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Magic Flies (Guest Article)
Soon I discovered in real weedy/grassy areas and in downfalls that a weightless Clouser and worm allowed an ULTRA-slow vertical drop into semi-open areas. The straight down glide of this bait really provoked strikes from tight holding fish. But this had limited application to me due to the depth limits of the light rig. However, this all changed this season as I discovered Charlie Case and his hot new Magic Stiks! The bulky Magic Stik provided the ideal dropping speed and allowed me to work down to as much as 12' or more, while my recent modifications of the Bendback fly provided absolute snag/weed protection and with an easy, flawless hookset missing on so many weedless rigs.
In recent weeks I've placed my "Magic Fly" among rocks, weeds, downed trees, and lily pads in pursuit of both smallies and largemouth. Virtually the only time I lose a Magic Stik (other than my 20 yr. old son "borrowing" them!) is when a bass jumps and throws the plastic (fortunately they rarely have such luck in loosening the hook!). A huge bonus in this rig is that the fly material ever so slightly slows the Magic Stik's descent and actually accentuates the fluttering and spasm of this great bait ! Plus, the fly just seems to "fit" perfectly, providing a small tapered head effect in front of this fat, minnow-shaped plastic.
To tie your own Magic Fly, obtain a Mustad Circle Streamer hook, size 2 or larger. Wrap a small ball of chenille about 1/4" behind the eye as a "ramp" to angle your material up toward the point. In front of this, tie in a "goodly" clump of calf tail, then about 8 strands of flashabou, then on top of this another thinner clump of calf tail. That's a very simple operation even for a non tyer (during a phone conversation I teased Bob Clouser by mentioning that though this is a derivation of his hugely productive "Darter" series, we just call it the world's best weedless hook!!!). As with any circle hook application, when a bass runs, merely reel in -no hard rod set! You'll discover that, although the calf tail shows true genius in thwarting weeds and obstructions, the hook point always penetrates flawlessly within the confines of a bass's mouth!
It's up to the tyer and Charlie Case to coordinate the calf tail color, flashing, and Magic Stik for a neat looking total package! Bass in the toughest possible cover seem more than happy to "come out to dinner" for a handsome Magic Fly!
by John McKean
Several seasons back I started experimenting with Bob Clouser's famous deep minnow which I tied in his weedless manner (bucktail or calf tail tied on the top of the hook shank, thick enough to cover and hide the point) -- I believe he terms it a "Bendback Clouser". His fly was of an ideal weight to fish smallies on light tackle around rocks or logs in his 1/36 or 1/20 oz. sizes. It proved deadly on smallmouth-loaded rivers and creeks feeding into Lake Erie, which I love to work. But to get bigger smallies and better casting weight I played around with attaching a 3-4" plastic worm trailer. This was terrific in virtually any snaggy situation and really upped my take drastically.
Published on River Smallies.com with permission