New ties

[Nick Adams]

Hey gang. I tied these bully bluegill spiders on a kahle hook just because I wanted to. They are weighted about thought they might be good so goggle eye or smallmouth in my neighborhood creek. Thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Look like good creek lures. 

[fishinwrench]

Since you referred to them as "Bully Spiders" then I'm guessing they are weighted near the bend, and designed to be fish "on the fall" (as they sink).   

If so, then I think the silicone legs are too long (likely to fowl on the cast), and should be spread out around the circumference of the shank rather than clumped up on top of the shank.  

I'm a fan of the hook choice. The curved body looks better to me than the straight pear shaped body of the original Bully.  👍 

[Nick Adams]

Yes, they are weighted on the curve. I thought they'd ride point up and be a little more weedless.

So you think the legs should be how long? Length of the hook?

[Flysmallie]

2 hours ago, Nick Adams said:

Yes, they are weighted on the curve. I thought they'd ride point up and be a little more weedless.

So you think the legs should be how long? Length of the hook?

I like them. I would leave them the current length and hit the water with some scissors. Make some small adjustments until you get what you want. Or more importantly what the fish want. 

[Nick Adams]

12 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

and should be spread out around the circumference of the shank rather than clumped up on top of the shank.  

I did tie a 5th that was about 2/3 black, 1/3 green body with 5 legs on top and 5 on the bottom. It kind of covered up the green, but will see.

35 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

I like them. I would leave them the current length and hit the water with some scissors. Make some small adjustments until you get what you want. Or more importantly what the fish want. 

Thanks for the feedback guys.

[kjackson]

That style of hook is the reason I started tying flies. While I won't say how many decades ago that was, but the hooks were sold by Herter's as English Bait Hooks., so that may give you an idea... My dad's coworkers told him that a fly with a dubbed mink body tied on a EBH hook with a bit of black hackle was a killer on trout. 

 

So he ordered the kit from Herter's and started tying, and his friends were right. It's a killer pattern.  I was 10 at the time, and it didn't take me long to jump into the fun of tying flies.  As an aside-- I used the hook, weighted at the bend to tie an upside-down mayfly imitation that I fished in sloughs off the Clark Fork River when I was in college.  It worked well.  I've tied up a few Bullies in different colors to see if the 'gills like them.

[fishinwrench]

5 hours ago, kjackson said:

 I've tied up a few Bullies in different colors to see if the 'gills like them.

I gave up on the "Bully", but it did teach me the slow-sink method that is THE BOMB when it comes to flyfishing for bigger bluegill.   

I fish a #12 BUBfly in the same fashion as you would a Bully Spider.....and it is hands down my #1 subsurface bluegill fly.   The secret is to keep the rod tip about 8" above the surface and keep just a tiny bit of tension against the fly.... Pay close attention to the angle of the fly line from rod tip to water surface and maintain that angle as the fly slowly sinks.  Then set the hook when that angle changes any at all.  A bobber "strike indicator" will not show those bites.  

It's an absolutely deadly technique for bigger gills.    

Also, in every body of water I have ever fished for bluegill.....all BLACK (black thread, black body, black legs, and black hackle) has always outperformed every other combination of colors I've ever tried.   I don't even carry any other colors anymore. 

[fishinwrench]

Oh yeah......You can also do really well with a NO HACKLE version of the BUBfly.     Just omit adding any lead wraps.   

Having the hackle just slows the fall of a weighted fly, and in my mind I feel like it makes it easier to maintain that little bit of tension on the line/leader without moving the fly forward much.   

[snagged in outlet 3]

I used to tie a red posterior minus the posterior with a bulky body that looks similar to that.  For trout.   I need to add that back into the rotation.  Thx.