The jungle box is growing by the day!This time we stay with some top water madness, the Disco Biscuit!
A head that skim the surface with a little dive action, but its the engine at the back that makes all the commotion! Most of them are tied with strong metal propellers, as the crushing power of the Aimara is immense and i try to tie flies that will be used for more that one fish....
On the fire tiger model i put small quad props, they are made of plastic but feel very strong....We will see if they hold... The tails are tied on 30lbs single strand titanium, a prop , a bead and some northern lights flash.
It's a pretty simple tie but it requires time. The making of the heads has to be home made as they need to match your chosen hook.In this case i am using one of my favorite hook, the Gamakatsu SL12S in 8/0.
A weedguard is essential to be able to cast into deep wooden cover without the fear of snagging.You can be more adventurous with your casting when you have a quality weedguard.
I use a double 80lbs fluorocarbon, as i said before the power of the jaws of the wolf fish is so important that a stiff weed guard won't get in the way of a good hook up.
I finished the tie with a good coating of epoxy. I rarely use UV resin for my heads as i find none of them have the solidity of the epoxy.
The heavy bunny! Just because it doesn't matter where you go in the world or what kind of fish you're after, a simple bunny will always gives you results.
This model is supercharged! Remember this is to target AIMARA and not to be confused with the ARAPAIMA.
Aimara above not to be mistaken for the Arapaima below
The AIMARA is a top predator , fearless, and would eat anything that moves ( I read stories of aimaras ripping of legs of a dead monkey...)
The flies need to make an impression, especially when they enter the water, a big splash is a dinner bell for the wolf fish. I plan on using the heavy bunny on 10 and 12 weight rods. I will , closer to my departure have an article in details of what gear i will be packing.
A big silicone skirt and a rattle for movement and noise. Only after a week fishing i will know how durable they are. The rattles are easily changeable...
For the zonkers, i have always been a fan of DIY strips. Cutting your own strips from a full pelt will give you nicer and bigger strips. The "magnum" zonkers you find in shops simply doesn't cut it for me. I like using 10 to 12mm wide strips, they move more water and last longer.I have been using them for years for my pike flies. Not the easiest to cast, but it's not intended to be used all day long... This is not a "search bait"...
For the weedguard you can go heavy, double 80lbs fluoro will keep your fly from snagging anywhere, bump it on rocks, bounce it on logs, perfect for inciting a take under heavy cover!
The bite of these fish is strong, they will clamp your fly hard! 80lbs weedguard will give no problem under the pressure of the jaws, making for safe and certain hook ups.
More flies are in the making so keep an eye on the blog and my social media for upcoming models.
With an upcoming trip to French Guyana next November 2020, i'm starting to create a bunch of flies ready to tackle the legendary Airama!
Loud flies are the main game here, flies that makes a splash when they land, flies that move a lot of water and flies that are strong!
I will upload in the next ten months a whole series of these flies, and some other for different types of jungle fish. From small fish to large ones i will try to fill a few boxes that will cover most situation that we might encounter. A light rod ( 6 or 8 weight) and a heavy set up will be in my suitcase ( ten and twelve weight).
So to start of let's have a look at this topwater/weedless fly: the Wurgler.
I'm still not 100% convinced on my hook choice ( this is the Savage gear one designed for the soft 4play) I like the huge amount of space it offers behind the eye, but not sure about its strength...It feels good in hand but if it opens then it's definitely a no go! So i take this fly as a starting point. It will be fine for pike and bass in smaller size.
If you think you know a good strong hook that meets these requirements please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or on the Youtube video.
The trickiest part is the cutting of the foam, you have to match the foam size and shape to your chosen hook, best is to cut a model out of paper first and adjust it as you go along.
Fine tuning the fibers under the foam will help the foam to sit at the right height to be perfectly weedless.
As usual, feel free to change colours, sizes (depending on your target fish) and tails.
The teddy bear eyes are very easily got on ebay.
Stay tuned as the next flies are far from being discreet....
