Looking into some carp flies and discovered the Trouser Worm - sure looks like a fly rod shakey head to me :rolleyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VcEWZdrsWw - trouser worm
http://yootuubee.com/video/llO3GVaKoVY - shakey head
I imagine it tied like a Pine Squirrel Cheater using the trouser worm head configuration. The pine sq tends to float better than rabbit. I ordered some size 6 scud hooks and will tie up some…
I think my snake eyes on carp has been mainly due to lack of seriousness which equals poor presentation.
Just throwing a Carp Candy their way ain’t gonna do it.
Maybe this year,but then I always say that this time of year.
Anyway,“maybe this year” ;),and the Trouser sure caught my attention.
Thanks!
I think this concept will catch a lot of bass for me this summer.
Watched the guy tie it, VERY easy tie.
Buddy
Here are some pine squirrel trouser worms - I love the way their presentation in the water - The tail on these float like a cork
Interesting and somewhat curious, Jeff. On the PSC, which I fish on a sinking line swinging and stripping it through moving water, the fly sinks nicely after getting thoroughly wet. I haven’t noticed any tendency for any part of that fly to display any kind of buoyancy.
John
P.S. I suspect your fly’s success will not be limited to warmwater. Fished off a floating line and stripped like a streamer, methinks the trouts will tend to munch on it.
Hello John,
I dont know, I have found the pine sq to be a floater - I shared with you the day I tried the PSC on my local spring creek and the incredible luck I had - the thing I noticed is how thay wanted to float, I finally had to use split shot to get them down (i was using a floating line). I now tie them with a leadhead. I figured that is why you used the sinking line with the PSC was to make it sink. The crawfish I patterned after the PSC also wants to float “claws up”, which mimics how the real thing moves. This fly, with the “tripod” head, really does accentuate the floating tail. Casting the craw version seems to throw off the water and keep it buoyant. I have tied similar flies with rabbit and they really absorb water and sink. Rabbit zonkers are thicker and the hair is longer, maybe that is why they sink faster.
I have not fished these “Trouser Worms” (worst name ever?) yet, I dont know how they will react when fished.
Anyway, this has been my experience with the pine sq micro strips. I assume if they get adequately waterlogged they will eventually lose some of their “floatability”. They just seem to want to float for me. I use the “micro zonkers” from J stockard…
I’m also using the Wapsi product, although I didn’t get it at Stockard. Yes, it does tend to have some buoyancy initially, but after not a lot of stripping it through moving water, it submerges nicely. Fish chewing on it regularly helps, too, and they do chew on the PSC regularly.
The sinking line is a Class II which is a pretty slow sinking line. A lot of the takes on the PSC streamer are when it is still very close to the surface.
If you can find a source for whole zonked pine squirrel skins, it is much cheaper than buying the strips that Stockard shows currently on their website. Wapsi used to offer the whole skins, but I haven’t looked for them for quite a while. Best to buy them where you can check them out before paying. There has been quite a range of quality in the zonker strips - quality defined by the length of the strips and the thickness of the hair.
John
Bass Pro sells the whole pine squirrel skins zonked…
http://www.basspro.com/Zonked-Pine-Squirrel/product/47154/?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT
They also carry then in the retail stores if you are close to one.
Brad
This is probably a better deal than basspro, maybe a much better deal. And Feather Craft used to and probably still does provide excellent customer service.
http://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?store=feacraft&action=display&target=TM048
John
Yep John, a lot better deal. I was at the Toledo Bass Pro Friday and saw then there. Feathercraft has a much better color selection also. Thanks for the link!
Brad