Help concocting a bass lure imitation?

[atomic_dog]

Over the last week I've set my fly rod aside (gasp!) for the ultralight spinning rod. I've been fishing the cove of a lake that is full of nice largemouth bass. In the afternoons darn near every cast results in at least a bite, if not a hooked fish. Very few of these fish have been less than 12". 18 1/2" is the largest I've gotten from there.

I'd like to go after these fish with my fly rod if I can. The lure I've been throwing has been so successful for me that I'd like to see if I can imitate it at the vise.

This is what I've been using:


An ugly thing, but really productive right now.

Any thoughts on how to create something similar? I was thinking maybe a twin-tail of rabbit strip and maybe a pamered rabbit body. I'll probably use dumbell eyes for weight as it needs to be hopped along the bottom and hook point up should be a good thing.

[parrotheadcrb]

You could always try supergluing that brushhawg to a big hook and throwing it. Or some silly legs in the watermelon color with some watermelon Crawdad dubbing from Wapsi and more sililegs for the arms. They even make those twister tails for tying flies. Your gonna lose your sensativity with the flyrod though and lose a lot of fish that will pick it up and then spit it back out quickly. Hard to match a bait action wise like that on a fly rod. Try.....

Size 2-6 hook
8-10 silly legs on bend of hook, dubbing loop(theloop will give you a fuller body) watermelon green(wapsi crawdad dubbing) and then 4 silly legs on each side about half way up. That should be about as close as your going to get unless you order some flytying twistertails and then just tie them on the end instead of the 8 or 10 silly legs.


[This message has been edited by parrotheadcrb (edited 15 May 2006).]

[WarrenP]

This fly will not look like your plastic lure, but, I would give it a try. It is a very good LMB/SMB fly. You could play with the colors to match your lure.

Go to the menu on the left and click on Fly Tying and then in the Search Window type in "Pig Boat Fly". It was a FOTW and a good one.

Hopefully, it will do the job for you.

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Warren

[dudley]

Calcasieu Pig Boat

[atomic_dog]

The Pig Boat was in the back of my mind when I was typing this up. I might give those a try. Though I may stick with the barbell eye to keep the hook point off the bottom.

Thanks.

[Diane]

Try something like the Bucktail Craw Variant in the fly archives. Change it to green and tie in some rubber legs halfway down the shank.

[rookie]

Hi Atomic_Dog

I've been working on this for several months. I have been fishing the baby brush hog for about 5 to 6 years. I recommended it to someone earlier this year that was going to Lake Erie to fish for small mouths and wanted to fish using flys instead of baitcasting or spinning gear. I recommended trying to duplicate the brush hog.

The Brush Hog is a spring salamander not a craw. I have fished the Zoom Brush Hog and the Zoom Craw side by side, both in watermelon and there is no comparison.

This past Saturday I had over 60 Large mouths between 2 and 5 Lbs. I went through two packs of Brush Hogs. I have worked on this pattern for a fly rod for some time now with a friend I met here on FAOL.

If someone ever does get it right----LOOK OUT.
This information is from just a Rookie.

For the record, this pattern will work 12 months, in lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, east to west coast, north to south.

I am sharing this information so others can have the fun I've had. Now I have no more secrets.


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Steve (Rookie)

[This message has been edited by rookie (edited 15 May 2006).]

[JeffHamm]

Hi,
I would think an olive wooly bugger would do the trick. Say, olive maraboo tail, olive chen. body, grizzle hackle, and a red wire rib? You could mix a touch of red and black maraboo into the tail?

- Jeff

[Leo C]

atomic dog,

I recently was in the same boat as you. I have a pond near me which has a large Bass population also and had low success with the fly. I tried many patterns, caught a few but not nearly like the 7" twister tailed black worm was producing on the spinning rod.

I finally tied up a clouser type fly with rabbit zonker (approx. 5" long) with a cross cut rabbit collar, lead eyes and a bucktail wing. Tied them up in black & olive rabbit with a wing of purple or chartruse (spelling?). That thing really comes to life in the water. First cast resulted in a bass approx. four pounds. It's now my go to fly in this pond and seems to do a good job.

The real bonus is they only take a couple of minutes to tie.

Give it a try and if you want a picture I'll be glad to email you one.

Leo C.

[rookie]

Hi Leo C,

Is there any chance you would send me a picture. It sounds great and I would like to try it.

Thanks in Advance


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Steve (Rookie)