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Dahlberg Diver
Hook: Mustad 37187 stinger or Mustad 3366.
Thread: Chartreuse Gudebrod "G" or other strong thread.
Weed guard: Mason 20-pound hard mono.
Tail: Chartreuse marabou topped with a half dozen strands of Krystal Flash.
Head: Spun chartreuse deer hair trimmed to shape.
Eyes: Stick-on epoxy eyes, doll eyes, or whatever you have handy.
The Dahlberg Diver is one of the bugs I fish most often for the simple reason that it works. I've
used it to catch bass from Boston to Chicago, from Texas to Maine. Buy 'em or tie 'em, but don't
leave home without some Dahlbergs in your box.
Wobble-D-Gook
Hook: Mustad 3366, size 1/0.
Thread: Black Flat Waxed Nylon.
Weed guard: 20-pound-test Mason.
Tail: Chartreuse marabou.
Collar: Tips of the hair of the first clump spun on the hook.
Body: Grass green, chartreuse, and red deer hair spun, molded, and clipped.
Classic bass plugs wiggle and wobble when retrieved. The Wobble-D-Gook has a very tight wiggle
when given a fast retrieve. Even better, it doesn't spin while you cast it like so many other
wobbling fly-rod bugs and lures do. Use a loop knot to tie it on for maximum motion, and fish it with
three-foot sweeps of the rod tip to make it dive and wiggle, then float back to the surface.
Burbler
Hook: Mustad 3366 or equivalent, sizes 4 through 1/0.
Thread: Flat Waxed Nylon, yellow or chartreuse.
Tail: Yellow or chartreuse rubber strands (flat or round), and yellow or chartreuse marabou.
Body: Spun and trimmed yellow, black, and red deer hair.
The Burbler is easy to tie, and it's absolutely deadly on largemouths. The finished bug should have
a shape like a teardrop or bowling pin. When retrieved with short strips, the Burbler dips under the
surface, making a small disturbance. Properly trimmed, the bug should have a very slight side-to-side
wobble as it moves through the water. However, don't worry too much if your Burbler just scoots
along in a straight line--the bass will love it just the same.
The real secret of the Burbler is getting the hair packed extremely tight. The finished bug should
be rock hard. Such tight hair helps the Burbler float, and it makes the bug almost indestructible. I have
several that are years old and have been chewed on by bass, pike, and pickerel, yet look like new
because the tightly packed hair keeps teeth and bristles away from the thread.
Tubes
Sadly, bass don't always want topwaters. When I need a subsurface fly, I turn to the hardware world
for inspiration. My friend who fishes the Jitterbugs is a big proponent of tube jigs. And with
good reason: An unweighted tube jig twitched slowly a few feet down is absolutely irresistible
to largemouths.
Happily, it's much, much easier to fish unweighted tube jigs with a fly rod than it is with even
the best ultra-light spinning tackle. You can cast them farther and you have much better control
over the "fly's" action than you can get with spinning tackle.
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Here's the easy way to rig a tube jig: Lash a small brass or plastic bead behind the eye of a
2/0 Mister Twister Keeper Hook, then slip the tube jig over the hook and force the eye through
the end of the plastic. You can buy tube jigs by the hundred through mail-order houses, and they
come in a rainbow of colors and a huge range of sizes.
I can hear all the purists out there recoiling in horror right now. So, if you just can't bring
yourself to fish soft plastic on a fly rod, here's a fly that imitates a tube jig.
Carpetbagger
Hook: Gamakatsu 07111 (or equivalent), size 1/0.
Thread: Any strong thread (3/0, Flat Waxed Nylon, etc.).
Weed guard: 20-pound test hard mono.
Underbody: Black Antron wool topped with Krystal Flash and Flashabou.
Body: Silver or gold Corsair Body Tubing.
The Carpetbagger suspends perfectly and wobbles erratically when stripped. What it lacks
in durability, it more than makes up for in effectiveness on suspended bass.
We'll be adding and subtracting patterns to this page as time goes by, so tune in regularly to
see what's new!
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