Propellor Flies?

[niveker 0]

5 hours ago, Joe A said:

This is what I made

That looks good, Joe.  Have you actually fished it, or just swished it in around in some water?  I'm thinking the prop and line might interfere with each other if the current or retrieve is too fast.  I have a couple of envelopes of some old Herter's propellers somewhere.  I'm thinking I may search 'em out and put 'em in  front of a few woolly worms or buggers for spring lake-shore fishing.  

[Philly 0]

Here's a couple of prop flies I've tied up

They do work.

[flymanaj 0]

A little disheveled from being in an over crowded streamer box but here ya go. Works really well for bass and redeye.

[Joe A 0]

Niveker:

Only in the sink so far.. took a couple try’s but u need to use the correct size bead such that the bead is at least 2 bead widths ahead of the jig hook eye to get the right angle and have the fly track correctly .

 

the issue I have with pistol Pete flys is the hit to land ratio is 50%
 

Dr Vette recommended the small prop and smallest bead to get the job done.

i wanted to see the effect of changing hook to point up to get an upper lip hook set .

This can only be tied as a leech. Hackle is too intrusive.

i also have a couple pistol Pete’s  tied on size 6 daiichi Aberdeen’s with a 2mm bead and small prop.

when i first tried float n fly fishing I tied up some Dick Empe’s Deadly shiners... same deal poor hookup ratio.

[niveker 0]

8 hours ago, Joe A said:

poor hookup ratio

Maybe shorten the tails?  Not sure as I haven't fished them.  I guess you'll find out with  that leech pattern.  Looks like a fun change of tying pace, though. 

Good idea there, @Philly, maybe put one on a Clouser.    

[Joe A 0]

Niveker: I have put little red tags on them like a wooley worm....a little better but still miss alot. I figure maybe hook point it will "Flip The Script" at least its a radical departure from the original pattern. Only hack is I cant tie this as a Wooley Bugger on a leech. The hackle  messes it all up.

 

BTW I first was turned onto the Pistol Pete n Bubble technique when I attended my nephews destination wedding in Golden CO. Well on Mount Evans there is a gorgeous lake @ 10,000 ft above sea level called Echo Lake....Stocked with  Gorgeous trout. I came upon a gentleman fishing. He caught and released a 15 inch Bow claiming he only keeps trout 20" or better. He had the whole setup...8 ft St Croix UL rod, Rig complete with casting bubble and pistol pete fly.

I asked if he caught any others?..."Yep this is my 20th fish so far" 

Well he gifted me a couple flys...They sat in my box for ahwile till one day two years ago later in the season I decided to try them....Bingo... I bought the props and tied a bunch. then invested in an 8 ft UL and the Fly Bubbles for next season.....While I did have some 15 fish days...The sheer Number OF Fish I lost or missed was disappointing ...I played with the pattern...No Tail, smaller petes tied on size 10 hooks and a smaller bead n prop, and even giving the hook an offset.  no help. There are a couple guys that I know whos hookup ration is better...I found one of their flys mangled on the ground after they left...Turns out they used Plastic Beads! And No lead wire....I tied some of these too.

I am on a quest to perfect this....

 

So On the menu for April

Pistol Petes with Small 2mm beads n small Props on a size 6 Daiichi Aberdeen

Pistol Pete balanced Leech Jigs

Pistol Petes with Plastic Bead Med Props (Like the one I dissected) Tied on a Steamer hook

Pistol Petes with smallest Bead and Small Prop on a streamer hook ala Dr Vette (Not Sure if he adds lead wire, and he hasnt posted in 2 years)

 

 

 

[knotjoe 0]

On 3/17/2021 at 11:05 AM, Joe A said:

I know this is a very old Thread...but did anyone try and tie these as a balanced Leech/Bugger to get them to ride point UP?? 

Yeah, long ago I played with some prop flies which was mostly a remnant/revisitation of my GL Yellow Perch fishing era.  We used a lot of Roostertails and Sweet P’s with propellors on them, the latter lure had a small lead(?) body which keeled it better.  You won’t find a Sweet P anywhere these days, it’s an old lure.

For what you seek, dumbbell eyes worked for me in terms of keel/upriding hook.  Just tie the eyes in mid shank with a bead/prop in front and you’re good to go.  Works best with Clouser style ties because you have the advantage of a bucktail wing to help keep position upriding.

They caught fish, but I hate flycasting  spinners and probably fish a standard fly better without the prop blade.  Then there’s the moss thing and it takes very little to stop a small prop from spinning.  I spent way too much time cleaning moss off those lures and don’t care to revisit the experience.  Same for tail spins and Roadrunner style ties.

However, if you are in less weedy/mossy water and need to cover areas and find fish, they are a pretty decent option.   Kinda noisy on the cast and make a Whistler fly seem rather quiet by comparison.  I used the larger prop blades from Jann's, they are a bit thinner and more contoured, but easier spinning.

 

[knotjoe 0]

Have to correct myself here, the lure alluded to above is NOT called a Sweet P…it’s actually a Cutie Pie and they are still produced.  Used to make a smaller size, now they appear to just make the bigger one’s and have a slightly different look.

https://www.hhlure.com/products/cutie-pie

I think one can do this idea pretty effectively with tungsten Insta-Jig weights these days, they keel hooks even more efficiently than dumbbells in most cases.  Take up little room on shank as well, nice if adding a bearing bead or two for a prop.  Not something I’m going to pursue in the near future in current waters, but just an FYI from a guy who played with some spinner flies in the past.  Definitely work better when stabilized for flight and swim on fly tackle.

[Joe A 0]

Knotjoe:

 

Thank you!! Great Idea...This will be the ticket!! Much easier and less expensive to tie.  Always swims point up!
 

i still will swim my original prop leech.. it has a more aggressive jigging action ...

April 1st will be the beginning of field tests!

[knotjoe 0]

That’s exactly the idea I speak of, Joe.  Good bead bearing there, solid metal or even a tungsten bead is a smart option.  The wear and tear with props is no big deal underwater, but whizzing back & forth with flyline can spin them at incredible speeds so a hard metal bearing is essential.  Overtime, some of the more used blades would develop a slightly larger hole and polish the hook shank pretty well, but they still functioned just fine for me.  It’s the airspeed that does it.

Bigger blades can actually clean algae off themselves on the false cast, too.  The 3/8” dumbbell shape from Jann’s are freaking salad choppers on the double haul.😁

If the blade doesn't spin freely, just play with the bead to blade size a bit.  Small blades do better with smaller beads, big blades spin against anything.  I liked a 2 bead stack...one large and secured, one smaller against the blade surface so the blades don't rub if they tilt a bit.  You might need a bit smaller diameter bead against that little blade so the only contact point is the "center bearing surface" around the hole.  Small props can be quite sensitive to friction, bead sizing is a huge factor with them.

Fortunately as a flytyer you probably have every imaginable size of high quality bead to select from.

[jcozzz 0]

I favor the chin spin or road runner type as i catch tons of spring crappies ,sunfish.bass,white bass etc on spinning gear.They always ride hook point up and the BB swivel and tiny blade helps to deflect the lure away from snags.The hook up ratio is high and there is little line twist compared to in line blades.The chin spin spins on the fall too.This is why Road Runners are trademarked patented and the "concept" is protected,You can buy pony head jigs and lead molds but try to sell them and they will take you to court.They even successfully sued BPS forcing them to redesign the stump jumper.

[jcozzz 0]

[Philly 0]

After all the discussion on props and blades.  I dug out the one Road Runner  I had  in my dark side tackle box.  The head needs a new paint job.  Using it as a model, I tied up a couple of  "Road Runner" flies.  I have no idea if they'll work.  They're a bit labor intensive, and with my fat finger I had a hard time getting the small blade on the small split ring and the combination on the small swivel.  My split ring pliers are for larger split rings I use on in-line spinner baits and spinner baits I make up for my fishing buddies.  Any suggestions will be appreciated.

   

 

[Joe A 0]

Okay guys.... calling this one the Bob n Pete Fly

if this don’t get the job done i dunno what will! I used the smaller prop on this ala  Dr Vette...but will be tying with a larger as well.

 

also tied the downsized variant that Dr Vette reccomended with 2mm bead n small prop.

and I will be swimming some with plastic beads no wire.

 

and my prop leech as well.. only because the jigging action is over the top

 

[jcozzz 0]

I myself do not try to replicate spinning lures as flies .I would rather use UL spinning gear as the fun factor is way more .But i will employ design characteristics of conventional lures .I fish mostly lakes and ponds and my flies have to have movement .But i am not in an area where flyfishing only water exists.There is a long history of fly rod lures and they are fun to collect or copy.Any tiny lures nowdays are better fished on UL spinning gear IMO.The pics i posted,the one with the blade is made on a jig body to be used on UL spinning gear..The other one has a foam core tied on a jig hook and is meant to be fished on a flyrod.I was trying for the same type of head as a mini rattl trap.A neutral buoyant mini diver that i am hoping will wiggle on the strip.May be able to fish it next week.It is way to light to fish on spinning gear as it has no lead head under the mylar,foam and UV body.I love fishing classic and traditional type flies but also love modern materials and experimenting.Most of you folks are light years ahead of me in your creativity and skills.