I use 16# & 20# Hard Mason for my weed guards...mainly because they are easy to snip off after teh second or third cast.
What I have done with some success on Charlies and Gotchas is add a little Softex (or similar) to the wing to stiffen it up a bit. While it doesn't make the fly totally weedless, it does help it out a bit.
When I was there in October, #6 pearl (with a little pink) gotcha's were the ticket.

Have a good trip, Chris