The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
Geneso on Feb 24, 2020February 24th, 2020, 8:24 am EST
Hello,
I am a "newbie" and hope the purist fly fishermen on the site do not get offended. I am retired , have become friends with a 92 year old outdoorsman and we fish and hunt together.
WE have spent a lot of time in his boat fishing for stocked trout and have had limited success with artificial lures and spinning tackle. I was raised on panfishing with live bait and know it works. I realize that That there are quality lakes near us and have been told of with the big trout to be had there with little competition from other fishers because New Mexico is huge with a very small population.
I am trying to create gang hooks with extremely small hooks ( some 9/16" long) and Berkeley Vanish 4 pd. line. Everything is so small and hard to see, that the process is extremely frustrating. I have made some tools and adapted others and the times I take to make a single gang hook with 4-5 hooks is laughable, and the loop knot at the end is particularly frustrating with this finite, nearly invisible line.
I called JRW in Montana who makes these rigs and they would not even consider making anything this small. That means to me, If I can actually do this correctly we should have an advantage when fishing.
I hope there is somebody out there that has some practical advice so I can make these rigs correctly and more quickly in the future. I already have a magnifying lense on a head mount and it is absolutely necessary for this sort of work.
This process may be simple, but if a firm that makes rigs like this won't even consider doing this, if I ever get this challenge met with some efficiency I would look forward to the fishing we will be doing since my green house has plenty of earthworms.
Thanks in advance for useful advice.
Gene So.
Martinlf on Feb 24, 2020February 24th, 2020, 12:03 pm EST
Hi Geneso, I don't think anyone will be offended, but I also doubt anyone has any expertise in this area, so don't think the lack of a response indicates offense. Good luck with your buddy hunting and fishing.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
Wbranch on Feb 27, 2020February 27th, 2020, 8:32 am EST
Sabaki rigs are designed to catch baitfish and have as many as nine #12 - #16 hooks. They are all tied to look like tiny flies to catch Pilchards and Threadfin minnows. They are all snelled with a swivel. Google "Sabaki rigs" and maybe you will be able to use them.
If you send me a PM with your email address we can discuss this further. I am quite adept at tying very small flies and if I know exactly what you want I'd be willing to make up a couple for you - if I have the raw materials.