wire weedguards - a primer

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Wrote this on another forum and thought that one or two here might be interested in how to armor your streamers with a wire weedguard when working tough cover areas....

 

Since my usual grounds are the backcountry of the Everglades - almost every fly I tie will have a weedguard if at all possible.  I was a commercial tyer for many years (had to quit it about four years ago - too busy guiding...) and needed a means of adding a weedguard that was just one more component in the tying process.  It had to be very effective as well.  I began using ordinary leader wire (Malin's stainless, coffee colored) and have been doing that for more than 35 years now.. For hooks, size #1 and larger I use #5 trolling wire, for smaller hooks -#4 wire.  Here's a pic or two - explanations to follow... 

 

 weedguards ready to tie with 

 

Swamp Rabbits completed - but still needing finish on the thread - the weedguard after the finishing process will be bent down into position, trimmed and receive a final small bend.


To start I cut the wires (doing six or more strands at a time) to be a bit longer than the overall hook dimensions I'm working with - then add a hairpin bend with a very small pair of needle nosed pliers (that bend is the tie-in point...). For conventional patterns (hook point down) the bent portion is tied it just behind the hook eye on the same side as the hook point.... For reverse tied flies, like clousers - the same thing - but with the hook in the vise point up.  I try to tie in every part of the pattern except the last 1/4" so that that wire isn't sticking straight out except at the end of the process... Once the bent portion (a bit under 1/8" of wire) is tied in place - the pattern is completed with that wire still sticking out (see second photo) - then the thread gets a touch of superglue to lock it in place (with that wire slightly bent away from the hookeye so no glue gets into it.. Once the thread is dry, the wire is bent down into it's final position, trimmed at the end with nippers so that it doesn't extend past the barb of the hook - then a final slight bend is added to allow the weedguard to function properly.. 

 

 

Note, without that bend being tied in place, the wire weedguard wouldn't be stable and in a fixed position at all - that's why the hairpin bend in the wire is important.. .

Hope this helps - and this is only the starting point...  I do three different kinds of wire weedguards - and used to teach it back when I did some teaching locally... all those years ago... The weedguard only has to move the fly away from anything it might snag on and you can actually lay a fly with one onto a tree branch or other tangle and slide it along smoothly until the fly is clear and drops into the water.  The guard can be defeated, though, if you jerk on the line (the way many do when their fly isn't where they want it...) and the sudden movement deflects the guard and allows the hookpoint to snag up... 

[SilverCreek 0]

Thank you for posting this.

Although I do not tie these flies, I'm sure others do and will find your post helpful.

[ksevigny 0]

Captain, could you show a pic of the hairpin tied in when it is ready for superglue?? 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Here's a few extra pics... 

This shows the weedguard tied into place as part of the tying sequence for a clouser style pattern.  I try to tie in as much of any pattern as possible before adding in the weedguard towards the end of the process (tying materials in after that weedguard is sticking straight out takes a bit of practice - and maybe a bandaid or two...).

The next two photos show the wing added - then the head whip finished into place - note that the weedguard has been raised slightly to keep any super glue from getting into the hookeye once you're done tying and need to lock everything into place... 

If this bug were part of an order for a shop the last step, after the Krazy Glue was dry - would be to add some finish on top of the thread to "pretty it up".  For my own purposes as a guide I'll be tying that fly onto my angler's leader as is...  Doubt the fish would ever notice... 

Once everything is finally dry the wire is bent into position, trimmed at the hook's barb - then a final slight bend at the tip end of the wire to allow it to smoothly slide along any snags, etc.

 

If you look closely at the wire in the final photo you'll see that sometimes you need a slight additional bend at the head of the fly if the head is large enough that it prevents you from bending it down into the proper position (a bit more than 1/16" directly above the hook point).

 

One other minor detail - occasionally,  in use,  the wire will get moved out of position - keep a close eye on it in use - if the wire isn't positioned properly either the fly won't be weedless - or the fish will refuse it... When everything is right - the fish don't seem to notice it ever... 

 

Hope this helps.  There are actually two additional styles of wire weedguard I use - but that will be a topic for another day... 

[ksevigny 0]

Thank you captain for the additional pics and info.  Can’t wait to hear about the other weedguard styles and other patterns that work well in Florida!!