This winter my thoughts have been on
summer bass fishing with my fly boxes already full of trout flies for the
spring season ahead. Over the last
couple of summer seasons, I have been experimenting with using small tube poppers
for bass. I was happy with the preformed
foam poppers durability and action. The
foam poppers worked just fine to raise bass to the top but would not last long during the summer season. So began my
obsession to make some new poppers and more realistic looking flies. The goals were to make flies of various sizes
that could be cast with either a 5wt rod for small flies or a 7wt rod for the
bigger flies.
I have always liked frogs went it
comes to bass fishing. They are great
for fishing bass early morning and late evenings over weeds or near downed structure. No big bass can refuse a swimming juicy frog.
I wanted a fly that would be light but with
some more shape and style. My crafting
traits took over and I began to experiment with balsa wood and tubes. My steelhead fly tying lead me to using
tubes. The tube allows for multiple
hooks and tails to be used on the same body depending on action and
conditions. I also wanted a more
realistic shape to the frog and minnows and the tube does not hinder the shape
of the fly and no hook setting is needed in the balsa wood. Freedom of design and shape of the fly was a
big plus.
Some of the frogs and minnows have
rattles inserted into their bodies and some have weight inserted to created different
actions. The final finish for the painted balsa wood is an epoxy finish to give
the flies their durable body. The tube
system allows for the body to move away from the hook to even protect the fly
more during a strike. Also, I find that the removal of
the hook from the bass is easier.
As with all experimental flies, we
sometimes get carried away. So was born
the Stealth Bomber Frog. Formed with a
chiseled black body with two rattles and of course the prototype had to have a pilot. It is so cool. Bass beware.
