robow7

Craft fur within a dubbing loop, baitfish pattern. Tied on a Gamy Octopus 1/0 hook.

Thank you gillage. That's the article. Now I can't vouch for the results but maybe something worth investigating.

I once read an article by Fox Statler, an Arkansas fishing guide, who showed how a nymph could be made to ride side up or down depending on how you tied it on. He used a loop knot that went through the eye of the hook and then wrapped around the eye in a specific orientation (difficult to explain). Maybe someone can dig up that article with photos as I'm having difficulty finding it but the photo below gives somewhat the idea for it. Fox was an outstanding fisherman known for his sow bug and scud patterns but sometimes his strong opinions were difficult to discern from the facts.

Many years ago, Zonker patterns were all the rage for smallmouth bass fishing. They were a HOT item but then fly pattern fads can be fickle and now you rarely hear about them, but of course they can still be very effective.

Yes, in that the upward point angles away slightly from the downward shaft. This particular hook above is very strong and stiff due to the heavier wire used and wondered if that might impair penetration vs. a thinner gauge hook ? Or do others pay any attention to that other than say Capt. Bob who targets larger than average fish.

Has anyone ever used Octopus hooks for larger streamer or baitfish patterns ? Just wondered if there were any pros or cons of this design and were hook ups decent ? I've been tying up some larger Hollow Flies for bass and wondered if these might work well since I need a shorter shaft but wide gap hook (and Gamakatsu Octopus hooks are readily available around me) As always, thank you for your input.

How about a Royal Wolf ?

I saw this youtube video on the subject of tungsten beads recently and it might give you some food for thought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocflyEmdHKk&ab_channel=EricLeslie

Also, though I've never used them, Tube flies generally have their single hook at the most posterior portion of the fly and not near the head, so I'm presuming it works.

Do you mean by placing mask on and then starting thread and really over wrapping in front of the mask and just behind hook eye ? I didn't know if the mask would rotate and not stay in proper orientation ?

Easternfly, off topic I know, but are those Fish Mask fish skulls reusable or shall I say usable without using epoxy to stay attached to the head of the fly ? Thanks

Also in favor of Byron's suggestions, but if I had to choose, I would select the rear hook. I'm not a trout streamer kind of guy but I've fished smallies for almost 40 years and I very often get to see the takes and most of the time they will follow up from the rear and inhale the fly from behind, they don't aim for the head like so many think. It makes sense because the baitfish can't see what's coming directly from behind like they can in their temporal periphery. Now in fast water when the fly is really moving and passes by a rock where ole Mr. Smallie is laying in wait, of course he'll just jump out there and crash it without thought to direction of attack. I've too often witnessed smallies coming up and sipping in a long streamer from behind but not fully and the hook and forward portion of the fly is hanging out of his mouth just before he says "nah" and spits it out. This happens frequently if the fish are wary and/or the bite is not strong and they're not in an all out feeding mode. Just my observations and they might not relate to trout at all.

I wasn't complaining as much as I was seeking a solution to the problem. I'm sorry I didn't realize this had been an ongoing issue and had been discussed before. Yes, I will continue to use the work around.

It's funny, one of my laptops works fine but the other one doesn't play well with those page numbers and they're set up identically.

Can someone please tell me why when I click on a page number, the new page won't come up ? Strange but when I'm on the thread page, I can select a page number from that page and bring it up but when I am on that actual thread, the multiple page numbers won't work. I've never had this before and am not experiencing this on any other website. I should also state that the "Next page" button is no longer functional along with the other carrots. Thanks

Mustad Heritage C61S Streamer Fly Hook

Though I'm not partial to a specific brand, if you go through my collection of hooks, you'll find mostly Mustad, Daiichi, and Gamy in that order. Btw, I just discovered Mustads new Heritage series with their new Titan finish and alpha point, and they have a hook that matches up exactly with the same size and shape as my commonly used Gamy B10s but of course for less money. Seems like a really nice sharp hook but won't get a chance to set it into a smallie's jaw until spring.

I saw him just a few years ago over at the Indianapolis Fly Fishing Show. He was tying his Red Fox Squirrel Nymph and frankly I was surprised at how few people were there to watch his seminar. A lot of younger kids got up and walked out and I wondered if they knew how much this man had contributed to the sport over his lifetime. Anyway, it was nice to chat with him and his wife over at their booth where he was displaying his artwork .

There used to be some great Fly Fishing shows in the Chicago land area, but that was many many years ago. They kept raising the booth price to the vendors, the local union restrictions were overblown, and the hotel rates went astronomical, hence many of the vendors couldn't sell enough product to break even. It was wonderful when all the major vendors showed up because you could actually put your hands on that new rod, reel, or fly tying vise (how I came to buy my Regal vise 25 years ago) . Also it was so nice to actually meet those fellows who gave seminars, whom you had read their published books and articles for so very long, ahhh the good old days, ha.

Having built rods for well over 20 years, you might guess that I would own more than a few and you would be correct. That being said, currently I'm enjoying a certain 8ft 5wt fairly fast glass rod for much of my warm water fishing. But when heading out after larger smallies, my go to is a high modulus very fast, lightweight graphite, 9ft either in a 5 or 6 weight depending on conditions, built on an MHX blank.

Forever known as the Devo Loop

Now I don't know that this would work for the Captain as I have never landed a fish larger than 30 lbs using this loop but it has never broken on me. Eventually the fly line beneath may split or hinge but if the line is still in good shape, just cut and tie again.

Alright then, after a near unanimous vote of no confidence in the loop above holding up in the long term, I have cut it off and created a loop using my old tried and true method of wrapping the loop with Kevlar tying thread, whip finishing and coating lightly with a thin layer of super glue. The reason I don’t use a perfection loop or something similar is that this small loop passes through the guides and tip top much more easily than any knot.

I like a small loop at the end of my fly line in which I attach my leaders and in the past I created mine by forming a loop and wrapping with kevlar thread and overlaying a tiny thin coat of super glue. I've done this for countless years and they have never failed me but...... I wondered if I could simplify my loop by using only a small amount of UV glue to keep the tag ends together. I tied on a 40 lb piece of mono and pulled my hardest and could not pull the loop out but I'm wondering about durability, what do you think, will this hold up to actual fishing.

Supposedly free shipping on all US orders. I have no affiliation with this shop and have never even ordered from them before but just saw this recently. Please let me know what kind of service you may have received if you have ordered from them in the past. Thanks. https://olefloridaflyshop.com/