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Frank Mihalic
Top water fishing
provides the most exciting strike, we can all agree? Striped Bass are very
fond of a popping bug chugging along a grassy edge in the low light of
Dawn and Dusk. Bass often slap the popper with their tail before slurping
it in their oversized mauls. This type of fishing really heats up as the
waters begin to warm and the fish are more aggressive. The Banger is an
infinitely adjustable popper for the fly fisherman that can be customized
to suit your needs. Several diameter heads can be changed on the same hook
giving this fleye versatility, as well as high performance. The diameter
of the head can be made thinner, so it can be cast more easily. The larger
diameter head will really raise a ruckus, but will be harder to cut
through the wind while casting and will not be castable on smaller weight
rods and lines. The hole can be placed lower in the head causing more of
the face to be above the surface. This will help a smaller diameter head
push water like it’s larger brother. Since this fleyes head is not
permanently attached to the hooks shank, different diameter heads can be
interchanged simply by sliding one off and another on.
Head color is infinite and easy by wrapping
a foam cylinder with prismatic Witchcraft Tape. The foam body can be
colored with markers and covered with a transparent witch craft tape
called “halloform” for a very unique finish that looks a lot harder
than it really is. The tail of this fly is normally tied with a simple bit
of bucktail. Through several modifications, I have improved my hook up
ratio since modifying Bobs Banger into what I call a “Hybrid Banger”.
By using a one half inch diameter head with the hole near the bottom, the
fly is very castable and makes a nice loud “pop” on the surface.
Creative coloring on the body is an option that I enjoy the most, but I
don't think it matters much to the fish. Other performance modifications
include using a shorter synthetic tail. Non buoyant synthetics helped my
hook up ratio with the smaller summertime resident Bass. This tail is a
Hollow Fleye tied from a blend of Slinky Fiber and Angel Hair. |
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