Do you add a weed guard to your Craw flies?

[Shmang 0]

Hey all I have a quick  question for you:  Do you add a weed guard to your Craw flies?   

I have been trying a batch of lead eye craws lately and while they are not super difficult to create they take 10-15  minutes each for me to knock one out.  I have a mini Smallie trip this weekend and I got to thinking that  I better add a rock/weed guard since these  will be bouncing around on  the bottom for  the most  part.  When I go online  almost none of the craw patterns feature any snag protection.

I pour a small plastic craw  imitation for the spinning rod and ONLY fish it on a weedless hook. I use a tiny piece  of 40 ln mono - it is stiff enough to walk through rocks and wood but flexes on the hook set.   I thought I might try that for my flies.

What say you?

 

[The Mad Duck 0]

If I am going to be fishing a coastal river where there is a lot of different grasses, yes. If I'm fishing a mountain river in NC no, Not so much grass to contend with.

[Poopdeck 0]

I don't fish weed guards on anything under any circumstance or condition. No reason, I just don't and never have. I don't worry or sweat losing tackle when it's cheap to produce and I've got plenty of time and material to tie more if needed. I look at like the more I lose the more I lower my tying start up costs so with each one I lose I'm making the next one for less cost then the previous. At least that's what I've convinced my wife of. 

[steve sparkie 0]

Hi tie your flies hook point up and tie your lead eye's underneath the other alternative to weighting the fly is to use flat lead on the fly to fish hook point up then dress it with some of the rubber legs around the hook bend another way is to use an unweighted fly dressed on a heavy hook hope this helps weed guards tend to reduce your hook up success

Kind regards Steve 😉 

[Philly 0]

I don't use weed guards on my crayfish patterns, most of the streams I fish are rocky.  Really don't use them on any of warm water or salt water patterns.  I either use a jig hook or if I use a standard hook some type of weight tied on the side or top of the shank so the fly rides hook up.  The last couple I've tied I've use large rattles to add some sound to the pattern and give the illusion of a tail.

[mikechell 0]

I don't use big, heavy flies very often.  When I do, I'm fishing for Largemouth Bass.  I'm pulling the fly through lily pads or lay-downs/submerged timber.  I use wire weed guards to make the fly a little less snag-able.  I get Poopdeck's lack of concern over losing inexpensive flies ... but some of the places I drag through, I'd be tying a new fly on every cast, without weed guards.

[Shmang 0]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts - it is appreciated.  I am with Mikechell - I am going to add them or it will be a knot tying event  as the stream is rocky with some deeper 8 ft holes.   I  know I will be donating a few to the stream bottom but if I can get 3-4 fish per fly before losing it I will be content.

My hope  is that I can get the fish to  chase the craw fly like the conventional  gear guys do a swim jig. That would eliminate the bottom hopping  / snagging.  

I  will report back on  Monday.............

[Shmang 0]

Trip recap:

The fishing was great this weekend.  I was able to catch seven species on the craw pattern over two days: Smallmouth, Largemouth, Spotted Bass, Sunfish, White Bass, Drum, and Rock Bass.  The primary catch was Smallies and Rock Bass.  Nothing over 17 inches but a dozen or more between 13 to 16 inches which is relatively strong for this water as usually you encounter maybe two in that range per trip. Numbers wise I had two great days with over 35 fish each day.  Keep in mind some of the Rock Bass and Sunfish were little ones, but 

On the weed guard question it was a no brainer: a weed guard is a must for this water.  Without a snag deterrent I could not fish the fly effectively or efficiently - it was a constant being hung up situation.  I caught fish wiithout the snag guard but that was the exception as I was too busy wading out to get unbuttoned.  

When I switched to a craw pattern with a weedguard it went from "fishing" to "catching" .  In one eddy area off a current seam (about the size of  two pick up trucks) I managed 5 Rock Bass and 3 Smallies in a dozen casts.  I was able to slowly fish the craw with slow hops, long pauses, in a lift and drop presentation.  It was money as the fish really were in tune with it and crushed it before it got in to the current. I could focus on the retrieve instread of trying to NOT get snagged. I stayed with that pattern the rest of the weekend and had suceess in all water types.

For my weedguard I used about a one inch piece of 40 Lb mono.  It was plenty stiff to maneauver through the substrate but did not signifigantly cause hooking woes.  I did lose some fish but I think it may have had more to do to the size of the fish being smaller rather than the weedguard blocking the barb.

I appreciate everyone's input and suggestions.  For me this was a good learning exercise and I learned alot - but more importantly I caught alot.

Take care

[mikechell 0]

Nice report!  Well done on the fly tying, selection, use and success at catching fish !!!  

[Mark Knapp 0]

Very nice, thanks for the results.

[TheCream 0]

I don't. I lose some, cost of doing business on the bottom. Paying the tax. One bit of advice I didn't see here, if you do fish without a weed guard and fish rocky areas, invest in a small hook file. Hook it to your pack on a zinger and keep it handy. Check your hook point often. A few "half snags" and I typically find a damaged hook point. A few quick passes on a notched hook file and you're good as new.