richmce 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 i tied a few thundercreek flies using all satin material. i also added some foam to make the head larger and float possibly. most instructions called for a 4xl hook,mine was size 4. this fly worked great,looked great and got hit hard. only problem was the bass mostly 12-15inches took the fly deeply. even with barbless most were hooked in the gill section..so i stopped using them.. any suggestions richmce Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 Thin hemostats. When they're hooked deep in the gills, you CAN get the hook out without much damage. Holding the mouth open to see and to flare the gills, see the fly and which way the hook faces. Reach up from through the gill plate, grab the hook by the eye and gently pull it to reverse the hooks position. Then you can reach in through the mouth and grab the hook bend with the hemostats and pull the hook right out without much effort or damage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vicente 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 Using a wide gap hook helps a lot, I like the b10s except for the price they're my ideal bass hook, there are lots of similar ones out there for less money though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 I tie buck tail teasers which are basically a Thundercreek without using thread to make the head. I wouldn't use a 4 xl to tie either. A stinger hook or something like a Gamakatsu SC 15. There are a lot of decent bass hooks out there. I think 4 xl goes back to olden days when streamers were tied on long hooks. I agree with vicente on the wide gap. You also tie them on larger hook. For bass I usually start at size 1 and go up from there. The only time I had a fish take a lure that ended up in the gills was a pike that ate a 5 inch lure with treble hooks. I took back to the lodge and they cleaned it for me after a bit of an argument since it was above size that they preferred you to release rather than keep. I've never had to use the method Mike described. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve sparkie 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 Hi use a standard lure hook and tie a booby nymph with a sinking line the leader is 2-3Ft long this method is deadly for bigger fish hope this helps Kind regards Steve 😉 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mvendon 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 It sounds like you are just waiting a little too long to set the hook. The hook length or type of fly shouldn't have anything to do with a deep hook set. Make sure that you don't have much, if any slack line out so you can see or feel the take right away. You should be pleased as punch that your fly is working as well as it is. Regards, Mark Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richmce 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 it wasnt timing as i saw the fish hit and get hooked and go airbourne 10 ft in front of me. i will try a stinger and being thinner may float higher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2020 4 hours ago, mvendon said: It sounds like you are just waiting a little too long to set the hook. Regards, Mark I don't know what fish you're referring to, Mark. Bass inhale prey and blow the water out through the gills. A small fly can be pulled in the mouth and expelled through the gills in a fraction of a second. It doesn't matter how quickly you react, they're gill hooked. Maybe trout "lip" the fly before taking it in, but bass don't give you that time. On the other hand, they CAN "lip" a lure ... many times requiring that you wait until they've fully inhaled it. Setting the hook too soon means a miss. The video shows both situation with soft plastic lures. With smaller lures and flies, the quick inhale is more frequent. 2:41 ... 3:54 ... 7:21 ... etc. Pretty neat video. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2020 tie them on smaller hooks (4xl is not always necessary) size 10 tied with schlappen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites