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Fine
Tuning Your Presentation
Your water time is
valuable. Your cost remain static if you get skunked, or catch
a box full. Fine tuning your knowledge base will pay massive
rewards when you're over that future pile of fish dreams are made
of.
Tragic common mistake committed most often is trying catch what's
not there. Just changing colors is not going to put fish under
your boat. Adjust your speed & depths before thinking dramatic
color shifts is going to save your day. Boat location is
everything!
Hopefully, the information presented in these articles will help the
novice and expert alike ...FISH-ON! |
Bead
Drop, Knots, Hooks, & Penetration
|
1 Bead Drop |
2 Palomar Knot |
3 Hook Diameters |
1. Hook, or bead drop refers to the distance
from the fly to the hook . Too short and you'll miss hits.
Too long & the same is true. We use five 8mm beads our
production flies with single trebles.
2. Knot choice is up to you. Palomar and Trilene knots
both chinch up quite nicely on stiff 50# leader material.
Moisten, and push the knot down before the final pull test.
This prevent the line from taking a heat set and looking curly and
poorly made. I mentioned stiff leader material and the stiffer
the better. That way fly movement is not absorbed by a soft
flimsy cheap piece of line!3. Lazer
Sharp 9650 VMC 1/0 trebles have been the pro standard of the tackle
industry. I've tested several brands of hooks. Including
the overpriced Gamakatsu hooks which had a tendency to straighten
out. 9650s are pricey compared to other brands. VMC's
steel comes from France's area the Alps. We've all heard about
Swiss steel. If you own a Forschner fillet knife? The
steel in that blade came from the Alps too. Steel from the
Alps is the standard by which others are judged!
Here's a link to help explain hooks &
penetration |
Leader
Length Details
|
4 Setting Length |
5 Overall Length |
6 UV Fly |
4. Setting the leader length depends
on several factors. Speed, size of attractor, and the specie
you're targeting is all part of this science.
5. General rule of thumb is 2 1/2 times the length of your
attractor. I use shorter, more like twice the attractor
length. Keeping in mind, I have precision speed control with
my 15 hp. kicker. When needed: trolling bags to provide major
whoa in following seas. Slower trolling speeds means less rigger
blow-back. Plus, my fly maintains good movement, due to
the slightly shorter leader. Don't get any ideas about
attractors spooking fish. I've caught 100s of adult Coho
Salmon with a 6" leader behind a size "0" dodger only 2' behind the
cannonball back in the good old days!
6. Number 3 image is a new cracked ice Mylar with inherent
light gathering UV properties.
Miscellaneous Reel-Info
Coho will find a hard charging fly with a shorter
leader more to their liking. Finicky later day Kings, or Lake
Trout can prefer a more lazy subdued action. I seen my BTI flashers
with leaders set at 16" to 25" put fish in the net. 16"
on spring Coho. 20" to 25" for July-August Kings. Trial
& error will formulate what works best for you, cuz speed is a
critical issue affecting presentation.
Fly leaders take a lot of abuse. Anything less than 40# test
is just temping fate. Our Triple Fish Perlon 50# leader
material will withstand abuse, but sooner ...or later all fly
leaders will need replacing. After every fish inspect your
leaders. Especially, the 6 inches closest to the hook.
There's nothing written in stone. Longer, or shorter attractor
leaders should be based on what works for you. Not any rule of thumb,
or what's mentioned here in this article.
Fluoro vs. mono is a question of price and that's why we offer
choices at our webstore. Fluoro 50 pound test is a little
stiffer and makes it harder to tie knots.
The double loop knot I use to attach the leader to the snap on my
attractors is shown in great detail in my Encyclopedia of Tips and
Tricks section. Along with several articles directly related
to attractor fishing.
Click for
Encyclopedia of Tips and Tricks
Click here for the double loop knot |
Storage
Solutions
|
Zip Lock Baggie |
Mylar Mess |
Protector Sleeves |
Until usage, store your newly reverse
tied flies is a sandwich styled Zip Lock Bag. This
eliminates tangles from the many stands 1/32" fringed Mylar
material. You can have pre-tied leaders and beads for
rigging aboard your vessel.
Trying to store your flies any other way is just not worth
the grief trying to groom the strands to lay backwards.
Water use will set the Mylar in a much more tolerate manner.
You might want to consider the state of the art storage
cases with protector sleeves we offer at our webstore:
www.michiganangler.com
With this system you'll soon appreciate the organization and the extended
life of your flies.
No Mylar fly will last forever. The fish chew them up
and snarl the strands, or fringe together. Not to
fear, the more chewed up they are? ...it seems the
better they work!! |
USA Bullet Head vs. Chinese Bullet Head
Click to see the taper difference
| Here's a strong point that needs to be made.
I've seen commercial trolling flies tied on stripped wire insulation
and plastic tubing. Granted all these flies work.
However, they do not provide the finished look, nor the color
coordination a matching themed bullet head does. Even worse is
the cheap skate Chinese bullets with a strong taper. Preventing
full contact of the Mylar to the shank portion of the bullet.
In simplest terms: it's like trying to wind material on a ice cream
cone. My USA heads
have a .002 taper in 1/4" vs. my Chinese competitor's .020 taper.
In order to have the bullet release from the injection mold, a
slight angle is needed. .020 sounds like no big deal, but if you
want the Mylar in full contact with the head ...it is! A
strong taper just leads to lumps, voids, & uneven Mylar fly
material. Often it's small things that make the biggest
difference! |
Click to return to Part I
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