Some Warmwater Fly Patterns

[FishnDave]

Scott P voiced his desire for more fly pattern input.

Here's some fly patterns I've been using for a variety of the warmwater species I pursue most of the time. I've also included pictures of fish caught on these flies to show that, yes, they DO catch fish.

Some ultra-micro Gamechangers. I've fit 5 segments into a 2.5" baitfish/leech pattern with a #4 Gamakatsu B10S hook.
I have a yarn ball ahead of each articulation, with small Palmer Chenille in front of that. They look better with eyes, but I haven't noticed a difference in fish caught. The middle one is a Feathered Gamechanger.


Even the big bass like the small ones:


The ones below are in the 3.5" range, tied on a larger hook, and the body material is Chocklett's Gamechanger Chenille.





A couple options for bass topwaters using the Flymen Fishing Co. Howitzer popper heads:




This is another topwater fly that is more subtle, and can be tied in such a way that it can dive a bit during the retrieve. I don't recall what it is called, it's my very loose take on something I'd seen somewhere before.

[FishnDave]

Hybrid Carp Fly variants:

[ScottP]

Boom! Those are some great flies and fish, Dave.

Regards,
Scott

[FishnDave]

Thanks, Scott!

[melk]

Okay Dave, how did you do the Gamechanger articulation? I see the segments, did you use chenille and then the yarn balls to make the segments?
Great looking flies and I love the slider/popper types also! I need my truck back to get my boat out!!
Thanks,
Mike

[smij]

Dang! You been busy!!

[FishnDave]

Okay Dave, how did you do the Gamechanger articulation? I see the segments, did you use chenille and then the yarn balls to make the segments?
Great looking flies and I love the slider/popper types also! I need my truck back to get my boat out!!
Thanks,
Mike

Mike, the base of this pattern is the Flymen Fish-Skull Articulated Fish Spines:
https://flymenfishingcompany.com/products/fish-skull-articulated-fish-spine

On that web page, they have a "How to Use" tab that shows how the shanks go together. You start at the tail and work your way forward, adding shanks as you go.

I use the tail shanks for the tail section, then the 10mm shanks for the body sections, then a 20mm shank that I tie to the hook shank for the head section. I'm not sure I've got it all figured out still...so definitely experiment. On these small Gamechangers where I'm using the small Palmer Chenille, I put the yarn ball near the back end of the shank so the palmer chenille flares out around it. This keeps the articulations free to move, instead of the material on each section blending together and blocking its own action.

I also bought some Micro GameChangers (3" long) from Onion Creek Fly Company...For folks who want some good examples to tie from, or want some but don't tie your own...I totally recommend this guy. They are TOP NOTCH Gamechangers, and the price is reasonable, considering what others charge and how long they take to tie up. He doesn't use any other material between the articulations....just Chocklett's Gamechanger Chenille. They look great, have great action, and he's got some good color combinations. You can always use markers to add other colors.

[melk]

AHA! Thanks Dave! I've been wondering about articulated flies and this may push me to the edge to try them!
I appreciate the link.
Mike

[mcfish]

To make your own (much cheaper) shanks see "The Frugal fly rodder"; Malin steel leader material in 0.023 size is 42 feet long and costs $2.50; about 100 or more shanks out of 42 feet. All you need is a side cutter, round needle nose jaws, and a second pair of needle nose with serrated jaws that grab the wire. Make shanks very short or 2 inches or longer.

[FishnDave]

Definitely use what works for you. Fly Tyers Dungeon also sells shanks, and another thing I've heard is guys buying spinnerbait or in-line spinner wire and using that to cut/shape their own shanks. Or, cut cheap fishing hooks off at the bend and connect them with stiff mono loops. I've tried many of these options. The Flymen Articulated Spines are consistent, strong, and easy to use, so I've been using them most of the time. The loops on the 1/2" Fly Tyers Dungeon shanks are larger than the Flymen loops, but are still really good, especially for 3" or larger Gamechangers.