Modest Pickerel patterns

[Skeet6]

Whichever fly you choose to tie, make sure to make multiples. Here is what happens to Clousers even after one decent pickerel, not to mention the ones who take your creations by virtue of their teeth.

This was about an 18" fish that did this. I actually fished it raggedy most of the day 'til another pickerel took it from me. I tie mine weedless.

Mike B

 

[Baron]

Hope that happens to one of my flies today.

 

[Baron]

Is it possible to be too transparent. Ive been trying to lighten up on materials and add a little lead behind the heads. There is white Bucktail to balance but it doesn't show on this paper towel.

 

[melvinp]

I’ve had some of the best luck on a white woolly bugger pattern with a red tail

 

[Baron]

Size???

 

[melvinp]

2-6 be pending on how big the fish are in the area

 

[Baron]

That pattern worked well in spring on Pocono lakes. Will it also do well in fall? Yellow and orange buggers seen not of interest to pickerel but white does. At least it did last spring and that is all the further back I go Ff for the pickerel.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Red and white is a classic, proven color combo.

I would favor larger buggers with decent flash. You are more likely to get a pickerel to move farther for a larger meal.

In my experience, small pickerel (

 

[Baron]

Sounds like a pickerel killer

 

[JerryC]

I've cleaning up and finding old flies. I found half dozen or so Woolly Buggers that I had tied on size 4 6XL hooks. They measure between 4 and 5 inches from hook eye to tip of the tail. The epoxy heads have faded to yellow. I remember catching one fish on the White River Demon(white bugger) version. A huge smallmouth that broke me off because I had been too lazy to change tippets. The 5x tippet I had been using for trout upstream lasted two jumps.
I also found a jointed woolly bugger which was 5 inches long. It looks like it might have some potential rather than using a 3XL to 6XL hook to tie large wooly buggers.