Dave_W
Moderator
Staff member
I'm surprised that more tiers don't make weedless flies. While there are usually some bass bugs with mono loops, many fly shops also don't have a very good selection of weedless streamers either.
Considering how often we fish around snags and cover, especially for warm water fishes, weedless flies can really save the day. Many of our large bass rivers these days have a lot of grass in them not to mention emergent willow grass beds and woody debris. Ponds and lakes are often choked with dense lily pads and weeds. Furthermore, in the fall with the leaves dropping, weedless flies will allow you to fish through the leaves.
I like a mono, loop style weed guard. Depending on the size of the fly, I'll pick the thickness of the mono. For most large streamers, such as the one depicted here, I like 50Lb mono.
The fly shown is a favorite of mine: a basic weedless streamer that I always have a few of in my box. The key with this fly is to use a curved hook designed for soft plastics. Tie in a dumbell weight back near the bend. This will ensure that the fly swims hook upward (I like almost all my streamers to swim this way) further reducing snags. The mono loop is stiff enough to protect the hook point, but soft enough that when a fish bites down, you can set the hook.
Throw this fly with confidence at weeds and snaggy areas that other FFErs may avoid. You can really pull some fish out of the vegetation this time of year.
Considering how often we fish around snags and cover, especially for warm water fishes, weedless flies can really save the day. Many of our large bass rivers these days have a lot of grass in them not to mention emergent willow grass beds and woody debris. Ponds and lakes are often choked with dense lily pads and weeds. Furthermore, in the fall with the leaves dropping, weedless flies will allow you to fish through the leaves.
I like a mono, loop style weed guard. Depending on the size of the fly, I'll pick the thickness of the mono. For most large streamers, such as the one depicted here, I like 50Lb mono.
The fly shown is a favorite of mine: a basic weedless streamer that I always have a few of in my box. The key with this fly is to use a curved hook designed for soft plastics. Tie in a dumbell weight back near the bend. This will ensure that the fly swims hook upward (I like almost all my streamers to swim this way) further reducing snags. The mono loop is stiff enough to protect the hook point, but soft enough that when a fish bites down, you can set the hook.
Throw this fly with confidence at weeds and snaggy areas that other FFErs may avoid. You can really pull some fish out of the vegetation this time of year.
