While foam may not be the ideal material to tie a delicate mayfly or caddisfly, it does a fine job on many terrestrial patterns, particularly beetles. There are somewhere around 400,000 species of beetles crawling around on this planet. In addition, beetles constitute almost 40% of known insect life and 25% of all animal life! So chances are pretty good that a few are going to end up in the water and ultimately in a belly of a fish.
Read moreFishing The Big Bug - The Brood X Cicada
Everywhere you look, you are likely to see hundreds of giant insects flying in the air and crawling or clinging to every available surface. As the hatch progresses, the bugs start dying, and their corpses begin to litter the ground.
Read moreFly Tying Friday - Jack Harford's House Fly
Jack Harford’s House Fly is a versatile topwater pattern for panfish and bass!
I have dozens of favorite foam patterns that I tie and fish regularly. One versatile design that rises near the top of that list is Jack Harford’s House Fly. The House Fly is an easy-to-tie pattern that you can modify to imitate a wide range of topwater offerings.
Read moreThe Micro Gurgler
I recently wrote about Jack Gartside’s Gurgler pattern and how I adapt the design for fishing for bass and panfish. Tied in a size six, a gurgler makes a great pattern for both bass and large panfish. However, there are times when I want to fish something smaller just for panfish, and that is where the Micro Gurgler comes into its own.
Read moreA Simple Gurgler Variation For Panfish & Bass
This variation of Jack Gartside’s Gurgler is a simple to tie topwater favorite of mine.
Jack Gartside’s Gurgler may very well be one of the most famous topwater patterns ever developed. The Gurgler is a simple foam pattern that can be tied in a broad range of sizes to target a wide variety of fish. The fly has been successfully used for everything from bluegill to large saltwater species and everything in between!
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