Critique this Muddler

[J-Kno 0]

Thanks for sharing that Bruce!

[#1 Troutfisherman 0]

Nice fly….. it should will work good .

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

The Muddler (in all its variations) translates very well into the salt. We've taken quite a few small tarpon and not so small snook on Muddlers tied as small as a #4 all the way up to a #1... The ones we prefer are in darker colors and fall somewhere between floating and slow sinking. For the salt a standard Mustad 34007 hook is a good starting point -wings are usually maribou. Most of the ones that I tie come with a wire weedguard for working really closely around mangrove roots in the Everglades.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Has anyone ever tied a hook up muddler? It would work well through grass I imagine.

[flytire 0]

why not tie one up and post it?

[Bugsy 0]

Has anyone ever tied a hook up muddler? It would work well through grass I imagine.

Many times, I'm certain. John Gierach wrote of his take on an inverted "weedless" muddler he called the Bucktail Muddler in his book Fly Fishing Small Streams.

[tidewaterfly 0]

I recall an inverted Muddler style fly that was produced commercially. I don't remember where I saw it or who produced it. Thinking it was a saltwater fly, but could have been a bass fly. Might have even been a Bendback type. Wasn't the "classic" Muddler, but a variation on similar ideas. Possibly could have seen it in an Orvis catalog but not sure.

 

I agree with flytire. Fisherboy you should give it a try & see what you come up with!

[ditz2 0]

Capt. Bob.....You have always been very gracious and selfless in posting pics of your flies. I Don't remember ever seeing one of your salty Muddlers. Would you mind posting a pic of one?

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I'll see what I can do - most of mine only last long enough to get shredded - and I never got any orders for them from any of the shops I tied for so I never put up any masters.... It was noted above that muddlers with inverted hooks are another variation. At one time they were quite popular for redfish down in Florida Bay south of the Everglades. Most of the ones I'm familiar with were done up on 1/0 or 2/0 hooks... usually with natural deer hair heads and a maribou and grizzly tail (two grizzly neck hackles with maribou around them).

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

We're in luck - while cleaning up my gear this morning I found that I do have a few samples of both the maribou muddler and some inverted muddlers. These past four days on the water I've come home with wet feet every day (and you can imagine how badly in need of drying out everything else is....) so this is a regular routine during the wet season (probably should be called the monsoon...). I've never found a skiff that is truly water-proof so you learn to live with it...

 

At any rate the inverted muddlers range from a #1 all the way up to a 2/0 size in various colors. The ones on the left have been fished at least once the ones on the right look un-used... The maribou muddler is usually tied up a bit smaller -this sample appears to be done on a #1 hook... The inverted muddlers are pretty much foul-proof in any environment. The conventional (if anything used in the salt qualifies...) muddler needs that wire weedguard where we fish them - up into mangrove tangles and around downed trees.

[ditz2 0]

Thanks for posting Cpt. Bob.

[retrocarp 0]

A couple of variations I tied recently