agn54

HAHA! this is my new mantra on weed guards

For what its worth, if I were to use colored thread for the head I would go with pink rather than red in clear water since that subtle contrast can be real effective. I have noticed mullet and other types of baitfish get pink noses in the bait well so it does look more natural. I don't know if this happens because they are stressed or they keep smacking into the well walls, but it was something I have noticed over the years but never really made much of it. Lefty Kreh loves pink heads on a lot of his flies for the salt

Looks like a basic hi/lo tie with buck tail. I do something similar for a mojarra or whitebait imitation. Very effective fly, especially in clear water or along a sandy bottom but would probably work in most inshore areas, like a buck tail jig does.

Great flies Salty and a great find! I remember reading about Kanekalon awhile back, it may have been from Eastern Fly or maybe somewhere else, but it seems like a nice fiber to tie with based on the great flies I've sen with it. Is it more similar to EP or Flash Blend/Slinky Fiber?

The fiber looks nice, is that craft fur? Yes, it's all craft fur tied mostly reverse style except the tail and head portions.

Adjust the colors and this could match the hatch enough to work.

Nicely done on this one. For two colored gurglers I usually glue the two foam strips together before tying them in. Don't know if it makes a difference. I also trim the front lip a bit smaller which makes it cast easier. That big lip of foam can act like a sail in the wind. On the other hand, I suppose it does make a bigger splash when popped if that's what you are looking for.

Got mine today, very nice set! jjs89yj, Did you color the tips of those hackles you used for claws? They're pretty awesome looking

One thing I would add is when fishing mangrove areas, reading the shorelines can be tricky since much of it will look the same to the someone not familiar with the area. For mangrove lines, look for tree lines broken up by creeks running out, pockets and coves, and points rather than just straight lines banks. When casting try to hit as deep as you can in those pockets and cast up current of, or across, points which are ambush spots, rather than just landing at the point. Also, if you find an area of mangroves with an adjacent oyster bars out in the open or off the points, fish those areas hard, both towards the trees and out in the open towards the bars, this is a great combination. Same goes for mangroves with adjacent grass flats. Also, look for current rather than stagnant water, although you can catch fish in still water too. Mangroves with somewhat deeper water and drop-offs tend to be better but I have hooked some really big snook in very shallow water near tree lines, mean water barely deep enough cover their backs, so you will be surprised where fish can sometimes be found. Hooking a big snook in a very narrow creek is one of the greatest experiences you will find, but good luck landing them! Also when fishing mangroves, mind the tides since when the water gets too high the fish will often be way up under the trees and out of reach of anything you throw at them (mangroves can have deep water well beyond the edge you will be casting at). For flies, I would add bend backs to the list since they pop out of the bushes nicely. If you land in the trees (and you will, if you don't occasionally get hung up then you aren't getting close enough!) avoid the urge to rip the fly out but try to flick it out if you aren't hung too bad and let the fly drop right down. If you pull this off, your fly will be in the prime zone right next to the roots.

Thanks guys, I'll just have to go try them out and see if I notice a difference. Mike, that's pretty interesting about the slight difference on sound, not something I would have thought of.

Very cool flies! Do you use any particular grade of sandpaper for hand sanding them? Also, I have never actually fished a cork popper. Do they sit any differently (a bit higher or lower) in the water than hard or soft foam? Have you noticed it they heavier or lighter to cast than foam?

Yup thats pretty much it. Great beer that comes wth fly tying materials!

It's a cork from a bottle of Belgian ale, looks kind of like a champagne cork only smaller. Poopdeck, thanks for the tip on the hacksaw blade. I was using a box cutter blade that wasn't working very well but got the job done eventually. Bimini that's a great idea about the needle.

My first attempt at shaping a cork from a beer bottle. It sure ain't the most beautiful fly but hopefully it works. I don't have a dremel so I used an electric nail file for dogs that got the job done well enough. Any advice anyone can offer on how to shape these would be greatly appreciated, particularly on what shape or size to cut the cork down to before sanding.

Dave, hopefully you get the chance to come over here one day and sample the waters. I know firsthand from swaps that your flies work well over here

It really depends on which part of the state, you are in, where you are fishing (backcountry, flats, bridges, passes, offshore, etc., and then there is freshwater too).When you fish here you see why they call this state the fishing capital of the world, there really are a ton of different ways to fish and a ton of different species to target. Some species like snook are only found in the southern half of the state, though with rising water temperatures they are becoming more common as far north as Jacksonville near the boarder with Georgia, and as far as Crystal River on the west coast. Others like bonefish and permit also are confined to the southern portions, especially bonefish which are seldom found on the west coast at all and rarely north of Palm Beach on the east coast. Your flies will vary as much as the species, from big palm sized baitfish patterns to small crabs, shrimp and glass minnows. You really want to know what they forage on in that area rather than just using the "big bait = big fish" logic. You can catch some really big fish on small baits. I once jumped about a 6 ft tarpon on a 2 inch shrimp jig to give an example. This means you will also get the occasional surprise when catching small to moderate site fish when you nearly have the rod yanked out of your hands and have to pray not to get spooled. It's one of the things I love about the salt here, you never know what you will catch. Where I fish in the northern part of the state, I usually target redfish and speckled trout, but on the flats you run into all sorts of other species like cobia, tarpon, pompano, jack, ladyfish, bluefish, mackerel, flounder, and sharks. I am lucky enough that I also get to fish the central part of the state on both coasts a lot where snook are plentiful. I know this is vague and doesn't really answer your question but the answer is really too broad to give for the whole state. It's also why I don't exclusively fly fish, there are just too many ways to fish here that I enjoy to limit myself to just one.

Adam, I love the ostrich collars you tie. I will have to steal some of your ideas and adapt them for the salt

Outstanding video. It's a simple fly but you do an excellent job of explaining how to work with the materials. I agree on it's effectiveness. This, along with a craft fur minnow (tied differently but with a similar profile), are my safety net flies. When Im getting skunked I tie one on. If I still don't get anything, then I know the fish just ain't biting that day, that or I'm in the wrong place

Great job on the video and a very nice fly. Excellent camera work. When you film it this way, I assume you place the camera on a small tripod in front of you? Do you find it awkward having to reach around the camera to tie the fly? I would bet this fly would also go well with a pair of lead or bead chain eyes to if you wanted one to seem a bit deeper. As for the fouling question, I don't think you would have any problems with fouling here since the tail is short. A longer tail then yes you would probably want to add a a foul guard. Personally I prefer to use a small clump of ducktail under the rabbit strip rather than a mono loop but thats just personal preference.

He does have some really nice looking furs on there

Obviously for natural materials only, but you'd have a healthy supply

That is a work of art! No way I'd dunk that thing in the water

"The zonker drives the fish nuts, it really does the job for you. Just cast it at a fish, twitch it and set the hook. It works 99% of the time!" ​This hardly addresses any of the things I raised. If you mean your video to be instructional, which I can only assume that is what you are gong for, then you need to add more information. This is especially so for a youtube video like this, one on a fly that already has a better, more informative video on the exact same fly on youtube. Your video would be OK (still not great) if it was for a fly you designed yourself (assuming the fly was actually tested and proven to work), but since it is not, and If you want your video to be relevant, then you need to add as much helpful information as possible. The reason guys like Hans Weilenmann and Davie McPhail make awesome videos isn't just because they tie awesome flies and have great camera work, its because they actually explain their techniques and why they do things the way they do. If your ultimate goal is to help people learn to tie a fly and learn about technique, then you should strive to emulate the guys who do it best. If your goal is simply to tell the world "look what I can do", which seems to be the aim of a lot of youtube videos these days, then disregard anything I have said and keep doing what your doing.

Nice fly and a good clear video. My suggestion would be to include more details and explanations since you presumably mean this to be instructional. Give the length of the tail in proportion to the fly (ex. 2 shank lengths, etc). this will help others who wish to tie it in different sizes make their adjustments accordingly. If the tail length doesn't matter or is up to the preference of the tyer, say so. Like the video posted above, the tyer offers a good explanation on why the tail is tied down the bend. One other thing I would add, that is missing from most tying videos, is if there is a way you prefer to fish it. Is it best to bounce this on the bottom to create mud puffs, keep it moving and dancing above the grass tops? Do you prefer short quick strips, long smooth strips, rapid two handed stripping, etc. Is there a reason to tie the eyes so close to the hook eye as opposed to further back like a clouser? Obviously this changes the action of the fly a bit, is this what you want or is this essential to the fly behaving properly? If so, why or how does this make the fly effective?The more information you can give about the fly and how it you prefer to fish it, the more helpful and instructive it will be. Another thing some the more experienced tyers often do that is helpful is mention possible substitutions for materials.

Mason's Hard Mono 30lb