Surface / Wake Flys

[LuckyLuke]

Plse can you post some pics of your favourite surface flys - if you could include materials and hook sizes etc that would be fab.

[Teifi-Terrorist]

I will post some when I get a chance LL, but in the meantime there's an article I done for FF&FT specifically on surface lures which should be hitting the shelves now, which may be of interest.

TT.

[Salarex]

Good article, Steff, enjoyed it. I was wondering, after a discussion on hook sizes, whether you have experimented with larger trebles at the back at all, and have any thoughts about using larger trebles?

[Teifi-Terrorist]

Hi Rex,

as a rule I don't use trebles any more except on surface lures and secret weapons - not that they effect the fish or the fishing, it's purely for aesthetical reasons. Having said that, I have always thought that the loose hook or hooks of the treble that haven't hooked the fish can, at time, loosen the hold on the hook that has penetrated. Whereas a double or a single hook especially wouldn't have this problem.

Further to that, I would always go slightly larger with a double or a treble, rather than smaller. Same rule would apply for surface lures, as the larger hook would help drag the back-end down. Using the larger hook also gives you more room to work with, creating additional target spots etc. and looping heavy nylon around smaller trebles can be a pain, and look untidy.

Steff.

[DAZ]

Here's one of the in fly at the moment 'THE JAMBO'.To be fair,it's taken a hell of alot of fish to date but! - Anything that causes a wake will usually get a responce.



I always fish two surface lures,a large one such as the Jambo,or,a plastic tube with deer hair just spun round it of around 3"inches in length on the point,and a smaller one of around a 1"inch on the dropper,this could be a muddler type pattern for exsample,but again,I usually use a plastic tube.

The results are rarther surprising fishing this method,as 90% of the fish I catch all come to the smaller pattern on the dropper.

DAZ.

[Moonshadow]

Interesting that Daz

Used to do something similar when trolling for Bass. Rapala on the point and a foot or so in front of that a small Mepps or a tiny plastic sandeel, same response the bass would a lot of the time have taken the teaser ahead of the rapala sometimes even a double hook up.

If the bass where on the surface and we were using bubble floats again a small teaser ahead of the platstic eel would often take the fish.

Always believed it was the bass seeing the smaller lure as the pursued prey and the shoal mentality took over "get it before one of the others do."

Moonshadow

[LuckyLuke]

Here's one of the in fly at the moment 'THE JAMBO'.To be fair,it's taken a hell of alot of fish to date but! - Anything that causes a wake will usually get a responce.



I always fish two surface lures,a large one such as the Jambo,or,a plastic tube with deer hair just spun round it of around 3"inches in length on the point,and a smaller one of around a 1"inch on the dropper,this could be a muddler type pattern for exsample,but again,I usually use a plastic tube.

The results are rarther surprising fishing this method,as 90% of the fish I catch all come to the smaller pattern on the dropper.

DAZ.

TT will look out for the article - and thankyou for the post Daz a cracking looking fly - what size is the snipped forward hook?

LL

[DAZ]

No worries.|\

I would say it's around 3/4 - 1"inch mate.

DAZ.

[speycaster]

mines a bit bigger than that unless ive got a leak in my waders lol

[LuckyLuke]

TT

Excellent articles m8 in FF&FT AND T+S this month...................learned a lot but am a bit worried didnt realise you had all these accolades and as it states your one of the finest casters in the u.k................... dont laugh too loudly when i finally wet a line with you .:/.:/.:/:}

[Ugie Fisher]

I have never fished a wake lure as yet, i have a couple of mouse patterns in my box. I know where to fish them but not how or when. Could anyone point me in the right direction.

[SJF, Simon]

And of course there is the Chernobyl Spider, complete with 2 - 3" legs!

[Teifi-Terrorist]

TT

Excellent articles m8 in FF&FT AND T+S this month...................learned a lot but am a bit worried didnt realise you had all these accolades and as it states your one of the finest casters in the u.k................... dont laugh too loudly when i finally wet a line with you .:/.:/.:/:}

he he :> I wouldn't worry about it too much LL, I tend to keep such accolades in a tightly closed box!

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. I hope that it helps some people who are not familiar with fishing surface lures to give them the confidence to give them a go etc. as they can be a deadly tactic on the right night, and even, at times, on the wrong nights!

Simon; used those patterns over in Argentina for the trout earlier this year, never thought a fish would take them to be honest, but they did. Must give an interesting surface pattern when fished and retrieved? Any success on it yet? other than otter attention? :>

UgieFisher; classic surface lure nights would be the warm, muggy late summer nights. The darker the night the better. However, they will draw fish out of the depths (and the shallows) in virtually any or all conditions, even bright moonlit nights. Just give them a swim, and see what happens. I wouldn't really start the night with a full surface lure, but would certainly start with a muddler pattern on the dropper, which can provide great sport. A simple rule that I adhere to with almost any type of sewin fishing that I do, but especially so with a surface lure where a wake must be created is; the slower the water the faster the retrieve - this may equate to a full roly-poly in dead water. Then, conversely, the faster the water the slower the retrieve - indeed, no retrieve at all may be required.

Not to plug it any further, but the article in this month's FF&FT may be of use, as it does cover their construction and fishing approaches.

Thanks,

TT.

[SJF, Simon]

Simon; used those patterns over in Argentina for the trout earlier this year, never thought a fish would take them to be honest, but they did. Must give an interesting surface pattern when fished and retrieved? Any success on it yet? other than otter attention? :>



TT.

Not yet, though I did have one fish splash at it the other night ( as it tried to muscle its way in past the Armada of otters ).

[SJF, Simon]

And another thing!

Having just knocked up four "bog brushes or Jambos or whatever you wish to call them" - they hurt to make as you keep checking the sharpness of the trebles, and they eat up your deer hair supplies - Bambi's Mum is going naked tonight.

As a tip, for the neatest trimming of deer hair ( not that neatness matters a bugger with wake flies ), the best tool is an electric nasal hair trimmer, second best are beard or hair clippers.