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JJD

A great finish to the day!

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Well after a rough day at work I decided to take a walk around our community lake before the thunderstorms hit. I wanted to test out a variation of Tim Wolands baitfish pattern. http://www.realisticflytyer.com/viewtopic.php?t=39

 

I used a much thicker foam so that the pattern would be more of a topwater slider. I also tied the fly on an Owner Flyliner #2 hook (very sharp and very thick for future snook "tests" ). Wing was EP fibers colored with Pantone markers. "Gill" ball was dubbed synthetic "leftovers" from the desktop.

 

Fished on an intermediate line, it was a major hit with the bass. Since I used thicker foam, the fly had a wicked wiggle, not present in other versions that I tried. I caught so many bass I just stopped counting. The epoxy was significantly damaged after about 15 minutes.

 

It was probably just being at the right place at the right time ;) Bass were balling bait up against the shore and practically jumping out of the water to eat. I tried to get a movie of the carnage, but things calmed down whenever the camera came out of my pocket...

 

The fly...

IPB Image

 

Small bass...

IPB Image

 

Lost an eye...

IPB Image

 

Coming apart at the head - LOL

IPB Image

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Recipe -

Hook: Owner flyliner #2

"Gill": SLF (Synthetic Living Fibre) dubbed at the hook bend

Wing: White EP fibers with a few strans of crystal flash. Blue Pantone marker stripes.

Head: ~3/16" thick, white closed cell foam. Cut into heart-shape with a small notch for the hook eye. Solid doll eyes superglued in place covered with Devcon 5-Minute Epoxy. A small stripe of red nail polish on the bottom for looks.

 

Critique - the closed cell foam I used had great bouyancy, but may be a little too soft. Under repeated catches the fish were really starting to crack the epoxy. I think denser foam would probably work better for durability. The extra thick foam really gave nice action to the pattern.

 

So what do you think?

 

John

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I think that's awesome, and I'm glad you had such good luck with it.

 

I'll ponder a way to help out the epoxy... maybe thread wraps over the foam?

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Guest

Congrats! I like that slider and second steelies suggesstion of softex since it's already glued together.

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You know I've been trying to adapt a Crease Fly's water presence into someing bigger with more motion for a long time now.

 

I think this fly is just the ticket - thanks for sharing.

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You know I've been trying to adapt a Crease Fly's water presence into someing bigger with more motion for a long time now.

 

I think this fly is just the ticket - thanks for sharing.

 

Ooooooo... good thinking.

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The fly is nearly bulletproof when using the 2mm closed-cell foam and epoxy. But on the heavier hooks that I use, you don't have the bouyancy. At this end of FL you really need the heavier hooks because a few of the places that I bass fish also hide cruising snook and baby tarpon.

 

 

 

I just remembered where I got the foam for this fly - a gasket on a 5-gallon Culligan water bottle. That's why it was so soft - LOL

 

Here's a bigger version of the fly tied on a 5/0 (Mustad 254). My offshore trip got cancelled at the last minute so the jury is still out on this one.

 

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I had a similar day on the James River. The best fly was a pattern I tied that is a Bob Clouser topwater pattern, the Clouser floating minnow, similar to yours. Great pattern when bass are busting bait.

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