Foam Divers

[kobalt335]

I've been trying to tie some bass divers, however when I make the head out of foam they are landing upside down. Is there a trick to the heads that I'm missing? Also, has anyone ever used the diver heads you can buy? I may take the easy way out and buy those, but $6-$8 for 3, it'd be nice to know what others think.

 

[Dave_W]

Foam divers for bass are a pattern I have put a lot of time and experimentation into. After a lot of failures (they look great in the vise, but don't perform well in the water) essentially, what I've come to discover is that you need a form of counterweight. Keep in mind that this isn't a surface fly - you need a body that is somewhat heavy and water absorbent. I use some lead wrappings in conjunction with fur. This counteracts the flotational aspect of the foam head and "rights" the fly at the surface. Then when you strip, the fly "digs" downward below the surface producing the action you seek.

If you have a bathtub, fill it with a few inches of water and practice with your diver patterns to first solve the problem of getting it to float right-side-up. Then practice with head shape to get the dive effect. This will take some experimentation.

 

[kobalt335]

Dave_W wrote:
Foam divers for bass are a pattern I have put a lot of time and experimentation into. After a lot of failures (they look great in the vise, but don't perform well in the water) essentially, what I've come to discover is that you need a form of counterweight. Keep in mind that this isn't a surface fly - you need a body that is somewhat heavy and water absorbent. I use some lead wrappings in conjunction with fur. This counteracts the flotational aspect of the foam head and "rights" the fly at the surface. Then when you strip, the fly "digs" downward below the surface producing the action you seek.

If you have a bathtub, fill it with a few inches of water and practice with your diver patterns to first solve the problem of getting it to float right-side-up. Then practice with head shape to get the dive effect. This will take some experimentation.

I tried tying my first attempt with zonkers and marabou, but I didn't try adding counterweight. Next attempt I'll add some wire and see what happens.

 

[Solitariolupo]

Maybe even try a heavier hook. Thinking it will add more weight at the point of the hook.