Spinner Flies

[cycler68]

I've been trying out Joes flies on stocker trout for the past few weeks and have found them to be very effective and not to bad to cast with my seven weight. About the only thing I don't like about them is the treble hook on them tends to damage the fish more than a single hook. Great if your fishing for supper, not so much for catch and release.
Has anybody else tried these flies and what do you think of them?

[chewydog]

I have no idea what "Joe’s flies" are. Got a link, or...

[cycler68]

Here is a link to Joes Flies on Cabela's website http://www.cabelas.com/product/Joes-...h-All+Products

[Grn Mt Man]

cycler68,

Fished Joe's flies when I was using a spinning rod several years ago. When I had trouble with snags or water with a lot of weeds etc. used to cut the treble hook off and just fish them with the single hook. Seems like there was less snagging then.

[sagefisher]

If you want to start fishing spinner flies, buy some 'D' rings, a few glass or plastic beads and a few blades. You can turn any fly into a spinner fly just by slipping them onto the leader. That said, they cast horribly, hence the reason for the 7 weight which is more than a bit heavy for most trout fishing. W would do that sometimes when Bucktailing for salmon up in Canada, but most of the time we just stuck to flies only. I could see a possible use for them on some of the larger predator fish, but again, the casting I horrible. Kind of like the 'Chuck & Duck' method used on large heavy streamers.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[cycler68]

Sagefisher,
I agree they are a bit hard to cast. The 7 weight rod I been using to cast them is outfitted with Rio Clouser line designed to help cast heavy flies like clousers, large streamers and deer hair poppers. I slowed down my casting rhythm a little to get the line to lay out straighter so I wouldn't miss so many strikes and have tinkered with making my own spinner flies using some heavy 25 lb test monofilament as the shaft. But what really got my attention is the effectiveness of these flies. Trout just love 'em and I have also caught bass, perch, bluegill and catfish in the short time I have been using them.

I might add that this isn't the only fly dressed up with a spinner that I have been using. I also use coyotes which is a fly rod version of a road runner. These cast easier than a Joes Fly. So far I have caught most of my fly rod walleye on them as well as largemouth bass, white bass, catfish and perch.

[Ray Kunz]

It should also be noted that in many catch and release areas treble hooks are not allowed. In fact the spinner, itself might be considered as added weight in front of the fly which is also not allowed. They look like spinning lures to me anyway.

[johnstoeckel]

I haven't used these, but it looks like you could clip off the treble hook and jsut use the single hook. You could also smash the barb of the single hook if you're C&R fishing. Many years ago, I would buy or tie bucktail streamers and add an in-line clip spinner similar to those shown and fish them on an ultra light spinning rod. I believe you can buy these in-line spinners with a eyelet on one end and a clip on the other end for attaching to a hook eye.

[jimsnarocks]

I fished with a man once who used a glass rod, an automatic fly reel wrapped with mono and he used spinner flies. He didn't cast but flicked the fly into a stream and directed it with the rod tip and stripped the fly using the auto lever on the reel. It was interesting to watch and he out fished everyone around us. Said he learned the technique from his grand dad growing up in rural Pennsylvania. Jim

[whatfly]

Have not see a pattern like that in quite a while. Easiest fix for the treble hook, is either cut it off entirely, or take a pair of side cutters and cut off two of the three hooks on the treble, as close as you can to the shank. Will work fine then.