JRC 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2010 A question for more experienced anglers. Do you find your weed-guard causing missed hook-ups or it makes no difference in your opinion? Also, do you guys think a stinger/trailing hook will increase my bite/hook-up ratio? I think it will but I just hate the fly body materials getting all tangled around two hooks now. Thanks for your opinions. Roman Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2010 Personally I've never tried using a trailing hook. Whether or not I use a weed guard depends on whether or not I am fishing in the salad or not. I've not detected a difference in my hookups, but there is probably some difference. Even so, the commotion and loss of fishing time caused by having to remove a hook which has become embedded in a lily pad or stalk is something which makes the possible loss of a hookup because of a weed guard seem to to be an acceptable trade off. I use double weed guards when I add a guard. They seem easier to work among and over lily pads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Curtis Fry 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2010 ...what he said... I just get tired of not being able to throw into the nasties. Weedguards are dispensible for that. I'm sure there's some missed hookups, but having a bass explode onto a surface bug is, in and of itself, a nice rush -- regardless if you hook up or not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRC 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2010 Wow, that was fast, thanks guys. That makes sense. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirk Dietrich 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2010 I usually tie weedguards on almost all of my surface flies. In general I have not found there to be much if any difference in hook-ups with the exception of schooling bass. I found out last fall that bass chasing shad are thrashers and hit a fly and spit it out, short strike and things in between. I was only getting maybe one hookup in ten strikes, which actually would happen on two or three casts! Anyway, I cut the weedguard off and began hooking two or three fish per ten (of course, it goes without saying, those numbers are only approximate, I did not conduct a recorded scientific experiment). So, what I thought was a big weedguard problem was, I think, just the nature of the strike in open water and fast moving fish. So, if you think you're missing fish cause of the weedguard, you can always cut it off. Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onceahoosier 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2010 I've never had a problem with hook-ups with my weegaurds. The problem I've had is that I still snag too much vegitation even with a weeguard. My deer hair flies sit low in the water and its tough not to pick stuff when pulling them through cover. A slow retrieve minimizes the problem but its still tough for me to get a fly through algae and other growth with a natural, weed-free fly. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeremy Parker 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2010 I've never had a problem with hook-ups with my weegaurds. The problem I've had is that I still snag too much vegitation even with a weeguard. My deer hair flies sit low in the water and its tough not to pick stuff when pulling them through cover. A slow retrieve minimizes the problem but its still tough for me to get a fly through algae and other growth with a natural, weed-free fly. Tom If everyone told the truth even with weed guards you still pick up junk once and a while! You all forgot his second question?? yes stinger hooks work All my most popular streamer flies I have doubles of they have one regular one and one with a stinger tied in as part of the fly I use steel leader material on the stinger hook and flip the hook up always drop the size of the stinger hook! (ie. front hook #2 back hook #4). I've caught a lot of Great lake spring browns and steelhead on these flies . Minnows get up into the warm rocks and guess who is waiting The Lakers up in Great Bear Lake also like it!!! Blessings, Jeremy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites