Mike G Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 "Anybody listening who?" I see both Holschlag and Clouser reverse their popper heads to create divers. Holschlag HSLGDiver by Michael Gerharz, on Flickr http://smallmouthangler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2543_B_sliding-Diver-2-colors-smallmouth-bass-fishing-fly_800.jpg Clouser ClouserEZcrop by Michael Gerharz, on Flickr Untitled by Michael Gerharz, on Flickr Anybody doing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Mike, I know there are those that swear by Sneaky Petes which has long had a reverse popper head design but I didn't see any improvement vs. standard popper designs. I once purchased some foam Dahlberg Diver design heads (as below) which didn't function as I had hoped. They simply didn't dive or break the water surface much at all. The foam is just too buoyant. I am betting that the designs you posted above will behave similarly. Spun deer hair seems to have a more neutral buoyancy for what I like to achieve. On the other hand, your desired action and results might be very different from mine. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thanks Rob. Consider me doodley warned that that design does not perform as advertised. On the other hand, Holschlag features his design in his book and sells it on his site. Clouser sells both finished divers ($4.00 +) and the bodies on his site. One bad apple... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 I will tie some reverse Blockheads up for you and charge you only $3 a piece. But I won't guarantee that they will dive. Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben K. Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 I found the same thing, way too buoyant with a floating line. It would be interesting to experiment with a sink tip? I tied up some really big nasty jointed pike flies with foam diving heads that I'm going to try a heavy sink tip out with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 https://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/2017/05/10/tiny-dancer-on-illinois-smallmouth/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich mc Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 thanks for sharing this fly. two questions are the beads on the mono metal or plastic? why use a sink tip on a diver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Beads are plastic...................You use a sink tip as the action of this fly under the water on the strip is very erratic. This fly is NOT intended to be fished on the surface. The foam diver head causes the fly to "juke and jive" all over the place.............and the idea that the fly is articulated helps the action as well......................gotta see it in the water. Rich..........thanks for your reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Rich: I also tie the same fly much larger for pike and muskies..................... https://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/lap-dancer-scores-big-pike/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich mc Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 i think i will venture into some articulated flies. never tied one yet. Jonn you going to sell some at tinley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 I will be selling swim jigs, muskie flies, and one particular smallmouth fly that was very effective last year. Rich, if I can remember, I will throw in my box that has all my Tiny Dancer flies in it. Stop by my booth and you can pick one up..................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asherman Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 For years I have been using Stealth Bomber flies when I want to fish with a floating diver. I tie them on either #4 or #2 hooks for smallmouth. These flies dive well and make a nice loud gurgle sound when stripped. They work very well. The pattern below is pretty much how I tie them. Stealth Bomber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 Thank you asherman for those links to the Stealth Bomber and your positive review. In fact, I think we are going to spend some time at: this Sunday's Central IL Fly Tyers Gathering at 1:30pm at the Bloomington Fire Station on Hamilton Road (shameless plug) and work on tying some of those. I've got plenty of 2mm sheets of various colored foam and will print out those tracing patterns, and I know we have a lot of tailing and finishing materials as well. I'm intrigued with the fact that it is supposed to dive and want to see for myself if that open space does actually capture an air bubble as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gillio Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 Yes, the stealth looks very interesting. Rob, I was hoping to see you this Sunday, but once again things have come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 wish you could make it down to Bloomington, I think you would enjoy yourself, and we could all learn from the ole' Chub master himself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Al, you really leaked a secret here. Kent Edmonds' Stealth Bomber is a seriously underrated pattern that can be scaled from #10 trout to 3/0 saltwater. Rob, you will find it is a true 3-way bug--slider, diver, popper. Fish it slow as a slider. On a firm 10-20" strip it will dive and flutter up on the pause. A hard twitch will make it pop. You can also fish it with a full sink line a la Graham and Galloup. It is a great way to make a diver without having to mess with deer hair. I prefer to use Edmonds' original Y shaped cutout on my flies leaving the collar long. I have found that a relative sparse dressing works best. Bulky materials like rabbit strips or thick chenille keep the head from doing its thing. My favorite version is a hackle streamer. Red thread body. The tail is four feathers flared out. It has silicon rubber strands for gills. It is a little over 3" long tied on a #2 Mustad 3366. The pictures that I had were lost in the Photobucket Disaster. I found one with it grouped with my 3 other favorite flies of all times. Ugly flies catch more fish. Rob I hope your session goes well. 20120311_9 by Michael Gerharz, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gillio Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Rob, I'm sure I would enjoy the Bloomington sessions. Someday I WILL make it down to learn from you. Seems like the unforeseen always messes up my plan. Mike, that is a deadly lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Rob, Your mission should you accept it: the Stealth Zoo Cougar. This message will never self destruct or go away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Mike, you'll have to give us some guidelines for that stealth Zoo Cougar. Btw, like Rich, the first Stealth Bomber I ever saw was Mike's contribution to our Topwater Fly Swap back in 2014. I never had a chance to fish it since I was forced to give up my collection of flies to a late comer of that swap. I tied up one today and I like the way it sits down in the surface film. I could see how you might get this one to dive and juke, but the proof's in the puddin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 Don't overanalyse, Rob. Tie a Cougar. Replace the front deer hair head with an EVA sheet foam head like the Bomber's. Should work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asherman Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 In the past couple of years I have been using leaders that sink slowly, like Airflo intermediate Poly Leaders or Feathercraft furled fluorocarbon leaders. In addition to working well with weighted flies, they work great with any floating/diving fly like the Stealth Bomber. The leader is not heavy enough to sink a bouyant fly when sitting still but the leader keeps the tippit under water enough to make it easy to get the fly to dive and make the blurping sound. You can change the behavior of the fly by switching between mono and fluorocarbon tippit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Good tip Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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