Weedless topwater flies

[jkilroy]

Anyone use any weedless topwater flies for LMB that have the hooks facing up? If so any chance of posting them?

[wayneb]

Hi Jkilroy;

White43 talked about tying a stealth bomber with hook point up in the "Favorite Bass Flies"
thread.

Perhaps we can get him to describe how he did it. Everytime I tie a floating pattern hook point up, my fly rides hook point down/upside down.

Wayneb

[jkilroy]

I may try to tie a popper with a hook flipped upsidedown and see if it works. That would be killer for lilly pads, if I could get it to work.

[dudley]

I like a Dalberg Diver tied bendback style
I think I first saw it in an old Warmwater Fly Fishing magazine
Works great, you can strip it right through the salad

[bonefishwhisperer]

I use EP flys that are weedless...you have to rebend the hooks but it works very well for hiding the hook inside the fly itself...it works pretty good in the pads and in heavy grass

[fishbum]

The old Mississippi Whisker Bug is tied with the hool up and protected by the deer hair wing. Works great! That fly come about around the turn of the 20th century.

[white43]

We actually did an entire swap here on "upside down" flies that was quite creative. I tie several topwater flies this way for the weedless aspect for I simply hate tieing in those weedless guards. I feel I've lost more fish because of them, and sometimes they're really not all that "weedless." I tie the fly normal, then spin the body 180 and use Zap to hold it in place. Foam and hair Dahlberg Divers, and particularly those Zoo Cougars. Wiggle Bugs also work well upside down. Whatever has a longer tail, though, you'll need to manuever the tail around the hook. Making sure, of course, that the fly is balanced. The idea came from the Clouser flies. It's hard for me to tie them upside down because I dislike being "pricked." That is the only reason I tie a standard pattern then spin the body. Nothing much to it. But, they're sure weedless. JGW

[wayneb]

Thanks for the info John!

I'll have to try that this weekend.

Wayneb

[rnelson]

I use the same method John uses for the same reasons. Years ago I decided that my weedless flies didn't work well in places like lily pads and started tying flies upside down. After a few dozen jabs from the hook point I finally figured out that if I tied them right side up and simply turned the body it worked great.

I never use weed guards on floating flies any more.

Rick