sparkleminnow

Here's the bottom view...

Here's one that I tie. It's a sz 6.

Yea, the black light color works well for salmon. Not bad on smallmouth either. I don't like to use wire to form the loop as the wire will corrode, and look crappy. Then there is the problem that the wire shows through the body material. The fish might not care........maybe, but I do. Nothing wrong with the mono thread. Like anything else, you just have to get used to it.

Yea, it's actually a white/striper hybrid=wiper. They look so much like whites, though, that the IDNR has to send lots of them to the state biologists to verify if it's a hybrid or a pure white for those who think they might have a record white. Pure striper are more elongated like a torpedo. Hybrids are shaped just like a white bass, but get about 4 times larger. The unfortunate thing is the number of them that get taken out as whites. The limit on whites is 10, while the limit for wipers/stripers is three. (in Illinois)

Will, I think the world record for white bass is actually over 6lbs. I catch them up to 4lbs quite often.

Hey Jarod, are your whites as big as ours?

Actually, chartreuse is not the best color, here. While they will take chartreuse, firetiger is better with all white, pearl, and silver over white being best. Dark yellow is good on overcast days, too.

I know the company to which you refer. I've heard about this for a few years, now. I don't think they can sue Mazda for have a "True Rotary" engine, so....Anyway, I think that as long as you are referring to recommending a "True Rotary" vise as the best option to tie with that it would only help them, not hurt them. It might be an idea to contact them directly, and tell them what you are planning to do. You might be given written permission to go forward with what you are planning without any trouble. If not, then you are that much farther ahead at knowing that they intend to try to stop you. Better to find out before hand if they do plan to take leagal action.

Bob Clouser & Lefty Kreh tying video instructions on tying a bugger use a similar method to what Al wrote about. The difference is that they use two strands of chenille on either side of the feather. Twist them the same as described for the peack bugger, and wrap the same way. The benefit of this method is that it is much stronger than the traditional tie, and still looks great. I have tried it both ways, and I can say that the bugger tied the Clouser/Kreh way will last 5 times longer under the same use.

At first sight I thought that it was a saltwater pattern. I have to believe that it would work great in the salt. I think that it has potential, in crayfish colors, to work well for bass too. Excellent job!

I find that when bass are on to dragonflies, they aren't too pickey. When the bass are jumping out of the water trying to catch them in flight, they can be fooled by anything of the same size, shape, and color. I would just about guarantee that you will have to catch bass on it. When summer makes the water low & clear, dragonfly patterns are great.

This will "walk-the-dog" for you if you leave the prop off. You will have to fiddle with the body shape, and weight on the tail to get the desired action.

I learned, through the years, that the type of water you are fishing can make a really big difference as to what bluegill want. I fished a large pond that was very clear. The best patterns, for me at this location, are a sz6 yellow woolly worm, sz 12 tan elk hair caddis, soft hackle hare's ear(the regular hare's ear nymph did not work well, at all), a tan caddis larva(woks well early in the year), a tan scud, Royal Wulff dry fly(works really well, but they shred it pretty quick). I also had good success with a caddis larva tied with Pearl green & olive Lite brite. Just taper the body like you would on a regular caddis larva. A modified caddis was super effective for me. It had a flourescent orange body with dark brown hair wing. Smaller than sz 12, and the bluegill will swallow it. Larger than a sz 10, and you will miss more fish....as they seem to not be able to get it easily into their mouths.

I never had much luck with the Bully flies at this pond.

In dirtier water, I found poppers to better. It is interesting to note that I have had very little success with poppers in clear water.

Wickedcarpenter,

You mentioned Chris Helm's shop. I'll bet he suggested the Angel Hair in the dubbing loop. I told him what I was doing with it a few years ago. I get my Black Light Angel Hair from him. Quite a few colors, actually. Is there something you fish for, in particular? Carry a few of the Pearl Gold, in 4,6, and 8. They catch virtually anything that swims. Here's my best fall smallie color....

No doubt the Tarnex will make them shine, again, but I would rather keep the smell of that stuff off of my flies. If you use Spirit River Gold beads they are coated with real gold, not polished brass. They will keep their luster far longer than any other bead. I can't help you with the ones already tarnished.

BTW, this is for atroutbum. How do you get multiple pictures on the same posting?

The finished product...

This is how the loop looks when you spin it up. You don't want too much material in the loop, as it will look clumpy, not to mention wasting material.

You want to wrap this over an underbody of the same material. The underbody helps cover the hook, and lead and gives you a smooth, even base to wrap on.

The last pic was the material layed out in a row. This pic is of how you grasp the material to insert into a 10" mono dubbing loop.

This is an onld pic, but it conveys the idea. I think I'll have to do this in a series of postings.

Well, for one thing, find your nearest trash can...deposit the clip! I don't use, or need it. What are you trying to tie, specifically? You said streamer. Are you trying to tie something like my sparkleminnow? If so I can send you the tying instructions. What you are asking about sounds exactly like what I do with my pattern. The step involving the dubbing loop is rather involved to explain. It's simple enough to actually do, but takes a long time to explain. I'm going to work on scanning pics of the tying steps to my computer tonight.

Nope, it's Angel Hair (or Lite Brite) in a dubbing loop. Spin it, then wrap it to the front. You DON'T tie off with the bobbin. You tie off with the dubbing loop, itself.

The idea is that it's way softer than ice chenille, cactus chenille, Estaz, etc. More motion to it such as you would expect between marabou and bucktail. There is also the benefit of a much wider array of colors to choose from.

I don't have a picture of the shrimp pink, right now, but here's one that is pink (cerise, actually)

Been doing something similar for 10 years, now.

Hey, Ken. You know me from the ISA. I happen to use that same Clouser on smallies in May. I have some that are tied up, right now, but I don't have pics of any at the momonet. I guess it will be a matter of whick of us gets the photo posted first. I had planned on donating flie sfor the blowout, but I just took a new job, and I've been kinda busy.

Sounds, to me, like you need an olive rabbit strip streamer. Just attach a rabbit zonker strip to a hook with a mono weed guard, and give it a try.

I guess not many have caught these. If they did they would probably list them as their favorite. I have witnessed guys having their rods ripped out of their hands and into the water, never to be seen again. The take can be that violent. When you find them in concentration, they can be as obliging as bluegill, more powerful than a great many species, fight to the death...almost, and take flies as readily as a bluegill or trout. These three were my legal limit for the day, but I caught 24 others, of similar size, that same morning! These three are 12lb, 11lb, and 12lb. For phisical reference, the reel is a Tibor Riptide that is 4" wide.