BrownBear Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Thought folks might be interested in a new (to me) way to do weedless flies. I can tell you for sure that you can huck these things waaaaay back into the mangroves on a bad cast and pull them out without snagging about 99% of the time. That's notable in itself, but the fish pretty much love them too. It all starts with the old concept of bend-back streamers. I usually just bend the hooks to suit myself but recently came across a supply of ready-mades called Kelly Galloup's Belly Bumper hooks, MFC#7075. They come in #2 and #2/0, just right for many uses here in FL. The one in the pic is the #2/0. The finish is black nickel rather than bronze, so it holds up pretty well in saltwater. First up is a shot of the bare hook with my "new" weedguard added just so you can see what's going on. The weedguard is 150# Ande leader, so big to give it stiffness along its length. Even 100# isn't quite stiff enough. I don't put on the weedguard first, rather I just stuck it onto the bare hook so you could see what's going on. In actual tying I do the tail and body, then add the weedguard like this: Next up is to add the wing and head. The tail and wing are fox or coyote tail in this color along with the gold body (Hareline gold UV Polar Chenille). Turns out to be the best color combo back under the mangroves, but dark brown with a brown body or black with the black body are good early and late in the day. In open water white/silver are definitely best. Gotta say this pattern has turned into our A-#1 producer for both snook and redfish this winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limitless Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 That's a fine looking fly and the weedless setup is a needed thing for a rookie like me. The name of the hook is a bit much though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownBear Posted January 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 13 minutes ago, Limitless said: The name of the hook is a bit much though. You got that right. It's named for Kelly Galloup who designed and promoted it a few years back. I've been real happy with it on some other bent back hooks I fabricate with a pair of pliers and a smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY TIME Posted January 22, 2019 Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 Great post,thanks for the info on the hooks. I tie quite a few bendbacks so using a ready made hook I like. Body material, a brush or are you tying a clump or two of flash material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownBear Posted January 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 2 hours ago, FLY TIME said: Body material, a brush or are you tying a clump or two of flash material. It's just a straight run of Hareline UV Polar Chenille in Gold. I also use the silver in some flies and the tan in others. Simple to use and looks great in the water against almost any wing. I've stopped using hackle altogether on my Gurglers, subbing this stuff instead. Looks terrific and the fish love it, and even better it seems to act like a "slide" and help the gurglers ride on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY TIME Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 thanks again, I ordered the hooks today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownBear Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 Your link isn't coming through on my machine. Looking forward to seeing what you came up with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY TIME Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY TIME Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 10 hours ago, BrownBear said: Your link isn't coming through on my machine. Looking forward to seeing what you came up with! I think you can now, thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownBear Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Coming through great, and wow, that fly will sure get the job done! Outstanding fly. The weedless ones we fished two days ago were all white, but really came through for us. Big snook were cruising about 5' off the mangroves, but wouldn't even turn to look at flies tossed right to them. But toss it past them way back under the mangroves, and they'd pounce the moment it came out into sight. Saved the day and saved a whole bunch of snags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY TIME Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Thank you, glad you had a good trip. I hope too fish this one soon . Thanks again for the post/topic. ( My computer skills are improving, abit.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownBear Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 A little refinement will probably help my description: Throw right at those big boys cruising 5' out from the mangroves, and the refusal is the best you can hope for. More often they just do a high speed split. The "secret" was to cast into the mangroves 20'-30' in front of them and wait for them to get close. When they were 5'-6' from your line, start stripping fast so your fly zoomed out in front of them and across their path. BOOM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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