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3. Fluorocarbon vs. Nylon, Page 2

>>whatever happened to Gladding?>>

I think the Gladding is in the other pocket with the Nylorfi...:)

Thanks for the memory.

I may have to try some of that Stroft stuff. It sounds good.

I'm a sucker for new stuff or stuff I haven't tried. Last year I loaded upon Seaguar nylon before we went out west, just to try it. It's kinda limp (reminds me a bit of the old Aeon and that isn't a compliment) and of moderate tensile strength. I'll use it up but doubt I'll get any more.

Right now, I'm doing a lot of weed-bed edge sink tip fishing for largemouth and the tippet of choice is 0X whatever, until I run out of Whatever. Then, it will probably be 14 lb. Stren...:)

"...I'm doing a lot of weed-bed edge sink tip fishing for largemouth..."

With what flies Sir? Just curious, I use Woolies and poppers for pond bass. Oh, and KBFs too!

Jonathon

Hi Jonathon...

I'm primarily using worm flies made from the larger diameter or "Grande" size Estaz. I tie them on Mustad 3366's, usually #2's and some #1's and #4's. I like them because (like the world's greatest searching trout fly, the #10 deerhair ant), I can make a dozen an hour, so there is no emotional trauma when I stick one in a sunken stump and have to break it off.

The fly is simple: Make an Estaz tail about 2-3 times the hook shank length and seal the end with just a dot of super glue. Then wind the same Estaz ahead to make a body and put a turn or two of wound marabou (same color or complementary) at the head. All done...

Best colors for me have been black, purple and kind of a fleshy red (more orange than fire engine..).

I make them in different weights, but the best fish catchers are either unweighted or with just a few turns of .020 lead. They sink slowly (tough on my nerves, I'm a hasty fellow) and most of the takes come on the drop.

I also fish and have done well on a kind of obscure fly called a Thom Greene Leech that I picked up out of Dick Stewart/Fallow Allen's old book on bass and panfish flies. This is as simple of a fly as the Estaz worms. You take a 4X or even 5X long streamer hook (I use mostly size #2 and #4) and put a 45 degree upward bend in it at the mid point of the shank. Cover the back half of the shank with lead wire (I use .030 for this one). Then give it a big fat marabou tail almost as long as the shank. The body is dubbing or (my preference..) leech yarn or angora and kinda thin but rough. Then you just put a big webby hackle collar on it and finish the head. These are all one color. Black has been best, but dark brown and olive have also caught fish for me.

As with the worm, most of the leech takes come on the drop or when you jiggle the fly and bit and lift it slowly. Oh.. I usually put one of those mono loop weed guards on most of my sinking bass flies. I use 16 lb. Mason or this old spool I have of 30 lb. Climax shock tippet for the guards.

I don't catch big bass, at least not yet. I'm still figuring it out. But I've got several in the 17-18" class and a pile between 10-15" so far this year.

We retired back to where I grew up. It's an hour to the closest decent wild trout water, but only 5 minutes down over the hill to one of the better LMB lakes in Northwest PA. We have a pile of good bass lakes within an hour's drive. I'd be nuts not to take advantage of the fishery.

Hopes this helps. No photos, I know... I had a really bad experience with online photos a number of years ago when I was making part of my living writing and taking photos. So, I don't do pics any more.

Best,

Lee

Lee, I love largemouth - take lots of different flies and put on a good show. My personal favorite is the head-shaking leap, which is good at flinging hardware out of their mouths...ah, but the fly doesn't have weight to give them leverage! I also absolutely love a big loud sloppy largemouth take on a popper, like they're trying to destroy it or something. Does it really make you that mad? That should teach you to control your emotions!

"...Dick Stewart/Fallow Allen's old book on bass and panfish flies..."

Thought I had a copy of this book, but it turns out I have Fly tying and Fishing for Panfish & Bass, by Tom Keith. One of my formative books in my early tying years, and I always seem to have opportunities for this kind of fishing wherever I'm at. My closest trout waters up here are at least 20-30 minutes drive (Pine River and [REDACTED] Pond), but monster bluegill and decent bass are right around the corner at Clark's Marsh (I can walk there in 30-40 minutes from my house). Having said that, I did take an almost 2-hour round-trip drive to the Rifle last night...but the fishing certainly made it worth it!

Bass and bluegill just bring out the boy in me too, though I'm getting larger ones than ever before in MI and I don't have filthy pants from rubbing the worm dirt off on them, or losing $3-6 if a cast goes wrong. And they both put up a strong fight on a flyrod!

Tight lines whatever you are after!

Jonathon