Guest rich mc Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 every year i try to focus on a new fly for tying and fishing. just like some of you tied more blockheads and poppers in 2011. this year i will be tying and fishing more of tom nixons pigboats. what flies are you intriqued by in 2012 ? rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 That Pigboat sure looks like a scaled down swim jig and I'm sure it would be attractive to a lot of bass. It also looks like you could dress it up in a number of ways. Rich, please post a couple photos when you've tied up a few and let us know how you do as the season progresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rich mc Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 the original had56 strands of rubber legs. i use two layers of the thick patons chenille and drop the hackle step. i add a tail of either finer strand legs or marabou. i also add more strands to the top of the fly so it moves up right easier. using various colors legs makes a nice bluegill pattern. will try to figure out my new camera and posting the photos . rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob g Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 The first thing I thought of is a rabbit strip in the center but not sure if it would get tangled in the legs. Maybe if the hair was trimmed and then wrapped to the shank. How are you thinking of fishing it? Lead eyes or on a sinking tip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rich mc Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 possibilities are endless. a rabbit strip can be used easily or put the legs on the front of a double bunny. i plan to use it on a floating line near pods of shad. with lead eyes it could easily be used like a spinnerbait bumping into things near the bottom. ill have a few at the ISA FLY SHOW. rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom L Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I did some experiments with somethings similar. After reading Eric's posts on the successes of the swim jigs, I tyed up some of these flies to immitate the swim jigs. Basically, it is a wooly bug body with rubber legs collars, a bullet head, and attached eyes. I caught several SMB with them. I fished them with both sink tip and floating lines in rivers using a swing-down/strip-up technique. I don't have a name for it yet, or maybe it ready has but I just don't know. This is what I had found so far: 1. It is still missed some of the swim jig elements like fat body to push water and vibrations of the tail. 2. If the rubber collars are too long, they tend to foul the hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom L Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Another picture of the fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rich mc Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 ill bring two pigboats to the kayak clinic tomorrow night. perhaps someonecan snap a photo rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Another picture of the fly. A pearl crystal bugger with a few strands of white rubber........guaranteed winner ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Rich, Which came first, the Pig Boat or the Swim Jig? It is good to see you looking into the riches of the past. The original Pig Boat dates from around 1950. Your thought is right in tune with the success I have had with The Homer Rhodes Streamer (c. 1900) and Lefty's Bug (c. 1955). There are some great old flies out there that deserve more attention. They get overlooked as we chase the latest and greatest. In a way Craig Reindeau's Hairy Fodder is a descendant of Nixon's creation. Just as Nixon incorporated the rubber skirt of the Hawaian Wiggler into the Pig Boat, Craig used the silicon skirt of the Spinnerbait on the Fodder and worked in a rattle, dumbell eyes, and bunny fur to boot. That is a great hybrid. I pushed it further with the Swim Jig Fodder subbing gilt eyelash for the bunny fur. BTW a few years ago, I merged the marabou of the Wooly Bugger with the rubber strands of the Pig Boat into one fly. I called the result the Wooly Boat to avoid using a X rated combination. As for your question about my fly of the year, right now I intend to perfect my act with foam poppers like Lefty's Bug and Clouser's EZ Pop. I am going to see if a coat of Epoxy improves their performance. I will also be working on using my grandson's BLOCO cylinders for making the same bugs. Pictures to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.