I am new to fly tying and would like to try a Marabou Muddler. One modification I would like to try that I have not seen in any pattern is to have the hook pointing up to lessen the likelihood of the fly catching on rocks or weeds. How do you weight the hook/shank so that it points up instead of down?
Add a strip of lead wire to only the top of the hook shank
There are many ways to do it…
Dumbbell Eyes, where you tie them on top of the hook shank, making it ride hook point up. Typically used on flies like a Clouser where you want weight.
Bead chain eyes, Lighter and smaller, They won’t turn the hook upside down if you have to much material on the hook so I recommend them for smaller flies. Adds little weight.
Lead wire, Tied lengthwise along the top of the hook shank so that it will invert the hook point.
Those are my favorite ways of inverting the hook point.
There are Very many patterns that do this, The Clouser minnow, Most Crayfish patterns, Crappie Candy, Crazy Charlies, Barrs Meat Whistle, Zonker patterns, Bead chain eye woolly bugger… Just to name a few.
One of best bass and panfish flies–I tie a fairly sparse marabou muddler body (upside down) with a strip of lead on the top of the hook, and then I tie a relatively sparse deer hair head and trim it very flat on the side that is normally the top of the hook. This flips it over, but it is not very stable. I just twitch it along, and it stays just an inch or so under water, right over and through weeds, and fish love it. I tie it on a #8 hook, in black over white. I leave the deer hair head a little square in front to push more water.
Russ
you can also try gluing or epoxying(??) a half of a small spit shot to the top of the hook whick i like since it adds enough keel weight to make the fly very stable in the water.
Steve
Russ C; You wouldn’t happen to have a picture to post, of your muddler, would you!?? Sounds very unique, I’d love to see it!
Thanks, Paul.
A bend-back style tie would work best for this application
Additional weight could be added behind the bend
Here’s a sculpin tied bend-back style
Hi BlueDun,
You’ve already gotten good answers RE weighting on top of the hook. I like dumbbell eyes on the top of the hook as well and the placement (bottom of shank, top of fly) of the light weight material (like marabou) will also decide the hook posture in the water. I like to place the dumbbell eyes on the top of a 6 or 8X long hook then tie the wings so they are slightly shorter than the hook to keep them from tangling around the hook bend. Take care & …
Tight Lines - Al Beatty
www.btsflyfishing.com
Hey BlueDun, I just got the latest Fly Tyer mag today, ( b-day gift from my sister), Great article in it, “Jig Flies for Trophy Bass”. I don’t know what size flies you are look to tie but the writer gives recipes for Thunder Creek and Deceiver and recommends hook size 8 to 1. These are tied on jig hooks (Eagle Claw 570) and weighted with lead wire or tape or non-toxic substitute. He mentions that most any streamere can be modified to tie on this hook as can the Clouser Deep minnow. Keep in mind that this is not a jig but a fly tied on a jig hook. I have some size 4 that I will be trying soon. can’t wait.
id say just tie it on a jig hook. it’ll invert just about any fly
Hi group,
Jig hooks also make great “hook point up” dry fly parachute flies. We use a poly post so it will easily collapse when the fish grabs the fly. We wrap the parachute hackle around the “up” part of the hook shank after tying on the wing material. A size #10 or #12 makes a great Drake style pattern. Take care & …
Tight Lines - Al Beatty
www.btsflyfishing.com
I have been trying to post a picture of the upside down muddlers (without dumbell eyes, they are neutral density) but my camera isn’t cooperating. Anyway, it is a standard marabou muddler, but tied so that it looks right with the hook up and all the bouyant material (marabou, estatz body, dear hair) on the inside of the hook bend. Page 33 of Farrow and Allens “Flies for Bass and Panfish” has a fly that is basically the same, just with some different wing material (and mine isn’t as pretty).
Wow! Thanks everyone for your responses! Now I have to figure out what to try first!
When I started fly fishing 1-1/2 years ago, I didn’t understand the appeal to tying one’s own flies when you can buy them in a store and spend more of your spare time fly-fishing. Now I understand part of the appeal - you can be creative and tie flies based on what you find most useful when fishing.
Your responses are really helpful. I was hoping to try some over the weekend, but didn’t have time. Hopefully, will get to try some next weekend.
In Good Flies, John Gierach explains how he ties his deer hair streamer patterns upside down. As a pattern book, to my mind, Good Flies doesn’t get the credit it deserves.