AndrewP

Got one last one I did with just EP Dubbing Brush w/Tarantula legs. Used a little red estaz for gills, and tied again on a bass hook. I'm using two pieces if wire brush, tied in on either side at the eye. Then back at the hook bend, I criss-cross the pieces, come out the back and then twist both pieces of wire brush together near the tail. I think it turns out pretty well. AP

Purchased (from Enrico), not hand-made. Kirk and others have done similar things with their own designs and type of materials used in the brushes they made for themselves. I know of lots of patterns where you palmer the brush around a hook shank; what I was trying out was certain patterns/looks where the brush became the body without palmering. AP

I had some inspiration at the vice and I think I've come up with a couple super-simple patterns that use wire brush. I know some on this forum create their own wire brushes, but I don't have the equipment to do so. I've just gone and purchased a couple of types of the EP Fiber brushes -- usually EP Fiber and sometimes flash or small rubber legs -- twisted up in a small fine wire. I also found another company 9sorry Can't remember the name) that twists up rabbit fur (without hide of course). Anyway, here is what I've come up with. The first is a minnow pattern tied up using the wire rabbit. I tied it on a bass hook (1/0) bendback style. The second fly is using some EP Fiber brush with Tarantula Legs (rubber). I was going for a shrimpy look ..... The thin wire can be bent so that the materials can either hide or expose the hook. Of course this makes tying the fly very simple. For the minnow, just one piece of rabbit wire. For the shrimp, two pieces that I connected (wrapped) together behind the hook. Then add eyes,, maybe a body wrap if you want, and done. Have not tried them out on fish just yet, but hope to soon. AP

It's interesting to read the responses here and compare to what others I know are saying from there experiences. One friend was prepping for a trip to the keys to try for big tarpon, and we were discussing hooks. He said he has rolled the point (on big fish of course) with SC15s and SC17s. He was going to try some Akis, but he said his favorite was the 3407 after he had touched it up. Mimics what Capt. Bob was saying. Most of the fish I target are a lot smaller, so I'm good with the SC15s and 17s. I even use the "Mosquito" hooks although I try to straighten the offset on those hooks. Think any of these are fine for big snook, reds and up-to medium sized tarpon. I like the bigger hook gap vs. the 3407s. AP

Just used Goop for attaching eyes. I detailed the pattern a while back on here -- called it the "Bi-Color Bunny".

Did someone say rabbit???? I love tying with rabbit strips, but will agree with earlier comments about flies getting heavy and difficult to cast. But nothing wiggles like a rabbit tail, and I have caught everything under the sun on an all-white rabbit pattern ...... AP

So ............... this is an attempt at an articulated wiggle-bug. Floater-diver that will give that Rapala-like wiggle when retrieved. I have some other ideas to work on, like perhaps folding some thin-foam sheets and cutting them into templates. I'll keep posting the ideas here, and of course if there is any direct success I'll try to post pics of that as well.

Kirk: Hmmm, something to think about and test. Thanks for your thoughts. I have to agree that the tail materials is for show; if you think about it, the Zara Spooks and other topwater spinfishing lures don't have all the fluff on the back end ..... Can you post some pics of your articulated bugs? I was playing with some ideas for floater-divers, but had not come up with anything that was easy to do/replicate. The best idea I had was to articulate a Wiggle Bug pattern ...... AP

Piker: Using the Fish Skull Articulating Shanks on the first popper head, then hook on the second. Yeah, I want to play around with a couple of options -- treble-body, and maybe a floater/diver articulated body .... AP

Playing around at the vice, I came up with this idea for a popper. Just two different size popper heads, the smaller one becoming the “rest of the body” and housing the hook. Does it work any better? Don’t know yet; test pond results are promising as the body floats high and wiggles a little bit when popped. AP

Hope you don't mind; I've created Version 2.0 of this fly .... Changes made were (1) Now tied on jig hook (2) Use EP Tarantula Legs for body (3) use 4 large bead chain instead of lead eyes (looks shrimpy) (4) Using thin elastic band for "thread" instead of silli leg material (5) Maribou tail to secure end of thread It still stands on its head when sitting still with the body upright and the maribou moving seductively (to a black drum anyway) ..... AP

I made some modifications to this pattern, and think I have a better fly now ..... (sorry pic is not great) Tie is: 1) Craft Fur tail 2) Red estaz (for gills) -- its a little further back on the shank than normal, because we need room for head material 3) Over the estaz, wrap EP Sparkle Brush 3" pearl -- two or three wraps 4) In front of estaz, wrap EP Tarantula Legs (in white) 5) For eyes, I used Black Fabric paint -- I know these won't get knocked off!! Proof that it works -- notice the nice shimmer and you can see the red estaz ..... AP

Very nice pics Captain! Question: When you are targeting those tarpon back in the Glades, are you casting at rollers, or do you try to look for laid-up fish?

Got this pattern from Drew Chicone; it's a simple pattern really, the only twist is that for the head, instead of using deer hair, or wool, or stacked fibers of some kind, use the EP Tarantula Legs. Material is EP fiber, a little flash, and some rubber "legs" all spun onto a wire brush. I tied up three -- first in brown, with barred tail and bead-chain eyes on a #1 hook .... The same fly, but in white .... And a slighly different one in white, but with a rabbit tail and plastic-bead eyes (so it won't sink as fast as the first two) .... Have not tried them out yet; maybe get some results this weekend if weather cooperates ..... AP

I like the peacock addition. If you ever look at small mullet as they swim, their tail will appear black at times. I'd started using a black marker to ink-up the tails on my EP fiber or SF Blend materials. Nice ties!!!

Whitner: I tied up a couple ..... I don't do deer hair heads near as nice as yours -- too embarrassed to post a pic of the final result. However, I can say that they work just as you described. The first I tied with a lead strip along the belly, and it sank, slowly, but definitely. I tied the second one without lead, and tried to make the head a bit larger and more compact. That did the trick! Now they land soft, start out in the film and slowly submerge. Push a good amount of water. Picked up a nice red yesterday on it ..... I like the tie. I think I'll do some chartreuse heads with white tails to throw at some snook against the mangroves later this season ...... Thanks again for posting. AP

Hey Whitner, do these flies actually swim as bendbacks? Do they suspend just below the surface? Looking for something to feed to redfish who are in very shallow, weedy water. Spoons are too flashy right now, and most of my other weedless flies sink too fast and get lost in the weeds. Was thinking about something perhaps like these that would suspend or very slowly sink (like a seaducer) .... AP

I wanted to try and create a fly that would imitate the spin-fisherman's plastic worm or jerkbait. For fly-rodding, the fly had to be lighweight, weedless, and have good action. Here is what I've come up with: The ties have a couple of special characteristics: 1) Use offset worm hook for weedless characteristics and to get fly to track straight 2) Glass rattle just below hook offset for hook oreintation, sound and to look like "eyes" 3) Special wrap technique with estaz over the rubber legging material Shout out to FTForum member Rich Mc for the inspiration and technique. AP

I got the idea for this fly from a fly designed for freshwater carp. I modified it slightly and thought it might make for a good benthic worm imitation for redfish or black drum, especially when those fish were tailing hard. The head and body of the fly is just barbell eyes and estaz. The tail of the fly is made from thin foam and cut using a hole-punch. I then use thin rubber (like used for crab legs) and thread onto a needle, and puncture the punches in the middle. On the last punch, I make a big knot to secure everything. The fly ends up looking like this ….. It’s made to stand straight up off the bottom, and it does. Here is a pic I tried to get with the fly in a glass of water: I may end up adding some additional “legs” between some of the punches to give the fly some more wiggle …. Haven’t had the opportunity to try it out just yet, but would love to throw this at some big tailing black drum and see what happens ….. AP

I'm not in the contest, but hope it's OK to share my story. Got my first legit big(er) tarpon this May. No good pics, as I was by myself on my skiff and although I tried, all were too blurry or too far away (try holding your rod/line in one hand, focusing a camera in the other, and keeping it in the frame). Estimate around 60lbs, 5' or so. Was the confluence of everything wrong going right. I was actually fishing the shoreline for snook/reds. Using an 8wt with 20lb tippet, throwing a #2 bendback minnow. Was throwing at a drum on the shoreline when I looked ahead of the boat and saw the tarpon suspended in the water. Thought "what the hell" and made the cast. Fly drifted down, and as I started the retrieve, I saw the fish "wake up", spot the fly, then accelerate forward and take it. I was shocked! Didn't get much of a hook set, but tarpon bolted sideways and then did three magnificent jumps right next to the boat. "Can't believe I'm still buttoned!!!" I'm thinking. Somehow my line had cleared through the guides. "He's on the reel" I'm thinking, "but he probably won't stay on long with the light leader". After that, he tore off onto the flat, jumped again, then made a 90degree turn and tore off again. My line is pointing in the water one way and fish is way over another way. I'm into the backing ..... Anyway, I give chase (with troller motor) .......... after a few minutes I was thinking I might actually be able to fight fish to the leader. Doing the "down-and dirty" technique, I could tell I was tiring the fish. And ..... a few minutes later I did get it boatside. As I was alone, I had to release the fish, and I have to say, if you have never done if before it is somewhat disconcerting to think about grabbing a big tarpon by the lip. In the end, I just used my pliers to retrieve the fly. The tarpon swam off fine. I screamed out loud!!!! And then my hands started shaking a bit. It was surreal, almost dream-like, but I did it!!!! I got soooo lucky. The fly was buried in the side of the tarpon's mouth. However, the hook shank had been bent pretty good sideways. Being a bendback fly, I was so surprised I got such a good hookset (ask Capt. LeMay his thoughts on bendbacks and tarpon). Also the leader: 20lb, but not a nick on it anywhere. How the hell did that happen?? That has been my only shot at a big fish this summer. I'm tellin, you, I can still replay that cast and the take in my mind, and it brings a smile every time ................. AP

I've only fished the beach one time before, but it worked like this: walk the beach after sun-up. You actually want the sun up in the sky a bit as you are peering into the water, looking for fish (polarized glasses a must-have). Ideally there is little wind, therefore little waves -- nothing to stir up the sand. They will be swimming within a cast's distance from the shore, sometimes right up against the "trough" -- a deeper gully that runs right up next to the waterline. There really is no structure to speak of, just sand beach. Like I said, you should be able to spot the fish coming your way. So it generally is not a blind-casting situation. Somewhere I had pictures of a 30" snook, in 6" of water, on a tidal bar at the beach. Threw 30+ casts at this fish, it ignored but did not spook. But anyway, looks like this: AP

I had a little inspiration, and came up with a interesting idea for tying up a bendback using wire brush (home-made that Kirk has done or you could use the pre-made brushes of EP Fiber). Tie up body of fly as you normally would. Now tie the wing with two pieces of brush. Make sure the wire in the brush is long enough so that it goes back to just before the hook point (the fibers will extend much further back). Top the brush with something for contrast (or skip if you want) The wire brush acts as a more-substantial "weed-guard" than regular EP fiber would. I have not wet-tested yet but I'm hoping there isn't enough weight in the wire to cause the fly to flip, otherwise might have to have more weight in the body of the fly. Forgot the camera today so I'll have to post a pic later .... AP

Kirk: Love the name of the "3d Beer Belly BendBack" Well, and I like the technique/tie as well. I stole this idea for a body for a bendback from Capt. Pat Damico out of Tampa -- he calls it a "Bendback Bead-Butt Baitfish" (love that name too!!! ) AP

I have always liked the design of good bendback patterns. I never seem to tie with weedguards, so the few times I need a fly with the ability to be "slippery", I choose a bendback pattern. Seeing if anyone else had any favorite bendback patterns they tie. This is a pretty standard tie that I do -- 1/0 hook, red wire, a stiffer fiber at the bottom, the EP fiber in different colors, a feather, flash, and a topping. Anyone else have a favorite they'd share? AP

You can look at Colton reels, the Torrent model: http://www.coltonfly.com/torrent.php I have a 10wt and it is stout. Lots of good reports from guys up north who are using the reel for tuna, etc. And it's a little bit under $500. AP