Bass & Redfish Flies.

[bigjim5589]

Have a weeks vacation coming up in Sept. so tied up some flies to hopefully chase either bass or Redfish.
All are tied on size 1 hooks, either Allen SW001 stainless or Gamakatsu 01110 Worm Hooks.

I've been experimenting with some bar dyed & natural colored rabbit strips with some long fiber flashy chenille.

The crab is tied with rug yarn. I'll tie up a few more with legs & add some weed guards

I'll tie some more of the bass flies too with weed guards.

[SouthernGuyReviews]

Those are some nice looking flies, I got to get me a fly rod! I been wanting one for awhile but I keep putting it off. I did notice though, down at the local lake all the monster bass are only eating the bugs that land on the water. So, I think it is time to invest in a fly rod hopefully then I can start catching all those monster bass! I hope your vacation goes well!

[bigjim5589]

Thank you for the comments & good wishes! Yes, fly rodding is a lot of fun & can be very productive. I fish with other tackle too, enjoy it all but enjoy the fly rod the most. Actually, I feel that it's made me a better angler with other tackle too. IMO it takes a bit more effort, patience, time & practice to develop the skills to master using a fly rod compared to other tackle. I know I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I also learned a lot & in the end was very worthwhile for me. 

I've been at it almost 50 years now, so if you decide to go that route, any help I can provide, feel free to ask! 

BTW, welcome to UB! 

I added some legs to that crab fly too!

[Pferox]

Those look great Jim, do they float or are they sinking?

I used to throw a lot of flies with a spinning rod and casting bubble, had pretty good success.  I was actually thinking about getting a few more flies and trying it again around here.

What gear do you use for Reds? Are they usually slots or do you hook up with bulls too?

I don't see many guys hunting reds on the fly around here, I saw many more when I lived in Florida.

[Donald Garner]

Jim,

Those are some great looking flies there.   Thanks for sharing the pictures with us

Enjoy the vacation and tight lines on that fly rod 

[bigjim5589]

Jim & Donald, thanks for your comments! 

Jim, I used a 9', 8 wt TFO fly rod last year for the Reds, but have a 9 & a 10 wt if needed. These are all sinking type flies. I've got a box full of floating flies too I'll be taking along! Poppers mostly.

I've already got about a billion flies tied up in my fly boxes, but being an addicted tier, I'm always adding them. I got the dyed, barred rabbit & some natural rabbit hides so combined the two. I really like the appearance of some natural colors & the fish seem to as well. Bass & Redfish both seem to like the same colors & can be fished for in similar manner. I guess that's what I like so much about them! But, IMO Reds fight harder!

I'm looking for slot size fish primarily. Over 18" but under 24". The places I'm going to try are salt marshes & I'm hoping to find them up in the shallow water where I can sight cast to them. I've been reading some reports recently that bulls are being caught here, but I don't expect to find them where I'm intending to fish. I'm not even sure there will be any Reds at all, but I've got to give it a try. If that doesn't work out, I know I can find some bass! 

[bigjim5589]

I tied up a few more tonight.

Front View.


Side View.


Same basic pattern, legs added. Side View.


Next two are the same fly.



Next, same pattern, 2 different flies.




Side view of the above fly.