Mike G

I guess l should have stated that the purpose of the exercise is to get it down to one of each following Chesterton' s example. I found it easier to do one than to do 3 or 5. And the one lure I picked would not have been in my pick of three. IOU the name of my one fly.

And the book???

Brad Miller weighed in in his July letter picking the Murditch Minnow. http://fly-fishing-smallmouth.com/the-murdich-minnow-for-smallmouth-bass/ This is one of Joe Cornwall's variations. By the way, I put this thread here because I wanted to be democratic giving a place where a guy can plug his "one" casting or spinning lure also. I don't see many takers so far. C'mon, It is not like I am asking for the GPS on your honey hole!

Rob, In a word,"Tooth Proof." A Musky or Pike can slice through that 20# mono like before you can blink. If I am going to bother with these stretch flies, I want half a chance at one of these bonus fish. A SECOND word, per diameter the tooth proof wire will be three times as strong as mono. E. g. the .030" diameter wire I am using tests at about 150#. For security that gives me belt and suspenders. I like that.

The new instructions are great Tom. The text on the picture makes it extremely easy to follow. Just two tiny questions. Did we ever decide if these float or sink? Are at least some of these made with Distinctive Sparkle fur?

Yes, the segments are easy to make even with rusty tools. Here are my prototypes made from .030" d stainless wire. When you string them together they look like the paperclip bracelets we used to make as kids. Not to overlook the obvious, you could probably make these out of paperclips too. That would beat the mfgr.'s 50 cents each for the 3" model. Now I will create the Bride (short for Bride of Frankenstein) fleshing out the skeleton with pieces from Craig's, Rich's, and Tom's flies. Too bad we no longer have that fly contest at the Blowout.

Yes Elizabeth, there is a Blane Chocklett. Having dissed the Banjo Fly, I felt some remorse after I found this. It is a much clearer look at the articulated product. http://flymenfishingcompany.org/products/fish-skull-products/chockletts-articulated-big-game-shank/ The hokey video put me off because it borrowed so much from the Banjo Minnow Infomercial and recycled the "Giant Leap" that Neil Armstrong spoke in 1969. Those were sacred words that should not become debased by use in marketing slogans. Sorry, the spine looks good but it is not the caliber of walking on the moon. Now that I calmed down I have to say that these wire forms have some promise. They seem to beat the mono loops we often see used for the application. And once I figure out the size wire to use, I can fabricate them from material that I have at hand in the exact length I need. Next there is a question of what to tie. An articulated Shannon comes to mind along with an articulated iBait. The Fly Men site also suggests applications for poppers and bunnies. One question still haunts me. "Is anyone in any SA using these for Smallmouths?"

Last chance to weigh in on the Banjo Fly-a very complex Shannon Streamer.

OK. Where's Rob G's post?

Like this? http://illinoissmallmouthalliance.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9891

About a hundred years ago it was popular for critics to complement a book by saying it was one of the five books they would pick to take along if they was going to be stranded on a desert island. G.K Chesterton blew that up, "I need but one volume-Bradford Summerfield's Constructing Seaworthy Boats from Materials that Grow in Arid Climates. Now Sam is asking about the three lures to take to a desert island. I will take that one on, leaving aside the question of where there's Smallmouth water on a desert island. I need but one lure, Smokey. Smokey is a 4" grey blue-flake Strike King 3X Grub rigged on a 1/8 oz. Brewer Spider Head. I own the last 5 in existence. That leaves the one fly. This time of year trout fishermen gather in Colorado for a three part fly fishing competition. The parts are distance, accuracy, and one fly on the water. The One Fly OTW is the last event. Finalists, accompanied by an observer, get an hour to fish one fly on a reserved beat. Biggest trout takes it. It is literally one fly. If you loose the fly in a fish or snag, it is over. I always wondered how this would work as a Smallmouth competition right here in IL. I invite your thoughts on what fly you would pick keeping in mind that like the trout event this would take place in mid-summer on a river near you.

With the arrival of Mid-summer in the Illinois Driftless, our thought turn naturally to county fairs and serious livestock competitions. So I found myself helping my neighbor with her granddaughter's 4-H display. We needed a beard for a hog. Distinctive Fabrics grey Husky Fur was the ticket, so I gave her my swatch. My good deed was rewarded when I went to replace it. I found out that Distinctive added more Husky colors-red, pink, magenta, blue and dark grey. Magenta is not a sissy color; it is red shad by another name. My second reward was finding out that they added more colors to Monkey Shag-blue fuschia, and white. Fuschia + Black = Red Shad Who says that good deeds are not rewarded? And the 4-H displayed was a prize winner too.

Read Gordon's seller rating here: 5 Stars +++++ Prompt, courteous, answered all my concerns, top quality merchandise. I would buy from him again, and I recommend him to others. Get the towers from him. And that stretch thingy too.

Sam said it when he asked what river. Location is a big key including where in the river. He is right about the necessity of TOW (time on water)to get to know your river. The old rule is 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water though I think it is more like 95-5. Here's some heresy. The yak may be your problem in that it let's you chase around too much looking for the perfect spot when all you need is a good spot. (Likewise, stick with a few lures instead of constantly changing as if there was a magic one you have to find by trying every bait you own.) Try going on foot walking the shore or wading so you can slow down and concentrate on working the water without the bother of the boat. Or get out of the yak to fish so you are not swept past promising spots before you can give them a decent shot. A lot of successful anglers consider a canoe or kayak as just a way to get from spot to spot-no magic in fishing from it when standing on the bank provides a better platform.

Lately I have been noticing guys who have trouble keeping track of what month it is. Here's some advice from someone who has been there. First, don't beat yourself up or take it out on the wife. Along with the date and the day of the week it is one of the first things that goes.Next, deal with it. Retire that Timex analogue and get a digital with day/date display. I recommend the Casio Fisherman. I can't remember when I got mine. As a bonus it comes with the Solunar Tables for about the next hundred years. So you don't even have to remember when to go fishing. It is a nice piece you can pass on to a grandchild.

Deux.2 You are not going to get smart about Tenkara reading me on Tenkara. Of the ones I have found, I like the Tenkara Bum website the best. http://www.tenkarabum.com/ It is well written with a limited amount of romanticizing about the Japanese mountain men. After all till recently, a big old fish basket was a standard part of the Tenkara man's outfit. (Good news. Today they carry a humane C&R net.) I still have to smile when I see the economical starter outfit priced at $175. I just showed you one that costs $35. If you appreciate oxymorons you will appreciate that the site sells only genuine Tenkara flies tied in America. http://www.tenkarabum.com/tenkara-starter-kits.html

John, The stuff hittin' the fan has nothing to do with the surgery. For starts, the Honey Do went neglected for 2 full weeks. Then I realized that my Daddy Do was full because I was not keeping up. Then we have relatives comin' to visit. Etc., etc., etc. ... What was that movie where the guy Xeroxed copies of himself so he could go g@#&ing whenever he wanted? PS It was "Multiplicity."

A tiger weave is used with Black and Hypnotic Haze to get the two tone body. The synthetic fur used in the tail has a lot of action close to Maraboo. We wind up with a Sluggo or Senko action similar to Tom's Injured Minnow. OK this one needs eyes to really catch fishermen.

No, but I use these on my Alabama Rig. The special tail design gives a nice fluttering action. At $2.50/10, it is hard to beat the price. Let's reset the bar. Can anyone come up with a flyrod Alabama Rig. ;-)

I see another economically priced alternative rod. B'n'M makes a graphite version of their Bream Little Jewel in 10, 11, and 12 feet. It is available from many sources including Amazon. I have seen prices from $25 - 40; shop around. It is not as compact as the Como; the Jewel 12' model has 4 segments compared to the Como's 7. It does have an EVA grip. I have not tried it, but it costs less than a carton of smokes like the Como. Reward yourself for quitting.

Thanks. I'm feeling better, but there is too much hitting the fan to go fishing.

I am glad you noticed this, Tom. It is amazing how similar the action is. Can you say marketing? The Banjo Minnow infomercial has probably been around for 20 years now. Thanks to Blaine Chocklett; we finally got a fly that looks like a Banjo Minnow.

P T Barnum was right. You haven't even seen the fly first hand. It is not being worked with a fly rod in the video; they are pulling it around with mono in a fish pond or pool. They don't even show it catching a fish. You want how many? It is not available from the usual sources like Rainy, Orvis or Umqua. So this is a custom made fly with a lot of specialized materials and a lot of tying steps. I estimate $10 a copy. $120 plus shipping for a dozen. Or you can get this nice 110 piece kit (42 Minnows)for $20. And Wayne shows how to use it on a real fishing pole.

That's a classic modern soft plastic. Actually it is a whole system including baits, kahle hooks, coils, and weed guard. Wayne's hair is darker than it used to be. They are still going strong. http://banjominnowstore.com/Default.aspx On this page you can see that a lot of the action must be imparted by the angler. I suspect that is the same with this "Game Changer." See The 6 Movements of the Banjo Minnow: http://banjominnowstore.com/Techniques.aspx PS From now on I am calling this the Banjo Fly. Wayne had it first.

What was that lure? And where is it now? My thought is that it definitely is a fisherman catching fly. But I think your plain old Foxy Craw will smoke it on fish.