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Fly
Rigging 101
By: Russell Gahagan
The
components you choose to rig your trolling fly with will make all the
difference in the world on fish catch ability of that individual fly.
I believe certain hooks will ease the break-in process of a new fly (breaking-in
is the time period between a brand new one and one which has been eaten
by a few fish). Different hooks have different thicknesses and also have
different weights.
Certain
hooks will work better with certain trolling flies. You will want to make
sure your hook matches your fly. For example if you are using a light
or thinner fly like a Rapture fly you will want to match that with a lighter
hook so the hook doesn't cut into the action of the fly. If you are using
a heavier fly like a Sigg's Riggs or an Ace Hi fly then a heavy hook works
great.
Generally
heavy hooks bend less so they are generally more durable.
Beads
are the second key component to fly rigging. Both size of beads and color
can make a huge difference. The main thing to understand is beads are
a spacer from your fly body to the hook. So you want to use just enough
beads to have the hook at the end of the fly skirt. Depending on how thin
or thick your fly is will determine the importance of the beads. For example
a Rapture Fly is thin the beads are critical because they show through
as much as any fly I have used. A Sigg's Riggs fly or an A-Tom-Mik fly
are bulkier the bead color won't matter as much because little or no bead
color shows through. Note to remember is as the bulkier flies wear they
will become thinner and the beads will start to show through. If you have
the wrong colors beads on as the fly thinness out beads will matter.
The
last important component is the line you rig it on. I have played with
lots of lines and I have always found Ande works the best. In the case
of trolling flies I use 50LB Ande fluorocarbon. Ande puts a coating on
all there lines they help the wear of sunlight.
In
the picture below you will see how I rig my Rapture flies. I use 50Lb
Ande fluorocarbon, #2 Gamakatsu EWG treble hook and 3 8mm beads and one
10mm bead at the head to puff out the fly.
Rapture
Trolling fly rigged with 50lb Ande Fluorocarbon, 3 8mm beads and 1 10
mm and a #2 EWG Gamakatsu hook.
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