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Flapdoodles


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You know how one thought leads to another. I demonstrated the Flapdoodle concept during the Tiny Chat broadcast on Feb 25. It is an easy way to add a spinner to a fly or jig. In another variation, some casters even replace the back treble on a crank bait or surface plug with a spinner blade.

 

Eric, I believe, brought up a problem of short striking fish. Were the fish short; or were the strikes short; or both? :) One easy solution to the problem is adding a stinger hook to the snap holding the blade.

 

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But that creates two more problems. First, you have anogther hook that can tangle with the fly or snag the bottom. Second, if you hook a fish on the stinger the swivel becomes a weight bearing part of your lure. You need a sturdy swivel. Still it is probably a good idea to carry some hooks so you can add a stinger if you run into short striking fish.

 

The final stray thought is that the swivel-blade-hook combo alone becomes another lure. We are circling back to the Hildebrandt Flicker Spinner invented 100 years ago. The spinner at the bottom of the page is a Herter's Ghost Lure-a knock off on the Flicker. That closes the loop.

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Mike, thanks for sharing. I'm intrigued about adding a real small blade 00 on a small swivel near the eye of the hook, similar to the classic Roadrunner style on a couple of my flies unless the weight becomes too difficult to cast with a reasonable rod.

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Mike, thanks for sharing. I'm intrigued about adding a real small blade 00 on a small swivel near the eye of the hook, similar to the classic Roadrunner style on a couple of my flies unless the weight becomes too difficult to cast with a reasonable rod.

 

Rob,

 

That wheel has been invented under the name Coyote.http://www.henrycowenflyfishing.com/flies_08.html

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DSCF0717.jpg

 

You know how one thought leads to another. I demonstrated the Flapdoodle concept during the Tiny Chat broadcast on Feb 25. It is an easy way to add a spinner to a fly or jig. In another variation, some casters even replace the back treble on a crank bait or surface plug with a spinner blade.

 

Eric, I believe, brought up a problem of short striking fish. Were the fish short; or were the strikes short; or both? :) One easy solution to the problem is adding a stinger hook to the snap holding the blade.

 

DSCF0771.jpg

 

But that creates two more problems. First, you have anogther hook that can tangle with the fly or snag the bottom. Second, if you hook a fish on the stinger the swivel becomes a weight bearing part of your lure. You need a sturdy swivel. Still it is probably a good idea to carry some hooks so you can add a stinger if you run into short striking fish.

 

The final stray thought is that the swivel-blade-hook combo alone becomes another lure. We are circling back to the Hildebrandt Flicker Spinner invented 100 years ago. The spinner at the bottom of the page is a Herter's Ghost Lure-a knock off on the Flicker. That closes the loop.

After adding a swivel & than a spinner & than a stinger hook to a fly you than stop off at a Home Depot on your way to the stream & head straight to the aisle where kitchen sinks are displayed.It would than behoove you to go to a sports equipment store for a helmet.
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Yeah I was fishing a lure that Jonn made -- basically a swim jig-type hook with a willowleaf blade trailing behind it. Kind of similar to your setup on the left in the photo above. It was late spring / high water and the Fox smallies were tucked tight to a rock wall. I was short-lining from above and they were pounding the bait! They were all over the blade but not getting hooked. I even had one get the blade wedged sideways in its mouth! After about a half-dozen missed fish, my solution was to simply switch lures. I tied on a Northland Mimic Minnow and returned to the same areas and picked 'em all off.

 

I can see why fly fishing purists would think the Flapdoodle is "a little much." Conversely, kind of like throwing a light fly with a baitcaster...

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Yeah I was fishing a lure that Jonn made -- basically a swim jig-type hook with a willowleaf blade trailing behind it. Kind of similar to your setup on the left in the photo above. It was late spring / high water and the Fox smallies were tucked tight to a rock wall. I was short-lining from above and they were pounding the bait! They were all over the blade but not getting hooked. I even had one get the blade wedged sideways in its mouth! After about a half-dozen missed fish, my solution was to simply switch lures. I tied on a Northland Mimic Minnow and returned to the same areas and picked 'em all off.

 

I can see why fly fishing purists would think the Flapdoodle is "a little much." Conversely, kind of like throwing a light fly with a baitcaster...

Eric

Unlike your example there are no "casting bubbles" for ffing that would facilitate casting that fly lure or whatever it is.

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