Potential Grunter Fly

[Newby]

Hi Guys,

I have been tying flies for a short while now but not so much for salt, and even less for grunters. I have been trying to tie some prawn flies for grunters and this is the end result.
What do you think? Will this fool a grunter?
The fly is intended to be similar to the JAM fly.
Any comments for improvement?

Thanks

[Korrie]

Hi Guys,

I have been tying flies for a short while now but not so much for salt, and even less for grunters. I have been trying to tie some prawn flies for grunters and this is the end result.
What do you think? Will this fool a grunter?
The fly is intended to be similar to the JAM fly.
Any comments for improvement?

Thanks

Stunning tie, well done, will defintely fool a lot of fish

[Newby]

Thanks Korrie. Hope to test it out this summer on the Garden Route estuaries.


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[Booger Rose]

Cool fly, that looks like a keeper. Proof will be in the casting. Looks like it will fool the fish, nice tie.

[Andre]

looks good.
A question, in what way is it intended to be similar to the jam fly, is it in looks or in action? remember the jam fly has a lot of built in characteristics to make it lie on the sand correctly with the hook down, and also to get it to sink down to the sand really fast. the jam fly also has an interesting distribution of weights and floats, to enable it to move really nicely when "twitched".
Your fly looks amazing, and if it can behave like a jam fly when it is fished, it will be an awesome fly. It certainly should fool a grunter, but grunter fishing is so much about the technique, and if the technique isn't right, even a perfect fly wont work. Having said that, I do love your fly.

Hi Guys,

I have been tying flies for a short while now but not so much for salt, and even less for grunters. I have been trying to tie some prawn flies for grunters and this is the end result.
What do you think? Will this fool a grunter?
The fly is intended to be similar to the JAM fly.
Any comments for improvement?

Thanks

[Newby]

Andre, I have tried to copy the way the fly will sit in the sand by adding foam to the head of the fly and then weighting it down at the eye of the hook with dumbbell eyes and lead wire. I tested in the sink and it sit with the hook down. Will try and manage a photo.

I haven't given any thought on the retrieve and how it will react in the water. But thanks for mentioning it..will also try and test this.

If the fly is to heavy..will that influence presentation and casting?


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[Shamwari]

That is a bloody neat fly

[white death]

Neat fly - I am using patterns that are sandy and white in colour and suspend in the water. If your fly is heavy and plops into the water on casting, your Grunter will flee but then I am only casting to tailing and visible fish. But to me it is still experimental time. Last weekend while fishing for Kob on fly at Little Brak, an angler almost next to me fishing for Kob, pulls out a 3kg Grunter on Pilchard bait and when he cleans it, it is full of prawns???? Go figure. I ended up with one small Leerie on a Clousee fished on the bottom in 4meters of water.

[Newby]

White Death,
That sounds like something that will happen to me also. It sounds that you might be a local there at Little Brak? I will tie a few in a sandy/white colour also.
Where do you target grunters at Little Brak? Mostly close to the mouth or more up river? I have fished there a few times before and had no success. Only a hit from what I suspect was a small leerie. Will it be better to fish Little Brak from some sort of boat?


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[Andre]

Ya, sounds like you have thought it through.
I think perhaps you might want to gat hold of an original jam fly and fish it, and you will see how it behaves. It is a very interesting fly in the way it was designed to behave. Presentation is a point to consider, but effective grunter fishing, is about landing the fly a long way ahead of the tailing fish, and allowing the fish to move towards it, and then giving the fly the movement. the fly landing, and spooking the fish is one of the critical elements of grunter fishing, and even a light fly isn't going to present well. Remember that real prawns don't fly through the air, and then land on the water with a mild splash, which means that its impossible to present it as a natural, so the way that you will land the fly and fish it, is very much dependent on the conditions, and where you fish. One of the biggest challenges I have with grunter, is knowing where the fly is at all times, and being able to set the hook at the right time when the fish tails onto it. You cant simply let the fly lie there and expect the fish to swim away with it like they do with live prawn bait. You have to make a cast to a place where you think the fish are patrolling through, watch your fly, or at least know exactly where it is, when a fish looks at it or comes close, give the fly a small twitch, and when the fish goes down on it, you must be able to strip strike at the perfect time.
Don't cast directly to tailing fish, or too close, they will disappear instantly.

Andre, I have tried to copy the way the fly will sit in the sand by adding foam to the head of the fly and then weighting it down at the eye of the hook with dumbbell eyes and lead wire. I tested in the sink and it sit with the hook down. Will try and manage a photo.

I haven't given any thought on the retrieve and how it will react in the water. But thanks for mentioning it..will also try and test this.

If the fly is to heavy..will that influence presentation and casting?


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