Tying in a Wire Weedguard

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Hey guys,

 

I am trying to figure out how to tie a single prong wire weedguard for some backcountry flies. How do I do this? I have tried a bunch and it never works!

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Like this...

 

[mikechell 0]

Flats, weed guards always look ... weird ... when I tie them on my flies. You're probably not doing anything wrong, they just don't look "normal".

Do you have pictures of any of the attempts that don't look good to you? It always helps the experts (not me) to critique when they can see what's off.

[DavidR 0]

Why use wire weed guard, in my experience whilst they work very well they are not very resilient....like one or two fish and they are done.

 

I find mono loops or mono "prongs" last longer. I don't like mono loops too much either cause I found they can be too stiff and prevent hook set.

[Flat Rock native 0]

Capt Bob LeMay has given out some of best weed-guard information I have read, maybe follow his advice. I mostly avoid them if I can. Because even fishing the salad, we mostly have clean, clear conditions in the still water, that I mostly ply; and they can put the fish off.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Mike, im not talking about weird, im talking about them just coming off or not bending to the hook or how exactly to tie them, I just have no idea how to go about it...

 

David, these weedguards are for the backcountry, where the water is very stained and dirty, and I picked Brown, so it would blend right in, that wont be a problem. I disagree, respectively, about their durability. Spending a day with Capt Bob, all the flies we used had the wire guard. I routinely threw my flies up into the dense mangrove jungle, but I brought it out, and kept on fishing. Every once in a while, I would check it and if it was up then I would bend it down, simple...

 

I just need to know how to tie it in

[josephcsylvia 0]

This should help

[tidewaterfly 0]

That type needs to be tied in first, keeping the wire prong bent away so you can tie around it, then tie the rest of the fly. It's not easy to tie like that however. See Joe's post!

 

Afterwards, bend the wire in to the position you want. If you want to tie the wire on after the rest of the fly in completed, you need to keep room in the head area for the wire. Otherwise, the heads going to be over sized & the wire may not be secured very well.

 

 

I still use wire guards, sometimes that single type & sometimes the type that folds over the hook point. I agree with Davidr about the mono type, I prefer the two prong, but it depends on what type of snags I intend to throw the fly in.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Ohhh ok, yeah that makes sense. Kinda like how you tie in a loop guard for bass flies...

 

I think I have it figured out, man this is harder than I thought lol

 

Ill post a pic whenever I get around to this, busy school week ahead

[utyer 0]

Capt Bob LeMay, did a little article about wire weed guards a while back. The trick that he showed was to first bend about 1/8th of an inch of the wire back on itself. Then cut them slightly longer than you need. Tie in the end that is doubled back, which will give you a firmer tie in that doesn't roll around. You can tie them in first, and leave the long end pointing out over the hook eye. When your done, bend the wire back toward the bend, and cut off just where the wire comes to the barb.

 

I use a 44# wire, which seems to work fine.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

The link I click takes me to some random traveling tips thing..

[Cold 0]

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