What’s everyone’s favorite type of weed guard that actually work in heavily weed infested areas? What material are they? I want to use them for LMB mostly.
single or double strand of 15 lb monofilament!
I use a single 30 lb. strand of Fluoro. Works Great!
Not exactly a weed guard; but bendback flies help keep the weeds out of the hook.
_________________
RRhyne56
http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com
http://robinsrumination.blogspot.com
Art Scheck, in his book ?Tying Better Flies?, describes a method of tying a mono weed guard that I really like. He writes that Ed Jaworowski also wrote about this method.
The monofilament is tied to the side of the hook shank from behind the eye to, but not down, the bend of the hook. After tying the body of the fly, bring the mono through the eye of the hook and lightly secure it with a few wraps of thread. Tuck the loop inside the hook gap. Adjust the length of the loop so that it protects the point of the hook, fold the mono back over the top of the fly head and finish tying it in.
This mono weed guard stays in place better than others I have tried. It moves to the side when a fish strikes, yet is sufficient to bounce off most obstructions. For the conditions you describe, I use 15 to 20 pound leader material or something similarly stiff. To use a worn out phrase, I don?t want the weed guard to become a fish guard.
To get a better description, see if you can get Scheck?s book through your library.
I also like the bendbacks that Robin mentioned. They’re good over weed beds.
Regards,
Tracy
Tracy
thank you! That is elegant and simple! The way I like to tie. Ought to work quite well.
_________________
RRhyne56
http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com
http://robinsrumination.blogspot.com
from Bass Pro
Though I can’t beat the mono loop for tying weedless flies, here’s a way to make a fly weedless after the fact. For many years Stickguards were the standard guard that came on the Superfrog - a casting frog that shed weeds like Jim Brown shed tacklers. If you are going to do some serious slop fishing this would be the one. For the full Bubba treatment dip it in some chartreuse or red garlic scented worm dye before you put it on.
Good Luck,
Bear742: So could you maybe tell me where do you get a stickguard?
Also RRhyne would you possibly have some info on the correct way to do a bend back?
Thank You
The Hobo
A double weekguard of heavy mono. Tying instructions are at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlb_qnBq46Y.
TxEngr, Cool video. I’m really regretting missing the Red River FF doin’s last Saturday. Have you/do you know if anyone has tried that double weed guard on gill sized(#8’s,10’s,12’s) poppers and foam bugs?
May have to try it for fishing a lilypad & weed infested nearby lake/pond. Wonder if I can go down to 4 lb test weed guard mono or need something bigger? Any ideas?
hoboflyfisher
The above was one of the best descriptions I’ve seen
The monofilament is tied to the side of the hook shank from behind the eye to, but not down, the bend of the hook. After tying the body of the fly, bring the mono through the eye of the hook and lightly secure it with a few wraps of thread. Tuck the loop inside the hook gap. Adjust the length of the loop so that it protects the point of the hook, fold the mono back over the top of the fly head and finish tying it in.
This mono weed guard stays in place better than others I have tried. It moves to the side when a fish strikes, yet is sufficient to bounce off most obstructions. For the conditions you describe, I use 15 to 20 pound leader material or something similarly stiff. To use a worn out phrase, I don?t want the weed guard to become a fish guard.
That and that excellent video!
_________________
RRhyne56
http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com
http://robinsrumination.blogspot.com
I mostly tie for bream, lately I have been using No. 10 jig hook with no weight, not completely weedless I don’t think anything is, but it doesn’t hang up as often as a dropper tied right side up.
Seems like someone in Bassmaster came up with a homemade version of the stick up using a piece of plastic worm. Those little flavored trout worms might be just the trick. Carefully weld to the fly body.
rodgerole,
I missed last Saturday as well. I was up in North Alabama fishing and got in the middle of a willowfly hatch (that’s mayflies for those of you not from that area). Was coming home in time for the TOTF but stayed an extra day up there. I’ve never tied a weed guard for the smaller 'gill flies, but I suspect that a lighter mono would probably work. I just plan on leaving a few in the bushes and weeds and accept my fate. That’s why I don’t tie fancy flies!
TxEngr
p.s. Thanks for the compliments on the videos guys. Those are my posts on youtube. Anyone in the NE Texas area that would like to be filmed, give me a shout.
Thanks for the video TxEngr. Very helpful.
And thanks for the compliment Robin. I’d add some pictures, but I can’t find the darn camera.
Tracy
“from Bass Pro”
I have that book and tried that weedguard the other day. It still got caught in the muck. This pond was all but coved on top of the pond except the middle. I did manage to catch 1 -17" LMB and missed 2 others. I spent more time cleaning the flies and fly line off than fishing. There is some big fish in there though.
It looks like you’re gonna have to do some experimenting. Should be worth it for the bass you describe.
The Stickguard looks like it would shed weeds just like Bear742 describes.
I wonder if the double weedguard or a bend-back with a weedguard would do a better job of keeping the hook point out of the muck than a single mono weedguard? I’m thinking the double weedguard would be good because it protects both sides of the hook.
hoboflyfisher,
If RRhyne doesn?t mind, I?ll take the liberty of trying to answer your question about bend-backs.
First, of course, there a many instructions with pictures on the web for making a bend-back hook and tying with it. You can also purchase bend-back hooks.
Here?s how I do it:
Use a straight eye hook. With a pair of pliers (two pair for heavy iron hooks), bend the hook eye and a length of the shank slightly up and away from the hook point. The length of shank between the bend and the eye needs to be at least enough to tie the head of the fly. I typically use anywhere from one to three eye lengths depending on the need. The bend is very slight. The hook point should remain well above the plane of the eye to retain its ?hook setting? ability.
Bend-back bucktails are a favorite of mine. The bucktail hair helps make the bend-back a bit more weedless.
Hope this helps.
I have made and played around with different guards and here is my take (just MHO):
Bendback ? best overall weed guard
Wire:
?Snagless Sally? style (?V?) ? very good in weeds, problematic in that tippet and wing materials will occasionally get caught in the ?V? during casting. Advantages outweigh disadvantages in the thick stuff.
Single wire strand guard ? virtually useless.
?Dan Blanton style? (?V? with ends bent to form straight wires that extend past hook point) ? as good as bendback, but comes too close to that ?fishless? point IMHO.
?Mouse Trap? or ?Worm hook? (wire hooked to hook point, springs open on hit) best of the wire options, has to be frequently checked. You can make better ones than you can buy.
Mono:
Single loop ? not good for deliberately casting into the thick stuff, great for fishing near or around weeds or in water where floating weeds/debris are present.
Double loop ? supposedly double the strength of a single loop ? overrated IMHO, but worth a try.
?Fiddler in the Grass? style ? Tied like a single loop but tied under hook shank: very effective, comes very close to being fishless.
Perpendicular Loops - Horseshoe shape tied in front of hook. Works OK, interrupts the tying process since it works best when tied in at mid shank. An option for any hook >3x instead of a single mono loop.
Mono ?V? ? only good for light weeds, great for small hooks (best ones I have made were made of composite leader material ~20lb test)
Single stand Mono ? worse than single wire strand.
Again, just MHO. 
Bendbacks work for subsurface, I need something for the surface, to put on my gurglers/poppers.