Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019 - 37

When building larger weighted flies, there are many
ways to conceal or enhance a fly that adds conforming
weight to the pattern. The first is to wrap a non-toxic wire
around the shank, and the second is to add a beadhead to
the fly, possibly with other modifications.
There are fine-tuning elements that can add additional
weight while improving the look of the pattern. When
adding wire around the shank, consider overlapping the
first few turns with an additional layer of wire, usually
four or five overwrapping turns of the original bed of
wire. This may give the fly a front-end down slant, but I
have test-dropped a lot of flies in aquariums, and with this
meager modification, I cannot see any front-end down
slant as the fly falls. With a front end-loaded pattern, such
as Woolly Bugger, it changes the profile of the fly, giving
the "head" more bulk and a better look. Consider that a
Woolly Bugger may be imitating a leech or a hellgrammite,
and the head of the natural will be thicker than the tail, so
really a wider front cannot be bad.

Cones and beads

The next way to enhance a fly with weight is the use of
beadheads. When I test drop a beadhead Woolly Bugger
or observe it falling on a tippet in clear, flowing water, I
see the difference in front-end weight. A beadhead adds
weight in the right place. However, you can do even better.
The rear opening of the bead or cone is larger than the
hook shank. It is possible to push several turns of wire into
the gap under the bead, then continue the wire wrap along
the shank. When needing a pattern that will sink fast, I
use these underwrapped bead or cone heads. I employ a
tan-olive or red thread to make the head on the patterns.
Thus, when rooting around in my fly boxes, the thread
head clues me in on the fly's extra weight.

Rabbit fur

Nothing adds drifting weight to a streamer like waterlogged
rabbit fur and marabou. Build a zonker-like strip of dense
rabbit fur to the top of a streamer, and the fly becomes a
fishing success story. Conversely, a rabbit strip fly can become
hard to cast, but I will trade short casts through heavy
water, where the fly glides deep and waves, over a lighter

Woolly Bugger patterns dressed with bead or cone heads with an
underbead wrap of lead add extra weight to the fly.

streamer that takes yards to sink. On the Delaware River, I
use my fly called the "Moldy Burnt Toast," consisting of an
underwrapped conehead, dubbed marabou body for
extra water absorption and a rabbit
fur wing to get deep and stay
deep. The best color is black
with a short marabou
tail of dark green, thus
the mold. This fly
rides low around
serious swells.

Jig flies made with thin, light synthetics are a relatively new addition to the fly fishing world
and are great for working deep water.
www.fishandboat.com 		

Streamer patterns made with
dubbed marabou and rabbit fur, like
the author's "Moldy Burnt Toast,"
drift deep and imitate deep holding
naturals like the hellgrammite.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2019

37
http://www.fishandboat.com
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019
