Bass Flies

[new2BC4bass]

I'd like to dig out my fly rod for a little bass fishing.  I do not want a large assortment of flies.  Maybe 5 different flies to start with.  What do you guys/gals consider to be the best for catching bass?  Thanks.

[bulldog1935]

cats whisker - in fact, substitute bass with Everything.  

 

 

[new2BC4bass]

  I only know you from posts, but am willing to bet you tie your own.  Can you tell me a good place to buy them from?  In what size?  Is that the best color?

[bulldog1935]

The original fly made by David Train was yellow body, white wing and tail.  

I published an article on the fly in 2002 and had David Train's, Mike Dawes' and Ian Colin James' permission to use it (who published it before - back when we did things like that).  

3x-long streamer hooks are best, and size 8 is what I tie most, but I even tie them on 4x-long size 4 salt hooks.  

Match the bead chain size to the hook size.  

The clipped bead chain both rattles and whistles.  

 

The colors can be attractor or blend.  

I tie them in mix of olive and gray, all gray, all black, mix of sand and brown or rust.  

I fish a lot of clear water where blend colors are best.  

I've brought up balls of cyprinid minnows, and couldn't tell the fly from the live bait.  

They high-stick a great dragonfly nymph, and I've caught some monster carp that way.  

Here's tan and rust in the gar's mouth - this and green-and-gray are the two I tie the most.  

 

In turbid water, attractor colors are best - white, yellow.  

The best striper fly mix I found was gray body, gray tail, and light olive wing.  

I haven't bought any flies in 40 years, so I can't help you there.  

 

Here's the size of a striper fly in the mouth of a smallie - I was swinging for stripers.  

On striper flies, I use a pair of marabou blood feathers over a pair of saddle feathers for the tail.  

among my friends, it's a common joke to ask what fly I'm fishing.  

 

Here's a link to the pattern.  

[new2BC4bass]

Lovely!  Thanks for the link.  I think if I ever got into fly tying....and was any good at it....I'd be the type of guy that would fish occasionally just so I could tie more flies. 

 

They are works of art so right away I know that could never happen to me as I have absolutely no artistic talent of any kind.  No musical talent either. 

[Scott804]

Can't go wrong with a clouser minnow.

[Jigfishn10]

7 minutes ago, Scott804 said:

Can't go wrong with a clouser minnow.

Perfect! I was going to say that anything that imitates a bucktail jig in profile...obviously without the lead head would be ideal...Scott804, you nailed it.

[bulldog1935]

When I filmed an episode of KT Diaries on our endemic bass, KT and I had a nice rivalry going over Clouser v Cat's Whisker.  

It couldn't just be little endemic bass on his show, so I took him to private water the 2nd morning for largemouth with shoulders.  Got everything they needed here in 90 min.  

They got footage of a bottom-bounce take right here - a 5-lb bass attacking the mudballs the lure was kicking on the flagstone.  

If you're making mudballs, it doesn't matter what fly...

 

...but if your fly is suspended, and you're trying to keep your retrieve slow until that garbage-can mouth opens, can't beat cats whisker. 

[new2BC4bass]

I am having a hard time finding a decent looking Cat's Whisker.  The best looking ones I've found so far have the wing on the top instead of the bottom.

 

One pattern I found looked like a 3 year old's idea of what the fly should look like.  Looked absolutely nothing like your fly.  Simply horrible!    On the good side $.61 apiece.

 

I found some more realistic ones at low prices (less than a dollar), but some are on short shanked hooks, all have the wing up and not nearly as nice looking as yours, bulldog.  Actually most work out to be just over a dollar or less.  Probably why they look bad.

 

I really don't want to learn fly tying.

 

Wow!!!! I found your fly.  $28.99 apiece!!!!!  Looks like I won't be fishing a Cat's Whisker.

 

[bulldog1935]

The wing is on top on cats whisker.  

The difference is how you keel the hook, up or down, by which side of the shank you tie the bead chain.  

 

37 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Perfect! I was going to say that anything that imitates a bucktail jig in profile...obviously without the lead head would be ideal...Scott804, you nailed it.

 

The best fly rod bucktail is Hi-Tie - this takes jacks and king mackerel

 

here's my tiny whistler for nite-lite dock fishing - it imitates glass minnows, shrimp, and even swimming crabs.  Size 6 1x-long

 

[Jigfishn10]

Those look sweet @bulldog1935!

 

I've been on quite a bucktail jig bite and have some jig heads coming in this week. Will be tying up soon!

[WRB]

Olive Wooly Bugger gets it done as a streamer and easy to find.

Tom

[new2BC4bass]

 

Wing looks on the bottom.  Maybe I just don't understand.  Wouldn't be the first time.

Looks on the top here.

 

Or is it because the wing makes the fly float with it up regardless of which side of the hook it is tied on?

[bulldog1935]

that wing is backwards from normal cats whisker, but that's a good pattern for bottom-bouncing.  

I have David Train's pattern in Mike Dawes' book.  

It's such a useful fly for 50 years, there are probably many variations out there.  

Keel hook-up is best for bass and snagless - keel hook-down is the safest for trout.  

[new2BC4bass]

10 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

that wing is backwards from normal cats whisker, but that's a good pattern for bottom-bouncing.  

I have David Train's pattern in Mike Dawes' book.  

It's such a useful fly for 50 years, there are probably many variations out there.  

Keel hook-up is best for bass and snagless - keel hook-down is the safest for trout.  

I ordered Mike Dawe's book "The Flytier's Manual Spiral-bound – March 10, 2015"  I hope this is the right book.

[bulldog1935]

that's a great book if you're going to tie flies

 

also, Orvis has some excellent tutorial books that take you through different fly tying techniques by having you tie flies.  

They're even free pdf's

Orvis Fly Tying Manual [PDF] Download Full – PDF Read Book Page

 

Don't ever think you need to buy a fly tying kit.  

Much better to target a few patterns, buy the vise and tools, hooks and materials for those flies only. 

Hook & Hackle is exceptional for shopping, and their low-grade house-brand vises are worth owning.  

Vise, bobbin, good scissors, whip finishing tool.  

[Gnarwhal]

1 hour ago, new2BC4bass said:

 

Or is it because the wing makes the fly float with it up regardless of which side of the hook it is tied on?

Which side of the shank the eyes are tied to will dictate how the fly rides. Both flies above will ride hook point up.

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Gnarwhal said:

Which side of the shank the eyes are tied to will dictate how the fly rides. Both flies above will ride hook point up.

Ah ha.  I never noticed that.  Thanks.