with dogtooth tuna and billfish. I had a need for a fly that could be thrown at fish that were stirred up by baitfish teasers like rainbow runner, mackerel and shad. When the fly was presented, the fish had to be convinced in a split second that the offering was edible. The fly needed to be big - sometimes up to 16-inches long - to match teaser baits, but it had to be light enough to comfortably cast and recast many times.

In simpler terms the FPF is a longer, flashier version of the ALF, which Bill Howe has always clarified as "not really a pattern, but a style of tying using all synthetics to achieve exceedingly deep and narrow-bodied baitfish imitations". First developed for striped bass fishing, the initial success of the ALF expanded over the years into the offshore scene as the couple dabbled with different color combinations to represent a variety of baitfish. Along with Bill and Kate's own notable bluewater captures (including Bill's fly rod world record 10.3 pound Pacific bonito in 1995), the ALF proved itself on a grand scale when Steve Abel and Trey Combs began their well-publicized fly-fishing only, long-range trips off Baja and Mexico in the mid 90's.

Flashy Profile Flies have accounted for fish from coast to coast, not just billfish.

Stateside, the ALF has been most successful on tuna species such as yellowfin, bigeye, bluefin and skipjack, and in southern U.S. fisheries, it continues to account for all sorts of inshore saltwater species, including tarpon and snook.

Here in the South Pacific, the Flashy Profile Fly, in conjunction with refined teasing techniques, we have largely rewritten the IGFA billfish world records.

Since 1996, a total of 13 IGFA billfish world records have been taken on FPFs in Australian waters - a probable record in itself. I have been on hand, either as angler or guide, for 11 of those captures, and while it could be rightly said that my association with the Howes and the development of the FPF has meant that these are the only flies we use, it should be pointed out that record hunting is serious business for all involved and there's no room for mediocrity or pigheaded loyalty to second-rate equipment. If there were a better fly to use we would be using it.

In the past five years, many clients have wanted to try their own flies, which have been either personal originals or those based on other recognized billfish patterns. It has never taken long for each of them to change their mind when they see a fish repeatedly refuse their offering, then light up and zero in when presented with an FPF.

An angler does battle with a marlin that was fooled with a Flashy Profile Fly.

To date, I have seen FPFs attacked by dozens of big game fish. One highlight was an encounter with a black marlin caught by Californian angler Brian Kane in March 1998.

The fish was big, but not really turned on when it rose to our teasers. As the tease progressed, the fish remained cautious, tentatively following the dead-bait teaser without committing to an attack. As he got closer, we switched to a live-bait teaser, but the fish was still hesitant. In desperation, and for fear that the fish would slip away without us getting a cast, I called for Brian to cast his green and silver FPF out to the fish.

The second the fly hit the water, the body language of the fish changed dramatically. His moves became erratic and his flanks became neon bright. Even with a live-mackerel teaser still in the water, the fish singled out the FPF and hit it without hesitation. Two hours and 40 minutes later we had that fish on the deck, a black marlin of 222 pounds, 10 oz. It smashed the existing record (caught 11 days earlier on a blue and white FPF) by 100 pounds. It was the second largest fish ever to be taken on a fly.

Catching big fish on the fly is most definitely a numbers game. You need to get shots at fish to get results and successful hook-ups are a must. In days gone by it was said that for every ten billfish you saw you would get five casts, and for every five casts you would hook three and in turn catch and/or release one.

At times fish have taken an FPF even when it is next to live bait.

During Australia's 2001 marlin fishing season, veteran tarpon fly fishing angler and world-record hunter Tom Evans fished with me and chased striped- and black-marlin records on 12-pound test. His own flies had served him well in other hot billfish destinations such as Costa Rica and he was proud to quote that one out of every four fish he had cast his creations at had taken the fly. At the end of his fishing here in Australia, Evans had seen first hand the effectiveness of the FPF and he now says he will never use anything else. Eighteen casts to black and striped marlin resulted in 14 solid hook ups, an outstanding conversion in any saltwater fly fishing situation.

Flashy Profile tube flies are the most economical way to go. Hook choice is flexible and can be changed to suit the target species. I like to use Gamakatsu's Trey Combs fly hooks from 6/0 to 10/0, two per fly, depending on the size of billfish expected. Distance between the hooks varies from 3 to 5 inches and they are rigged to ride opposite each other with the front hook down.

Fly color doesn't seem to be critical, although I have found red, dark blues, greens and blacks are the best all-round colors for any conditions. Sometimes in rough weather the fly may sit in the wash after a cast. The darker colors offer a stark contrast in white water, giving the fish the best chance of seeing the fly. For the angler and crew, red flies are the easiest to see underwater, keeping everyone in the picture and promoting the situational awareness that's vital for the best hook-up.